Trixie's Gettin' Back On Her Hooves

Chapters

Chapter 2: Getting Started?
Chapter 3: Animal Care
Chapter 5 Part 1: Into the Forest
Chapter 5 Part 2: Into the Forest
Chapter 6: Through New Eyes
Chapter 7: Fun and Games
Chapter 8: Clean Slate
Chapter 9 Part 1: Making Amends
Chapter 9 Part 2: Making Amends
Chapter 10: Checkmate Part 1- Endgame
Chapter 10: Checkmate Part 2- Critical Move
Chapter 10: Checkmate Part 3- Nightmare's End
Chapter 1: Unexpected Encounter.
Chapter 4: Stitching It Together
Bonus: Side Story
GBOYH- Bonus Story #2 and Sequel

Chapter 2: Getting Started?

Chapter 2

Getting Started?

Later, after getting back to Ponyville, as discreetly as possible, Twilight lead the now cleaned up unicorn mare into the bedroom at the library. “You live in an library?” asked Trixie, looking around in confusion.

Twilight gave a nod, opening drawers, looking for something. “Princess Celestia was nice enough to set me up here.”

“You gave up a room in the royal palace for a library?” asked Trixie, her mind still trying to wrap itself around with the idea that the mare who had upstaged her was the apprentice of the ruler of the day.

“She lived in the library there too,” said Spike in a slightly deadpan tone as he followed the two mares into the room.
Trixie gave a bewildered look in response. “An entire royal palace and you chose the library to stay in?” she asked, unable to see why anypony would do that.

“I take my studies very seriously,” replied Twilight, magically floating some extra pillows and blankets out of a drawer to make a bed on the floor. “And I love to read, so it seemed like the best place for me,” she said, coming down and compulsively making the bed.

“Trixie can see that…” said Trixie, watching the meticulousness Twilight took in making a guest bed and assuming her study habits must be of the same nature. “So Trixie will be sleeping on the floor, she guesses.”

“Nope, I am.”

Trixie’s eyes went wide. “Wait, what?” she asked, surprise clear in her tone.

“You’re my guest, so I’ll take the floor, you take the bed,” replied Twilight with a smile. She’d had a guest bed, but it hadn’t been seen since Spike’s last birthday.

“But… Trixie said she wouldn’t be taking-”

“It’s not pity, Trixie,” replied Twilight, giving a frown. “It’s just part of being a good host.”

“She even made me look up the book on it while you were cleaning up to make sure,” said Spike, holding up a book with the title “How To Be A Good Host For Foals.”

Trixie blinked, looking at the book in confusion. “But… Why does a town library even have a book like that?”

“Same reason it has "Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties (But Were Afraid to Ask)" and, one of Twilight’s favorites, “Art Of The To-Do List”,” explained Spike, holding up both books.

“Ooh! I want to read that one again,” said Twilight, floating the latter to her.

Trixie just started in bewilderment for a moment and sighed, she was too tired to come up with a witty remark for this. And besides, a REAL bed seemed very inviting at the moment. “Fine… Now let Trixie ask something, just what is it that you’re studying here in Ponyville that‘s so important that Princess Celestia personally ordered it?”

“Oh, I’m studying friendship,” replied Twilight, simply, telekinetically pulling down the covers on the makeshift bed.

“Friendship?” asked Trixie, giving a confused look. “Why would Celestia have you studying friendship?” she said, cocking her head in confusion.

“I’ll explain in the morning, it’s a long story,” replied Twilight, trying to avoid the subject for the time being, Trixie had already had a big shock finding out Twilight was Celestia’s pupil, let alone a wielder of an Element of Harmony. Twilight felt it was best to let her sleep tonight and then tell her in the morning. “We’d better get some sleep, there’s a lot to do in the morning,” she said, yawning for real, she was exhausted after today.

Trixie didn’t bother arguing and climbed up to Twilight’s usual bed. In all honesty, she’d not had a decent sleep in awhile, let alone had a bed to sleep in.

“Twilight, you sure this is a good idea?” asked Spike, sitting in his own little bed. “I still don’t trust her.”

“Don’t worry, Spike, Owlowiscious will keep an eye on her,” replied Twilight, though she personally didn’t see much reason to worry. After all, they hadn’t exactly gotten to actually KNOW Trixie last time. “Oh, that reminds me! Trixie, I forgot to introduce you to Owlowiscious,” she called, pointing to the owl, which presently stood on a perch nearby, keeping an eye on things.

Trixie blinked, looking at the owl, which rotated his head to see her. “You have a pet owl? Why is Trixie not surprised?” she replied, staring at Owlowiscious as the bird stared at her. “Um… Hello there…”

“Hoo.”

“Trixie.”

“Hoo.”

“Um… Trixie.”

“Hoo.”

“Trixie!”

“Hoo.”

“You stubborn bird! I said my name is Trixie!”

“Hoo.”

Trixie snarled angrily, glaring daggers at the owl until Twilight spoke up. “Trixie, he’s an owl, that’s all he can say,” she explained with a raised eyebrow.

Trixie blushed in embarrassment. “Oh… Um yes… Trixie knew that! Oh look at the time! Goodnight…” she said quickly, hiding under the covers before another word could be said.

Spike chuckled. “You shouldn’t be laughing Spike, you did the same thing,” reminded Twilight, causing Spike to huff and cover himself up. “Goodnight, Spike, Trixie, Owlowiscious…” she said, using her telekinesis to put out the light and covering herself up,

Trixie kept her back to Twilight and sighed sadly. “… This isn’t taking pity… You’re her guest… Y-you’re not useless… Y-you can get along on your own… Y-you can… You’ll show those two, y-you’re not… y-you’re not a useless failure…” she whispered to herself, a tear going down her cheek as she laid down her head and went to sleep.

“No… No…” muttered Twilight, twisting and turning in her makeshift bed. “Not… not my friends… Stop laughing at me… Stop it!” she muttered, fear clear on her face as she contorted in her bed. “STOP IT!” she screamed, jumping up awake, looking this way and that, panting heavily. It was morning, light shining through the window, nothing out of the ordinary. She gave a sigh of relief. “It was just a dream…”

“Nightmares?” asked Trixie, rising up in bed and looking down from the loft at her hostess.

Twilight gave a sigh and slow nod. “Yeah… I’ve been having them since the Discord incident… Sorry if I woke you…”

Trixie actually looked sympathetic in response. “… That, Twilight Sparkle, is something Trixie cannot blame you for,” she replied, sounding strangely sincere.

Twilight looked up at Trixie, a little surprised by her tone. “… Really?”

Trixie nodded. “Trixie thinks most of Equestria is having such nightmares now, it’s little surprise one who lived in the epicenter of the disaster would have them…” she said, trying not to show her own pain.

“… Trixie… He got to you too, didn’t he?” asked Twilight, looking concerned.

“He got to everypony in Equestria, is that really such a surprise that Trixie was affected?” the showpony replied, in a rather harsh tone, trying to avoid the conversation.

“Well… No… What did he… What did he do to you?” asked Twilight, looking concerned for Trixie. She knew what Discord had done to her and her friends, had he inverted Trixie? Or drove her mad like most everypony else?

Trixie turned her head up in a rather snooty manner. “Trixie doesn’t need your pity, she’ll keep her problems to herself.”

Twilight growled in frustration, annoyed with the unicorn’s attitude a tad. “Is that your answer to everything?”
“Just when somepony tries to pity Trixie,” Trixie replied, getting up, but keeping her face turned away from Twilight as much as possible so she didn‘t see how upset she was by her memories.

Twilight frowned, seeing Trixie trying to keep things bottled up. “… You want to know what he did to me?”

Trixie looked at her in surprise, but regained her composure quickly as she made her bed. “… Trixie doesn’t care, say whatever you like,” she replied, trying to maintain her image.

“Nothing… Absolutely nothing to me,” said Twilight, looking down with a sad look.

“Nothing? Then whatever are you having nightmares about?” asked Trixie, looking at Twilight in confusion.

“Because he didn‘t have to do anything to me… What he did to everypony else was enough,” replied Twilight, lowering her ears in sorrow. “He turned my best friends into complete jerks and drove the whole town insane… Except me… I had to WATCH what he did to everypony I care about, completely aware of what was happening…” she said, not caring recounting this fact caused her voice to break midsentence. She hoped it’d jar Trixie out of bottling up how she felt about it. Twilight had, and she was 90% sure it’d been one of the reasons she’d had a mental breakdown during the now infamous “Smartypants Incident”. Plus, it honestly felt good to get it out herself to somepony else. Sure, her friends knew, but sometimes just talking about it helped.

Trixie looked down, looking conflicted. She wasn’t used to other sharing something like this with her or how she should react. “… Trixie sees…”

“… Thanks for listening… Anyway, I’m going to go start breakfast…” said Twilight, heading for the door.

“… Nothing is a good term for what he did to Trixie too…”

Twilight stopped and looked over her shoulder. “What?”

Trixie lowered her head. “… He made Trixie nothing… Trixie felt and saw things like nopony even knew she existed… Like everypony saw and heard a blank spot were I was… I’ve never felt so alone…” she said, very nearly breaking down in tears before catching it and forcing herself to regain composure. “Oh… Well anyway, now you know… Don‘t pity Trixie for it, Twilight Sparkle, you told her your experience she told you hers. Simple as that.”

Twilight frowned. “Trixie, are you alright?” she asked, deeply concerned. What an awful thing to do to a pony, make them feel like they didn’t exist at all. She shivered at the thought, though in a way, she knew what it felt like, considering everypony else was too insane to notice she’d existed.

“Y-yes, Trixie is fine,” replied Trixie, getting back into her normal swagger. “Lets just eat breakfast, shall we?” she asked, walking by Twilight.

Twilight frowned, but remembered how antisocial she used to be, before she met her friends. Maybe Trixie was the same way. Getting Trixie to open up at all was a good sign at least. “Come on, Spike, we’ve got breakfast to make, big day ahead of us,” she called, Spike being grabbed by telekinesis and pulled out of bed with a yell.

“Oh five more minutes…” muttered Spike, trying to keep hold of his pillow. That was before he burped out a burst of green flame, forming a scroll.

“A letter from Celestia?” asked Twilight, blinking. “What’s it say?”

Spike unrolled it and cleared his throat. “”Dear my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle; Due to the significant damage remaining after Discord’s reign, we have scheduled a tropical storm to help clear out the environmental damage to some of Equestria so new growth can occur“… I thought the Elements Of Harmony cleared that up.”

“The things he transformed directly, like the chocolate rain,” explained Twilight, levitating a brush over to get her mane in order. “But a lot of stuff like the dead plants killed by that were left behind and had to be cleaned up manually. I guess there’s so much only a major storm can clear it all out quickly. It‘s the same reason they sometimes schedule wildfires and other bad weather, to clear out damaged trees and other types of debris so new stuff can be grown in it‘s place.”

Spike nodded, then looked back to the letter. ““The storm should be far from Ponyville, but you will likely receive some of the rains and heavy winds in a few days. Please let Ponyville know and prepare for this. Princess Celestia. P.S. Yesterday a-” he read, then his eyes widened.

“What?” asked Twilight, giving Spike a look.

“N-nothing, it stops there,” said Spike nervously, trying to roll up and hide the scroll as quickly as he could. Twilight quickly snatched it with her magic. In response, Spike sheepishly tried to sneak out of the room.

“SPIKE!”

“Yipes!“ yelled Spike, trying to make a run for it, she teleported him back to her, holding him in front of her with telekinesis, glaring at him rather furiously. “Hey! Blueblood had it coming and you know it!”

"… And that’s how they beat Discord and saved Equestria,” finished Spike, looking up to see Trixie staring with her jaw almost on the floor, in complete shock. Breakfast was eaten and Twilight was out, informing the others of the situation and trying to get them relaxed BEFORE reintroducing them to Trixie. As well as inform Ponyville about the storm.

"What's... What's wrong?" asked Trixie, looking like she was going to have a nervous breakdown, eye twitching and everything. "The three ponies I publicly humiliated were three of the heroes who have saved Equestria twice! That's what's wrong!" she exclaimed, giving a groan and slamming her head down on the table hard enough to rattle everything on it all at once. "It's official... My life is over..."

"Yeah, you‘re probably right,” said Spike with a shrug.

"Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, giving Spike a angry glare as she walked in. The little dragon was still in rather hot water over the stunt he‘d pulled yesterday as it was.

Rainbow Dash walked in, along with the rest of the group, she herself glaring daggers at the unicorn mare, while Rarity and Applejack gave her rather uncertain looks, Rarity’s more chastising than Applejack’s.

Trixie looked enraged for a moment at the three ponies she‘d publicly humiliated, not liking the angry glares... Then lowered her head. "... You think Trixie deserves this, don't you? That Trixie deserved to lose EVERYTHING she had for a few mean pranks?" she asked, looking downtrodden.

Spike rubbed his head. "Well when you put it that way, you make me feel bad..."

Applejack nodded, seeing how harsh that would be. "No, sugarcube, we don‘t. It was us who wanted to prove ourselves righ'?" Applejack stated, going over to Trixie. “You might have gave the challenge, but we’re the ones who took it. Rainbow and Rarity even knew what they were in for.”

"Yeah, you wanted to prove yourself," Rainbow said bitterly, followed by a long sigh of annoyance by Twilight.

"Indeed," said Rarity, walking over, but still looking a bit miffed. "You may have made my hair a total mess and humiliated me in front of the entire town... But I am not one to turn down a mare whose down on her luck, it's not the proper way for a lady to behave."

“Wait… So you’re not angry at Trixie?” asked Trixie, completely surprised by this turn of events.

“Of course we’re angry at yah,” said Applejack, giving a small glare. “But we also can see you’re in over yer head and need some help. Holdin’ onto an old grudge don’t do nopony any good,” she said with a small smile. “That and Rarity can’t resist helpin’ pony folk who need it, she’s the Element of Generosity and all.”

“Applejack is right, I suppose,” replied Rarity with a sigh. “I have always had a weakness for helping other ponies, and you certainly look like you need help.”

Fluttershy timidly peeked at Trixie through her bangs before the mare could reply. "H-hi...." she said, simply, in her timid voice. “I-I’m Fluttershy…” she said, in a small, shy voice, this being the first time she’d actually met Trixie. “Glad to meet you…”

Pinkie bounced in. "I still don't know what's going on, but when can we have the party! I brought my party cannon!" she exclaimed, producing said item from out of nowhere.

“Later, Pinkie,” said Twilight, seriously as Trixie started wide-eyed at the sudden appearance of a cannon manned by the, in her opinion, rather crazy pink pony.

“Oh, alright,” muttered Pinkie, rolling her weapon of mass celebration off-screen.

“Anyway, we’re all here to help,” said Twilight, smiling to Trixie.

Trixie sighed. "Trixie doesn't want your pity... Trixie just needs to know where she can find a job," she said simply, stubbornness clear in her voice.

“Well good, cause I’m not helping you!” exclaimed Rainbow, equal amounts of stubbornness in the blue pegasus’ voice.

“Rainbow, what’s gotten into you?” asked Twilight, a bit upset at her friend.

“She’s a liar! She lied to the entire town and didn’t fess up until an Ursa Minor was about to eat her for dinner!” replied Rainbow Dash, giving a glare. “What makes you think for one minute she’s telling the truth now!”

“Because I found her homeless on the streets of Canterlot, Rainbow. Do you think the “Great and Powerful Trixie” would be like that willingly?” asked Twilight, glaring at Rainbow.

"How'd you end up on the street like that anyway?" asked Spike, scratching his head.

Twilight looked in the various directories around the library, trying to think of a job that might suit Trixie.

“Trixie doesn’t want you to pity her, all she wants is to know where she may find a job,” replied the stubborn unicorn.

"Dear, we can't do anything for you, as an act of kindness, not pity, unless you tell us how you got in this condition," said Rarity, trying to coax out how Trixie had gone from how they'd last seen her to a homeless, filthy mare on the streets of Canterlot.

“Fine…“ Trixie sighed out, seeing they wouldn‘t let the matter be. "... Trixie's cart had everything she owned in it. Her money, her magic supplies, EVERYTHING..." she said, leaving the rest for them to fill in.

Rarity gasped in realization. "The Ursa stepped on your cart..." she said, now cringing at the memory, which at the time she'd felt Trixie had deserved, she now felt terrible.

“Ah guess that explains a lot…” said Applejack, rubbing the back of her head, having the same reaction as Rarity while Rainbow kept her mouth shut.

Trixie nodded. "Trixie lost everything she had... That's all," she explained, ending the explanation abruptly.

Twilight spoke up after a brief, uncomfortable silence. "Well, Trixie. I have sorted out jobs available in Ponyville. One group, that you can’t do, like working on the Apple family farm-”

“And why can’t Trixie do that?” asked Trixie, looking to the orange Earth Pony.

“Cause it’s muscle work, sugarcube,” said Applejack. “And right now, yah don’t have a lot of muscle on yah… That and my big brother, Big Macintosh, is mighty upset you humiliated me in public,” said Applejack, giving a nervous look. “Big brother instinct and all. The Apple clan is pretty tight nit.”

Trixie sighed, but looked rather upset at the mention of “family“. However, she could understand her point, not only did she not feel like facing somepony’s angry older sibling, she also knew she wasn’t in the best of shape after several weeks with very little of value to eat. Sure, she had magic, but unlike Twilight, her telekinesis wasn‘t quite as powerful or useful for heavy lifting. “Fine, what can Trixie do?”

“Well the second group are ones that we can try, but there’s no promises you‘ll get them, like working in shops around the town square. Finally, third, those you can probably get easy, like working with Fluttershy, Rarity, or Pinkie Pie, who I‘m fairly certain will give you a job.”

“Whatever, you can help her if you want to, but I’m not falling for it,” said Rainbow, finally having enough. “When she turns on you, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” she spat, flying out the nearest window.

Twilight sighed. “Don’t mind her, Rainbow will probably come around eventually,” she said, knowing Rainbow wasn’t exactly the most forgiving pony to someone who’d hurt her friends, being the Element of Loyalty as well as pretty hardheaded sometimes. Fluttershy normally got furious when that happened, but she was the Element Of Kindness, so she was naturally a very forgiving pony. But she was pretty sure that Rainbow would come around if Trixie proved she was trust worthy “Moving on, let’s focus on finding you a job.”

"Um... I actually do need a little help and I'll pay well..." said Fluttershy, in her timid, shy tone, but wanting to help if at all possible.

"No offense, dear, but how?" asked Rarity, to her knowledge, Fluttershy didn't get paid a great deal for her job, but, despite her skills with animals, hadn‘t asked for more than she needed. Fluttershy had no real desire for money and Rarity had never known her to seek it.

"I saved up a lot..." said Fluttershy, then blushed heavily. "F-from when I was a model..." she muttered quietly, looking down. "I've got quite a bit actually..."

Trixie's jaw dropped. "Y-you were a model?!" she asked, completely shocked. “Trixie somehow has trouble believing that…”

“Yes, with Photo Finish,” explained Rarity, remembering her own… unsavory behavior during the whole incident. “That was some time ago though.”

“Photo Finish? THE Photo Finish?” asked Trixie, her jaw dropping almost to the floor in shock.

Fluttershy nodded in her usual meek way. “Yes, but I really hated it, and I hardly ever hate anything… But I saved up the money incase it’d come in handy, I’d be glad to give you work… That is if you want it.”

Trixie shook off her shock and gave her a look. “What would the job be?”

Twilight nodded. "Fluttershy takes care of animals, that’s not a problem is it?”

Trixie growled under her breath but composed herself. “Trixie will do any job she needs to, she‘s not too soft for a little handwork.”

Twilight was pleasantly surprised by that. “Alright, that’ll be your first job.”

“Good, the sooner we get her back on her hooves the better,” muttered Spike, even if he felt a little bad, he still wasn’t too fond of Trixie.

“I’m glad you’re so concerned, Spike. Because until I get back, you’re Trixie’s assistant,” said Twilight, giving her assistant a slight glare.

“What?! Why?!” asked Spike, taken off guard.

“For the same reason I’ve got to go to Canterlot to clean Prince Blueblood‘s room,” said Twilight, glaring at the little dragon. “Or would you rather do that?”

Spike huffed, crossing his arms. “Fine…”

“Good,” said Twilight. “I should be back later today, I’ll see you guys when I get back,” she said, clearly not looking forwards to it as she left.

“Why does she have to clean out that brute’s room for?” asked Rarity, confused by this turn of events.

“I threw a stink bomb in it,” admitted Spike, almost proudly. “I did it to pay him back for how he treated you at the Gala.”

Rarity gave a small smile. “Why thank you Spike, even if it wasn’t the couthest thing to do, it’s still a nice gesture… To me, not Blueblood. Though that pompous prince had it coming,” she admitted, still not too happy about her run in with Blueblood at the Gala. She’d kind of enjoyed seeing Blueblood have to humble himself a bit to her during her time as one of the Canterlot elite. Even if he was a prince, he had a public image to keep up.

“Can we go now?” asked Trixie as Spike blushed from Rarity‘s praise. “Trixie would like to get this over with.”

“Ah got to get anyway,” said Applejack. “There’s a storm comin’ and me and the family have got to prepare,” she explained, remembering what Twilight had said about it.

“I suppose I should be going as well,” said Rarity. “If I don’t watch Sweetie Belle, who knows what she and her friends will get into,” she said, following Applejack out.

“I’ll be waiting at Sugarcube Corner for my turn to give you a job!” said Pinkie Pie, merrily heading towards the door, rolling her Party Cannon along with her.

“Wait… How do you know Trixie will be getting a job from you?” asked Trixie, blinking in confusion.

“Because that’s always how these kinds of plots work, silly!” said Pinkie, hopping out.

“That’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie,” said Spike.

“Right…” said Trixie, blinking, then looking to Fluttershy. “Lead the way… Fluttershy, was it?”

Chapter 3: Animal Care

"So, she lives here?" asked Trixie, looking around the grounds surrounding Fluttershy's cottage. "The cute, timid little pegasus who personifies kindness lives next to the unnatural, terrifying, monster-infested forest of death?" she asked, looking over at the nearby Everfree Forest, which was notorious throughout Equestria for its… unusual fauna. Including the Ursa. Trixie gulped and gave a shiver at that last thought, before quickly composing herself. "Does the hyperactive, party loving earth pony that embodies laughter live in a mausoleum?"

Spike gave a chuckle. "Fluttershy is tougher than all those monsters."

Trixie blinked in clear surprise. "Say what?"

Spike smirked, enjoying getting under Trixie's skin a bit. "You know about dragons, right?"

Trixie gave a shudder. "Yes; massive, mountain-sized, greedy brutes that horde gems and will destroy pretty much anything that comes looking for their stash of treasure. They also have very bad breath," she stated simply. Spike gave a glare and cleared his throat. "Trixie knows what she said," the female unicorn replied, giving a smug smirk.

Spike sighed. "Whatever, a full-grown dragon made his lair in a cave up there on that mountain and was threatening to cover all of Equestria in smoke," he explained. "Fluttershy made him cry and run away."

Trixie gave an eyebrow before looking over at Fluttershy. A leaf fluttered down and landed on the pegasus' back, causing her to scream and zip into a bush, peaking out fearfully. "Trixie is having difficulty believing that…"

"That's 'cause you haven't seen what Shy's like when she's mad," said Spike, giving a smirk.

Trixie looked back as Fluttershy peaked out of the bush, looking around, only to retreat with a shout when another leaf landed on her head. "Trixie is still not convinced."

"You haven't seen the Stare," said Spike, giving a spooky tone when he said "the Stare".

"That Stare? What's that?" asked Trixie, giving him a confused look.

"Ever heard of a Cockatrice?"

Trixie's gave him a raised eyebrow. "You're not trying to tell Trixie this pony can turn things to stone, are you?"

"No! But she's out-stared one before," replied Spike with a smirk.

"Now you're just being ridiculous. You're trying to tell Trixie this pegasus who's scared of her own shadow can scare away an adult dragon and stare down a Cockatrice?" asked Trixie with a scoff. "That's as outlandish as Trixie saying she vanquished an Ursa Major."

"I know it's hard to believe, but just be glad Fluttershy didn't see you humiliate AJ, Rainbow, and Rarity, or you'd have been in big trouble," said Spike, looking back.

"Can Trixie just get her job now?" asked Trixie, ignoring the little dragon.

Spike rolled his eyes and lead the way over, Fluttershy having got back to work in the meantime. "Hey Fluttershy, Trixie's ready for her job!"

Fluttershy had flew up into a tree to feed some animals, but gave a nod. "Ok, my job is to take care of all the animals," she explained, giving a bird some seed before descending to the ground. "This is Angel," she stated, pointing to the little bunny. "Say hello, Angel."

Trixie looked to Angel, who was almost glaring at her, which made her feel rather uneasy. "Um… Hello there..." Angel just glared again. "… Anyway, what should Trixie do?" she asked, finding the little rabbit too unnerving.

"Um..." said Fluttershy, looking around with a confused look. "Oh dear..." she muttered, not sure what to say. "Well you could, maybe, if you don't mind…"

Trixie started to get a tad annoyed. "Trixie gets the feeling you're not used to being the boss of another pony, are you?"

"No... I'm sorry..." said Fluttershy, lowering her head as Trixie face hoofed.

Applejack was on her way to the farms when she came across a mountain of glorious, beautiful, tomato red apples!

"Big Mac! What are all these... glorious... perfect apples, doing here? Don't you know that a storm is comin'?" Applejack asked out of confusion and anger alike. Then she turned her stare to WHERE the apples were. In front of Sugarcube corner, she panicked at the thought of Pinkie Sense striking the apples.

"Eeyup! Ah knew that a storm be comin', Applejack. Ah was takin' the apples home. Ah was just showin' 'em off a bit, Granny Smith's idea," Big Mac replied, much to the relief of Applejack. But then she noticed the amount of Apples, it will take a long time to bring down the mountain. She did not want the apples catch dust or be damaged, after all, since apples like these were very rare and this batch was quite important. Suddenly, she saw Pinkie coming. "Pinkie, careful!"

Pinkie blinked as she seemed to stop in mid-jump for a moment before landing. "Huh, what's going on Applejack? Is this a subplot?"

"Uh… Ah guess… Just these apples are kind of important," replied Applejack, rubbing her head at Pinkie's weirdness.

"Oh… Why?"

"Well you see, these apples are, well, flawless," replied Applejack, taking one of the apples, very carefully, which had a completely smooth surface, bright red with a beautiful shine. "We get lots of really good apples every year, but perfect apples like these almost never happen, let alone this many of 'em. We've been workin' our flanks off growin' all these for this big fair in Canterlot. If we win, we'll get a really big prize, Ah mean really big!"

"Oh! So this is how you're going to resolve your story arc from the Grand Galloping Gala and fix up your farm!"

"Eeyup," answered Big Mac, loading the apples carefully into a cart.

Pinkie nodded, then gasped, remembering something. "Oh! Hey Applejack! The Cakes need about hundred apples!" Pinkie said, much to the surprise of AJ. "We just got a really, really, REALLY big order for apple pies and we're all out of apples!"

"H-Hundred? On it!" Applejack said and ran away to the farms.

"Hey! Aren't you gonna help me take down the apples?" Big Mac yelled as Applejack headed off. The big Earth Pony gave a sigh and kept loading as Pinkie Pie hopped into Sugarcube Corner.

"Well I guess you could…" started Fluttershy, rather shyly as Trixie stared at her expectantly. "On the way to the library, Pinkie asked me to get the Cakes at Sugarcube Corner a lot of eggs… You could go get them from the chickens, I mean if you really want to…"

Trixie blinked. "And you're alright with taking eggs from chickens? Trixie is surprised."

"Oh, not the eggs that'll become cute little chicks, I'd never do that," responded Fluttershy, giving a gasp of surprise when Trixie brought it up. "But unfertilized eggs will just go bad if nopony uses them, those are the only ones I take."

"And how do you know which are which?"

"Oh, the chickens tell me if they're going to have little ones. Don't worry, there aren't any right now," replied Fluttershy with a rather cute smile.

Trixie looked at her like she was insane. "Uh… Right…"

Spike sighed, tugging lightly on her mane to get her attention. "Trixie, communicating with animals is Fluttershy's special talent."

Fluttershy nodded. "It's what I got my Cutie Mark for."

Trixie sighed. "Whatever… Ok, so just get the eggs?" she asked, telekinetically picking up a bucket for that very purpose before starting towards the chicken coup.

Fluttershy gave a nod. "Yes, if you don't mind… Oh! And one more thing!"

Trixie gave a sigh, turning to look at her. "What now?"

"Oh sorry…" muttered Fluttershy, looking down shyly, then peaking up at her timidly. "I was just going to say that one of the hens, Gertrude, is a bit temperamental about her eggs. You need to be very careful and talk to her calmly so she'll let you take them."

"Fine, temperamental chicken, can Trixie go now?" asked Trixie, wanting to get this over with.

Fluttershy gave a whimper and nodded slowly.

Trixie headed into the chicken coup, giving a face, chicken coups weren't known for smelling good after all. She lifted a sleeping hen with telekinesis, floating the eggs out from under her and putting them in the pail, which Trixie set on the floor for this task, then floating it along as she moved to the next.

"Why do you put the bucket down each time?" asked Spike, perplexed by the action.

"While unicorns can multitask with telekinesis, setting down something one doesn't need to be carrying makes it easier to work," replied Trixie, levitating more eggs into the bucket.

Spike scoffed. "Twilight doesn't ne-"

"Did Trixie ask what Twilight needs to do?!" snapped Trixie, dropping a batch of eggs and just barely catching them before they hit the ground.

"Fine! Geez! Talk about temperamental!" replied Spike, rolling his eyes.

Trixie gave a snarl, but continued until she finally came up to the chicken which she'd been warned about, Gertrude. However, she prepared to do the same with her as all the others.

"Hey, Trixie, that's the chicken Fluttershy warned you about, remember?" asked Spike, a little worried.

Trixie gave a small growl, then a sigh. "Fine," she muttered, looking at the chicken. "Gertrude, may Trixie please have your eggs? Fluttershy asks this of her," she requested, as politely as possible. She couldn't believe she was doing this. The hen merely clucked and preened herself. Trixie sighed and began lifting the hen, only for her to squawk loudly and take a peck at her. Trixie jumped back quickly, out of the way as best she could, dropping Gertrude back on her nest. Trixie gave a snarl. "Stupid bird, what'd you do that for?!"

Spike sighed. "Ask again, and this time be-"

"Trixie doesn't need your help!" replied Trixie with a growl. She looked back to Gertrude and tried her best to look calm. "Trixie is sorry about that… Now please, Gertrude, Fluttershy needs the eggs, please just let Trixie get them," she stated, stage practice letting her keep her voice calm, despite her frustration and embarrassment. She tried lifting the hen again, only to get about the same result. Trixie gave a growl. "Listen, Trixie is losing her patience, chicken! Relinquish your eggs now or face her wrath!" she exclaimed in a theatrical manner.

Spike backed away. "I don't think that's such a good idea…"

"Did Trixie ask you if you did?" snapped Trixie, glaring at the baby dragon.

"Maybe you should just ask Fluttershy to help, she's good with animals and I'm sure she won-"

"Trixie does not need help dealing with a chicken!" replied Trixie in a stubborn tone. "She's just a chicken, how tough can she be?"

Spike sighed. "I wonder how Twi's doin'.."

Twilight gagged, telekinetically hovering a mop around, trying to telekinetically mop the smelly, extremely stubborn, green goo, the source of the stench, off the tile floors of Blueblood's room, eyes watering from the horrid odor. Just what had Rainbow put in that stink bomb anyway?! She did her best to hold her breath as she worked. It didn't help that much. 'Note to self; look up cleaning spells when I get home!'

"Careful! Those are imported tile floors!" exclaimed the Prince, watching over her shoulders with a white, diamond studded gasmask on.

"I'm try-" replied Twilight in a disgusted voice, coughing mid-sentence, regretting inhaling. "Why are you the one wearing the gasmask anyway?" she asked, not even asking why it was an extremely fancy one either.

"And allow my royal nostrils to be defiled by this horrid stench?! Never!" replied Blueblood in his usual pompous tone.

"Then why are you -cough- even in the room!" replied Twilight, continuing to clean to the best of her abilities.

"The only ponies allowed in my room without my prescience are auntie Celestia and auntie Luna, and my royal maids, how else can I be sure that you're not going to break something valuable?!" asked Blueblood.

Twilight gave a growl. "Blueblood, I'm not THAT clumsy. We've been in the castle at the same time since we were kids! We might not have known one another that well, but have you ever heard of me breaking anything outside of messing up a new spell Celestia was teaching me?"

"You've been living in Ponyville for over a year, how do I know you can still be trusted?"

Twilight growled deeper, scrubbing a bit harder as the irate prince kept nagging her ears off. 'I hope Trixie is having a better day than me…'

Fluttershy softly tended to red lumps all over Trixie's head from Gertrude's beak as the mare set in a chair outside the house. "Ow!"

"Sorry…" muttered Fluttershy, putting some medicine on each wound.

"Boy, you sure showed her," said Spike in a tone dripping with sarcasm, rolling his eyes.

"That was not a normal chicken!" replied Trixie, blushing heavily at the fact she'd gotten her flank thoroughly kicked by a chicken. "She was like some ninja chicken!"

Spike rolled his eyes. "She wasn't a ninja chicken…"

"Then explain the flying dragon kick!"

"Uh… Rainbow taught her martial arts?"

"I'm so sorry, I've never seen Gertrude so aggressive!" stated Fluttershy in an extremely apologetic tone.

"That's because she's never had a unicorn try to pry her off her eggs with a crowbar," muttered Spike, glaring at Trixie.

"Forget it, let's never speak of it again," stated Trixie, rather eager to forget it herself.

Fluttershy finished tending to Trixie's head about 20 minutes later. "What next?" asked Trixie, keeping her distance from the chicken coup.

Fluttershy blinked. "Well… Um, let me think…" she muttered, looking around at her surroundings. She saw the animals' dens down near the stream surrounding her house. Normally she'd feed them herself, but she still had to collect a lot of eggs since letting Trixie back in the chicken coup wasn't the best idea. She got some food for them in a bucket. "Could you maybe feed those animals down there, if it's not too much trouble I mean..."

Rainbow Dash laid on a cloud a good distance away, watching the scene with binoculars. "She'd better not do anything to hurt Fluttershy or I swear…" she muttered. Even if she WAS angry with her friends for siding with Trixie, she wasn't about to leave them high and dry if Trixie really was up to something. "At least Pinkie leant me these binoculars to keep an eye on things." she said, lowering them to reveal ink circles around her eyes. She then blinked and took them off, looking at her reflection in them. She promptly face hoofed.

"Ok, now here's a map of what animals live where and what to feed them," explained Fluttershy, handing it to Trixie. "The black ones are nocturnal and are sleeping right now, so you don't need to worry about them. The red labeled ones are easily startled, so be very careful. A frightened animal can be dangerous."

Trixie looked over the note and nodded. "Alright, sounds simple enough," she replied, looking it over. Trixie's horn glowed and she floated the basket of food up. "Anything else?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "No, that's all…" she said, then looked to Spike, hoping everything went alright. She fluttered over to the chicken coup and got to work herself.

With that, Trixie started down the rather steep slope towards the stream below.

Spike noticed this before she did. "Hey, you'd better watch out!"

"Trixie's got it," said Trixie, in a stubborn tone as she continued.

"But-"

"Trixie's got it!" replied Trixie, carelessly continuing on.

"But the slope is really-" said Spike, right as Trixie screamed and slid down the slope as she lost her footing, landing face first in a mud puddle. "Steep…"

Rainbow burst out laughing as she watched through the binoculars, having cleaned them, and herself, off. "Serves her right for bullying everypony," she said, chuckling to herself, but gave a small growl at mention of bullying. "At least she didn't call me Rainbow Crash…" she muttered slightly, putting the binoculars back up to continue watching.

Trixie grunted, managing to catch the basket but getting covered in mud. "Trixie is fine!" she called up, levitating the list and food as she got to her feet.

Trixie deposited food to a few animals using the list with relative ease. "Ah, this isn't too hard," she said aloud… before she came to one and realized it was mostly covered in mud on the list, rendering it illegible. She hesitated.

"Everything alright, Trixie?" asked Spike, still standing on the ledge, watching.

"Yes yes, everything is fine, Trixie is in no way confused and in need of assistance!" called Trixie, looking back at the list. "I got a good enough look at it, I'm pretty sure it's safe, but which animal is it?" she asked, able to make out the front letter of the name. "S… Squirrels? Shrews? I remember it was a mammal if I'm not mistaken…" she recalled. "I've got to call it out for its food anyway, so I might as well do that and see what it is…"

Trixie cleared her throat. "Excuse me, animal. Trixie has your food ready…" she said simply. No reply. "Um, excuse Trixie, come out and get your food," she stated, a bit louder. Still nothing. Trixie gave a growl. "Trixie said come out and get your food!" she called, raising her voice. Still nothing. Maybe the den was empty? Forgetting what Fluttershy had said about some of the animals, she poked her head in and saw a furry shape. "Ok, let's see what…you…are," she said, as she lit up her horn and realized what was in the den, as it gave a start and raised its black, white striped tail. "Horseapples…"

"There, all… all done," panted Twilight, looking around Blueblood's spotless room as the prince set on comfortably, drinking some fancy imported water, naturally not thinking to offer the exhausted mare anything at all. "I cleaned the entire room from top to bottom, I even dusted your statues," she reported. 'Of yourself,' she added mentally.

Blueblood sipped his ice cold water as Twilight panted. "Good, it's the least you can do after that bratty little dragon of yours defiled my private quarters as he did," he added, not even looking her direction.

Twilight snarled at hearing him speak that why about Spike, but held her tongue. 'Let it go Twilight, let it go. You can't turn him into a frog, he's Celestia's nephew…' she recited mentally. "Well I'm sorry he did it, and I punished him for it."

"As you should," replied the prince. "I haven't been treated so disrespectfully since the Grand Galloping Gala. That was probably the worst night of my life. I mean first some country hick defiles my royal pallet with her disgusting carnival food," he stated with disgust, not noticing Twilight shooting him a death glare. "Then an insane pink pony jumps off the stage like a madmare and launches a cake at me followed by some lunatic nearly bringing down the ballroom showing off. And some screaming beast chases all the garden animals into the room and caused mass hysteria. How they managed to crash the party is beyond me."

Twilight snarled with rage, snorting hot air out her nose, but took a deep breath and calmed herself. 'Mean, yes, but we did kind of ruin the Gala, he has every right to be angry… Even if he has absolutely no right to say that about Applejack… Just let it go, Twilight, let it go…'

"But the worse part was my absolutely selfish date," stated Blueblood with disdain.

"S-selfish?" asked Twilight, staring at him in disbelief.

"Yes, she kept expecting me to lower myself and open doors, buy her food, then she called me an "uncharming prince" and defiled my suit with cake!" he exclaimed, as if that were a heinous crime. "I'm a prince, I shouldn't have to be subjected to such treatment."

"R-Rarity… You think… You think Rarity is selfish!" snarled Twilight, anger rising.

"That's her name? Yes, after all, why else would she be expecting a prince to do manual labor?" asked Blueblood, completely obvious to Twilight's fury, until he looked over to find her literally burning with rage. "Twilight! You're on fire! Please put yourself out before you burn something important!"

As Twilight's flaming mane and tail went out and she landed, still smoking and covered in ash, she telekinetically twirled Blueblood around to face her. "I don't care what you say about me, I can even forgive you for saying Pinkie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy ruined the Gala, because they actually kind of did! I may even be able to forgive you for insulting Applejack's cooking! But you do NOT call Rarity of all ponies selfish!" she yelled, getting in the pompous prince's face. "She may be a little vain sometimes, and sometimes she lets her desires get the best of her, but she's the most generous and unselfish mare I know! She's the Element of Generosity for crying out loud! She worked herself ragged making me and my friends TWO sets of Gala Dresses, doing everything we asked even though she knew our designs were a big disaster! And you know what, Blueblood? She didn't even think about working on her dress until she had ours made! Is that selfish?!" the furious unicorn screamed, noting that Blueblood seemed surprised at that. "Does that surprise you? Of course it would surprise a self-serving, egotistical, narcissist like you! You know, I wasn't expecting you to be her prince charming, but I was expecting you to be a proper gentlestallion! That's ALL she wanted for you to do! She'd probably even have been happy if you'd just split everything 50/50! Instead you were a selfish, egocentric, self-absorbed royal PAIN who only cared about yourself and wanted your date to do absolutely everything for you! And now you have the nerve to call that poor mare selfish?!"

Before Blueblood could respond, Twilight glared at him, coming close to "the Stare" in sheer intensity. Not quite there, but as close as anypony who wasn't Fluttershy could get. "And don't you DARE use the fact you're royalty as an excuse! Because it's NOT! Princess Celestia is a lot more royal than you are and she gave me a place to stay in Ponyville just because she knew I'd be miserable without my friends! She lent me and my friends the castle ballroom for my birthday party without even being asked! She gave Rarity a room in the royal palace just because I told her Rarity needed somewhere to stay! Celestia set everything aside and came to Ponyville as fast as she could just because Spike wrote her a letter saying I was getting worked up at making a deadline! So no! Being royal most certainly isn't an excuse, Blueblood! And let me tell you something else! It's not an excuse to treat ANY of your subjects who look up to you like dirt the way you did Rarity! Celestia and Luna both go out of their way to befriend and have a good relationship with their subjects. Luna, who rules the night, set everything aside to try and reconnect with her subjects on Nightmare Night! And Celestia isn't too 'refined' that she can't take a little commoner food! If anything, Celestia tries to be LESS royal than she really is!"

"If they're the highest royalty in the land, Blueblood, what does that say about how you behave when you're so much lower than they are?" asked Twilight, staring Blueblood right in the eyes. "A ruler's duty isn't to treat their subjects like their personal servants. That isn't how Celestia and Luna rule, and if you really want to be a proper prince, you shouldn't either," spat Twilight, giving one last glare before turning and heading to the door. Hearing Blueblood let out a sigh of relief, she looked back to see a rather confused look on his face. "And for the record, I wasn't ordered to come clean up your room. I volunteered to do this because I actually felt guilty Spike pranked you like he did…and now I'm not sure rather I should've felt guilty or not," she added, glaring at him, trying to make sense of the look on his face. He looked a bit scared, definitely confused. And maybe just a little conflicted. "Now if you excuse me, I've got a mare who really needs my help to get back to helping," she stated, trotting out and slamming the door hard.

Back at the library, Trixie was in a large tub, having Spike dump tomato juice on her and scrub her down, trying to get the skunk stink out of her fur. "Uh Trixie, one thing," said Spike, taking the clothespin off his nose to sniff. He gagged and put it back on before getting another can of tomato juice.

"Yes, what?" asked Trixie in a rather miserable tone.

"Why didn't you just use your magic to float the food down to the animals?" asked Spike, opening the can.

Trixie promptly slammed her head into the metal rim of the tub with a resounding thud after which Spike dumped the tomato juice on her back.

"Hey everypony, I'm home and-" said Twilight, walking in and blinking at the sight before her. "Uh… What happened?"

Trixie groaned. "You mean you can't smell anything out of the ordinary?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, my nose is pretty much burned out from cleaning up somebody's stink bomb," she said, glaring at Spike, who just whistled innocently.

"Long story short, Trixie got sprayed by a skunk…" replied Trixie in a rather annoyed voice.

"And beat up by a chicken," added Spike.

"Ninja chicken! And Trixie thought she said never to speak of it!" replied Trixie insistently, before looking at Twilight and realizing she was blackened with ash. "What happened to you?"

Twilight gave a frustrated sigh. "Lets just say Blueblood pushed too far and I finally blew up."

Trixie blinked. "Literally it looks like…" she muttered, clearly surprised. Twilight had just been so calm and collected before, it was a big surprise to see something get her mad enough to literally burst into flames.

"Anyway, I'm going to go get a shower, tomorrow we can try with Rarity," Twilight said, heading towards the bathroom, then blinked, looking back to Trixie with a raised eyebrow. "Ninja chicken?"

"Trixie doesn't want to talk about it!"

Trixie laid in the bed, a pillow cupped around her head as Twilight spoke aloud for Spike to copy down… again!

"No… No… That's no good, throw it out," said Twilight in a quite frustrated voice, Spike noisily crumpling up the paper and throwing it away.

Trixie gave a growl and shot up, throwing the pillow to her side. "That's the fourth time! Whatever are you working on that is so important?" she asked in a rather sharp voice. Her normally white mane and tail were now bright pink from the tomato juice; Twilight had said it'd go away in time, but Trixie was still in a rather foul mood.

Twilight sighed. "Sorry I kept you awake," she said, looking up at her. "It's a letter to Celestia; I, or any of my friends, are supposed to write her one every time we learn a lesson about friendship."

Trixie sighed in confusion. "Interesting… So, does it always take this long for you to write one?" she asked in a rather bored voice.

"No, it's just this time is hard to write about because I'm still steamed at what Blueblood said," explained Twilight, looking up at Trixie.

"You didn't get that angry at Trixie when she was publicly humiliating your best friends, why was now different?" asked Trixie, giving Twilight a confused look.

"You didn't try to paint yourself as anything you weren't, outside the Ursa Major thing," said Twilight, thinking about it. "You gave an open challenge, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity accepted it, you beat them, that was it. You didn't hide your intentions or act like they were the bad guys. Blueblood on the other hoof tried to present himself as the victim in everything. I could take him saying Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy ruined the Gala, they kind of did."

"Wait… They ruined the Gala?" asked Trixie, giving an eyebrow. "You were AT the Gala?"

Twilight nodded with a frown. "Yeah…long story short; Rainbow went overboard showing off for the Wonderbolts, Pinkie Pie was… well Pinkie Pie, and the animals in the palace garden ignored Fluttershy, causing her to go temporarily insane and chase all animals into the castle ballroom while screaming 'You. Are. Going. To. LOVE ME!' at the top of her lungs…"

Trixie just stared in blank shock at that last part.

"Yeah, even she was surprised when she came to her senses…"

"If you think that's bad, you should hear about when Twilight-"

Twilight quickly covered Spike's mouth with her hoof. "Anyway, I could even forgive the fact Blueblood hated Applejack's food, personal taste and all that, but calling Rarity selfish? All she'd done was have the very realistic expectation of him being a decent stallion to her. Instead, she ended up practically being his slave all night trying to please him and he refused to so much as open a door for her. He made her the bad guy, and he was being a blatant hypocrite about it too. That's what got me angry."

Trixie nodded slowly. "Trixie guesses that makes sense…" she muttered blinking. She was now seriously reconsidering what Spike had said about Fluttershy being capable of cowing a fully grown dragon singlehoofedly. "Carry on…"

"Alright, Spike, one last time," Twilight said, Spike getting ready. "'Dear Princess Celestia; today I learned a valuable lesson about friendship. It's always important to stand up for your friends, even if the pony who's dragging their name through the mud happens to be important or influential. No matter how high up they are, nopony has the right to look down on somepony else just because they're less successful, less fortunate, or less wealthy than they are. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle'," she finished, Spike writing it down as she spoke. "I think that's a keeper."

Trixie watched Spike poke his head out the window and blow fire on it, sending it out. "… Twilight, you honestly believe that?" she asked, a tad confused.

Twilight nodded without hesitation. "Of course I do. I've seen the power of friendship first hand."

"Since friendship is magic, that means Twilight is the Element of Friendship I guess," said Spike, curling up in his bed with a yawn. "She should know it better than anypony."

Trixie laid down on her back, looking up at the ceiling, rather confused. "… I see… Twilight… If that is the case, why didn't you stand up to me when I… er, Trixie was publicly humiliating your friends? Trixie knows that you could've kicked her flank in an instant if you so chose, but you didn't. Why?."

Twilight looked up at her. "I saw how everypony, well…hated you for being a showoff… No offense…"

Trixie sighed. "Its fine, Twilight Sparkle… Trixie wasn't in town to make friends…"

'I'll cross that bridge when we come to it,' thought the purple unicorn. "I didn't want to look like a showoff and get hated too… But in the end, after I stopped the Ursa, I found out that my friends didn't care about my magic, they liked it about me… What they… well, didn't like about you was how much you bragged and boasted about your magic."

Trixie blinked, rolling over and looking down at Twilight. "You didn't want to stand out?" she asked, as if that fact were insane.

Twilight shook her head. "No… Actually, part of the reason I love my friends in Ponyville so much is they're my friends for who I am, not what I can do or what rank in society I am. Back in Canterlot, there were a lot of ponies that tried to be my "friends" just because I was Celestia's personal student…"

"Sounds pretty good to Trixie."

"But that's just it, Trixie, it seems good on the surface, but it's not," said Twilight, somewhat sternly. "Friends like that don't care about YOU, they care about what you've got or your status. You don't matter to them. If I lost my status as Celestia's personal student, they'd have abandoned me like I had the Cutie Pox…" she continued, then saw Trixie looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Trixie… What's wrong?"

"N-nothing… N-nothing's wrong… G-goodnight, Twilight," said replied Trixie, abruptly turning over and covering herself up.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Spike, for once sounding genuinely concerned.

Twilight shook her head. "I don't know Spike…" she whispered, turning out the light and laying down in her makeshift bed. "… Maybe she's just a lot like how I used to be…" she muttered, yawning, her exhausted body begging her to sleep. "Goodnight Spike…" she replied, trying to go to sleep.

Trixie laid under the covered, choking back sobs. "… They don't care about you… They only care about what you've done…" she whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Worthless mare, until you make something of yourself, don't you dare darken our doorway again! Not until you're a somepony. If you're not a somepony, then you're a nopony! Never forget that, Trixie!"

Trixie did her best not to sob out loud that anyone could hear, but it wasn't easy. "They don't care… They don't care unless I make something of myself…"

Twilight looked up, hearing mumbling but nothing else. "Trixie… Real friends?" she asked, not knowing if Trixie was really asleep or not. "They're the ones that still care about you when you're down on your luck… In fact, that's when they care the most… Goodnight…" she said, laying down and letting sleep overtake her.

Trixie gave a small gasp. She looked conflicted as she ran that over in her head, not sure what to think about it. She sank into sleep with more questions on her mind than ever, tears still in her eyes as her conflicted mind tried to answer those questions.

Chapter 5 Part 1: Into the Forest

"Well, here we are," said Applebloom, looking up at the entrance to the Everfree Forest, looking more than a little nervous. The three had stopped by their clubhouse and now wore their Cutie Mark Crusader capes proudly.

"I'm still not so sure about this…" Sweetie Belle stated, looking into the deep forest with a shiver, ears pinned back as the memory of the Cockatrice encounter came full front to her mind. "What if we run into the Cockatrice?"

"We'll just say Fluttershy is with us, that'll scare it off," said Scootaloo giving a smirk. The other two couldn't help giving a chuckle about that. "Come on, we'll be fine! Twilight goes to Zecora's all the time, hay, Zecora lives in the Everfree Forest and gets along just fine," she added, looking to the others. "Besides, remember what Granny Smith said during Family Appreciation Day? Zap Apples were from the Everfree Forest, and so are a lot of the things Zecora makes her potions with, who knows what else could be in there!"

"That's actually a good point," admitted Applebloom, smiling at the mention of her grandmother. "After all, most ponies are too scared to go into the Everfree Forest, so Ah reckon there's probably lots of good things in there we just don't know about along with the bad we do."

Sweetie Belle's excitement got the better of her and she smiled widely. "Yeah, that would be cool! We could get a Cutie Mark for exploring!"

"Yeah! That'd be awesome!" replied Scootaloo, giving a smile at the thought.

Applebloom nodded quickly, fantasizing about what an exploring Cutie Mark would look like. "Alright, let's give it a shot! But remember, we get out before it gets dark."

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS EXPLORERS! YAY!"

With that, the three fillies dashed off into the Everfree Forest.

Rarity sewed the patch onto the recreated dress she was working on, giving a sigh of relief. "Done at last, I almost thought I wouldn't make it in time…" she said, looking around the shop, which was still a disaster area. She gave a frustrated sigh at the sight. "Hopefully I can fix up the shop before Checker Monarch gets here and sees this…" she said, horn lighting up as she telekinetically put a manikin back in its proper place, putting the dress on it for her client to examine.

Opal, sleeping peacefully on an overturned basket, was awakened when Rarity pulled it out from under her. Giving a yowl, the cat glared at her master before looking at the design set up. She gave a loud hiss at it and looked quite irritated, tail batting back and forth furiously.

Rarity sighed. "I don't blame you Opal, I don't like Checker anymore than you do, but she's a paying client," she stated, then heard the door open, turning to see Twilight Sparkle and Spike enter, Twilight sporting a few bandages, but nothing too severe. "Oh, hello Twilight, Spike. Is everything alright?"

Twilight gave a smile to her friend. "Hello Rarity, and everything's fine. I got hurt worse following Pinkie that one day…Where's Trixie?" she asked, looking around with a bit of concern once realizing the blue unicorn wasn't present.

"She left awhile ago…I feel bad for the poor mare," said Rarity with a frown, moving a shelf back into its place and telekinetically replacing its contents. "She blames herself for all this when it was just an accident…She seemed to feel especially guilty for harming you, dear."

Spike blinked in suprise. "Wait wait wait, Trixie feels guilty about something?" he asked, looking a little uncertain about it.

"Spike, she might have acted like a jerk before, but she's just like anypony else," admonished Twilight, giving a frown. "The only being I've ever met who couldn't feel guilty is Discord."

"The only creatures who can't feel remorse have no heart, Spike," said Rarity, keeping her telekinesis working on fixing up the room. "And I personally think Trixie has a good heart, one even she didn't know it was there…"

Spike blinked, then gave a sheepish smile. "Alright, if you say so Rarity…"

"Speaking of Trixie, I'd better go check on her and make sure she's ok," said Twilight, looking to Rarity with a tad bit of concern. "Good luck with your work, Rarity."

"You go on, Twilight," said Spike. "I'm going to stay and…uh…help Rarity clean up, ok?" he asked, covering for himself by putting some spools of thread and ribbon back on a table.

Twilight gave a small smirk, seeing right through the little dragon. "Alright Spike, I'll see you at the library later."

Rarity smiled warmly. "Thank you, Spike, that's very kind of you," she said, giving him a warm nuzzle. She knew about his crush, of course, as he'd confessed to it when they'd both believed they were falling to their deaths, though she'd figured it out a good bit prior. But as of yet, they hadn't moved any further than that, Rarity preferred to see how things progressed naturally, without trying to force them. Sure, he was a dragon, and a few years younger than her (though since Twilight hatched him when she was a filly, not THAT much younger), but he was still devoted and kindhearted, not to mention generous. In short, essentially everything Blueblood wasn't, so she was open to the possibility.

Spike blushed at her nuzzle. "You're welcome, Rarity…" he said, smiling sheepishly as he continued genuinely helping put things back in place. "So, whose dress did Trixie burn up?"

"One for a regular client of mine," explained Rarity, looking to the repaired dress. "A very wealthy business pony from Manehatten," she continued, keeping her focus on fixing her shop up as she spoke. "Her full name is Checkmate Monarch, but she goes by simply Checker Monarch."

Spike looked uncertain for a moment, something coming back to his memory. "Rarity…When Trixie saw who that dress was for, she seemed really scared…" he admitted, actually feeling a chill going down his spine.

Rarity looked back, not seeming surprised at all. "Well I honestly cannot blame the poor girl if she knows Checker at all, even I'm a tad bit afraid of that mare to be honest."

Spike's eyes went wide for a second. "Really?"

Rarity nodded, pushing a manikin a few inches so it was back in its proper place. "She owns a huge business and loves my work, but I honestly get chills whenever I talk to her. She's cold and distant, even when she's acting perfectly pleasant….It's somewhat difficult to describe, but her voice just has absolutely no real compassion in it, like she's talking to an object instead of a pony. But if I had to nail down one thing that makes her frightening, however, it'd be her eyes. She seems to look at the world like everything is a pawn, as if she has no real connection to anypony or anything and everything exists solely for her."

"So in other words, like Blueblood?" asked Spike, getting chills just hearing Rarity talk about Checker.

"No, Blueblood is more like a spoiled brat, viewing the world like it revolves around him because he's from a privileged family. Checker is like somepony observing the world trying to find out how to make it revolve around her because she wants it to. She honestly reminds me a tad bit of Discord in that respect…But she pays well and having one of the richest ponies in Manehatten wearing my designs certainly helps me, so please do be polite around her if she comes while you're here."

Spike shivered, but nodded. "Alright, Rarity…" he said, then heard something and looked out the window. "Uh, Rarity, look."

Rarity came to the window, looking out in time to see a pegasi drawn chariot make it's landing nearby. It was sleek and black in color, its sides high enough to conceal its rider from sight. Unlike the Princess' chariots, this one was not drawn by royal guard pegasi, but ones dressed like chauffeurs, in black suits and with a fitting hat.

"Speak of the Draconequus…" muttered Rarity, going a tad rigid at the sight. "Spike, please, don't say a thing, allow me to do the talking, understood?" she asked, completely serious in her tone. "In fact, hide under that table over there please, and don't make a sound."

Spike nodded, noting how Rarity was reacting to the arrival of this mare. "Anything for you Rarity," he said, showing a bit of concern as he did as she'd requested of him. To his surprise, Opal joined him. "You don't like her either?" he asked, blinking as the cat seemed to nod in agreement.

A scrawny looking male unicorn opened a door, having a white coat with a black mane and tail, mane combed straight back on his head. His Cutie Mark was of a pony's head nodding. He held the door open, glasses reflecting in the light as the mare Rarity had spoke of emerged from inside. She was a light blue in color, slightly darker than Trixie was. Her light grey mane was long, but kept back behind her head, perfectly maintained in every sense of the word, her unicorn horn emerging from the front of it being the only disturbance. She wore a dark grey vest, resembling a business suit, and wore black horseshoes that gleamed in Celestia's sun. Moving further out of the chariot revealed her Cutie Mark, a red heart with three chess pieces in it, two pawns and a queen.

Her purple eyes went over her surrounding analytically, as if taking in every little detail of them, before she walked towards the boutique, carrying herself in such a way that made it clear she was of the upper crust.

Rarity struggled to get everything back in order as her client approached, but didn't get nearly as much done as she would've liked when Checker's assistant swung the door open. Rarity instantly straightened up, so as to make a better impression. "Oh, h-hello, M-Miss Monarch," she stuttered, feeling a chill looking into those cold, calculating eyes.

Checker walked in slowly, letting the sound of each hoof hitting the hard floors resonate throughout the room as she approached, her assistant following closely behind her. "Rarity, wonderful to see you again," she stated, the compassion in her voice transparent to anyone paying serious attention, doing nothing to hide the fact her tone was cold as ice. Checker's analytic eyes went over the room, noticing every minute, out of place detail. "Your boutique is a mess…" she stated simply, making no attempt to hide her disapproval of that fact as she stared back at Rarity.

"Oh, yes…I'm afraid some hired help had an accident on the job and it made quite the mess," explained Rarity, something in her just screaming to her not to reveal who it was. Rarity didn't know why, but she was smart enough to listen to her gut at times like this. She did her best to hide her discomfort as the business mare's cold eyes probed her, as if looking for one small slip up or misstep. This, combined with the lack of attachment to be seen in Checker's eyes to begin with, made Rarity feel like she was an item being examined for cracks under a magnifying glass instead of a flesh and blood mare, a feeling that sent a chill down her spine and made her skin crawl. Rarity was very thankful she was good at remaining composed; at times like this it wasn't easy.

Checker looked down at the spot were Rarity had fixed up Trixie's mane after the incident, horn lighting up an extremely deep violet, almost black, as she levitated a clump of white hair up to examine with a somewhat suspicious gaze that made Rarity gulp nervously. "Yes, and it would appear they left quite a mess indeed. Nevertheless, that's your problem, not mine," she said, dropping the hair clump and turning to Rarity. "I have come for my dress, where is it?"

Rarity fought the urge to give a sigh of relief when Checker chose to change the subject. Doing everything she could to avoid eye contact with the mare without appearing suspicious, Rarity lead the way to the dress, identical to the previous one, only with the addition of a tiara with the center piece a bright red ruby cut into the shape of a chess queen. "Here you are, Miss Monarch, the theme you requested, with a few of my signature stylings thrown in as always," explained the dressmaker, allowing a little bit of pride to slip into her voice.

Checker walked up to the dress, once more looking over it with a calculating, analytic gaze. Rarity watched nervously as Checker looked over the dress for several moments in silence, summoning her willpower to prevent the tension from getting to her. Finally, Checker gave a smug, cruel looking smirk. "Perfect, Miss Rarity, it is exactly what I envisioned," she stated, turning to look at Rarity, though the tone she delivered the praise in sounded more like somepony bragging about their own accomplishments than praising those of another. "I knew there was a reason I decided to make you my go to dressmaker, you always do spectacular work," she continued, giving the dress another once over. "I shall wear it to the Grand Galloping Gala this year."

Rarity gasped in surprise. "Y-Your Gala dress? You mean that?"

Checker nodded, smiling as she looked at her reflection in the jewel in the tiara. "Yes, I do. It suits me perfectly, I can think of nothing better for me to wear to the Gala…But I do believe you had a sign up when I ordered it, didn't you? A discount on dresses for the Gala? Is that still in effect?" the mare asked, letting her cold eyes fall on the mare before her.

No, it wasn't, but at this point she just wanted Checker to leave. Those cold eyes of hers made it feel like ice was running through Rarity's veins instead of blood. Plus, no matter how much she disliked the pony, Rarity had to admit having such a wealthy mare wearing one of her designs to the Gala would be a big boost for her business. "Y-yes, I suppose that is only fair. It was 20 percent off if I recall."

Checker nodded with another one of those smirks of hers. "Helping Hoof, please pay Miss Rarity," demanded the business pony, not even looking to her assistant.

"Yes, Miss Monarch," replied the submissive unicorn quickly, saying the line as if it was rehearsed for a play or other performance, taking out the bits to pay Rarity.

Rarity took them via telekinesis, counting them up and giving a nod. "Thank you for your business, Miss Monarch. It's been a-"

"Pleasure? Of course it was," interrupted Checker, levitating the dress off it's model, folding it, and laying it across Helping Hoof's back. "Goodbye, Miss Rarity, keep up the fine work and we'll be doing business again soon," she said, not even looking Rarity's direction as she spoke. "Come, Helping Hoof," she said, leading the way.

"Yes, Miss Monarch," replied Helping Hoof, heading for the door and opening it for his boss.

Checker gave a suspicious look over her shoulder before walking out the door, Helping Hoof following and shutting it.

Rarity finally let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but tremble slightly from the stressful experience. "Thank Celestia that's over with…"

"Yikes!" exclaimed Spike, crawling out from his hiding spot. "You weren't kiddin', I got chills and I'm cold-blooded!"

"I know…" said Rarity, shaking it off as best she could, to her surprise finding Opal staring at the door, tail batting back and forth aggressively. "It's alright, Opalescence, she's gone…wait…if your cold-blooded, how do you stay out in the winter?" she asked, looking back to Spike with a raised eyebrow.

"My dragon fire keeps me warm," explained Spike, giving a small puff of green fire into the air to show it. "Which is another reason me getting cold chills isn't a good sign…though it doesn't explain how I'm able to blush…Anyway, did you see that smile of hers?" asked Spike, giving a shudder. "It reminded me of Fluttershy when she was brainwashed by Discord!"

Rarity nodded in agreement, willing her trembling cease and finally succeeding. "Makes me terrified to think what that mare must've been like when Discord got his claws in her…" she said, something not sitting right with her.

"What's wrong? Like you said, she's gone," said Spike, putting his hand on Rarity's side to try and settle her.

"It's how she looked at Trixie's hair," said Rarity, remembering it well. "It's almost like she recognized it…"

"I don't know," said Spike, thinking about it. "White isn't exactly an uncommon hair color, there's like three other ponies in Ponyville with the same color hair."

Rarity sighed. "I know, but since Trixie seemed positively terrified of Checker's name, I'm still more than a little concerned…" she replied, then gave another sigh. "Come on, Spike, we've got a lot of work to do if I want to make it to Applejack's in time to help out."

"Right behind you," said Spike, following her as Opal continued glaring at the door, giving a low growl.

Checker Monarch set quietly next to the door, her horn glowing. "I knew it'd pay to use a good old eavesdropping spell and listen in," she said, giving a devilish grin. "It looks like little Trixie is getting back on her hooves."

"Yes, Miss Monarch," said Helping Hoof, prompting his boss to glare menacingly at him, any facade of compassion vanishing in an instant. Fear suddenly in his face, he realized his error. "I-I m-mean no! No, M-Miss Monarch!"

Checker gave a sigh of frustration at his stupidity, regaining her composure. "I'll be staying in Ponyville just a little bit longer, tell the chariot to return to my mansion, I'll send a message when I'm ready to go."

"Yes, Miss Monarch," replied Helping Hoof, going to do as she'd asked. "Should I take the dress and tell them to prepare it for the Gala?"

"I don't even know if I'm going to the Gala this year, just have it put with the rest."

"Yes, Miss Monarch."

"Might not be too bright, but he's dedicated yes-man," muttered Checker, before hearing more talk from inside. Her horn lit up again and she listened in.

"Oh my, it looks like I used the last of my gems remaking Checker's dress, I'll need to go get some more once I'm done helping Applejack."

"I'll come with you, no way am I letting you go up there alone, not with those nasty Diamond Dogs running around."

"Don't worry, Spike. I appreciate your concern, but those greedy brutes are easy to outwit once you know what you're doing."

Checker got an insidious smirk as thoughts ran through her mind.

Trixie panted, in full gallop after the trio of fillies. "How can three little fillies run so fast?" she asked aloud, having to slow down in order to avoid expending all her energy just running there. "…Or maybe I'm just slow…I still haven't recovered from my malnourished state…" she admitted, though she was definitely a tad better off than she was when Twilight found her.

Trotting along at a slower pace to catch her breath and rest, she went past Fluttershy's cottage, keeping an eye out for the ninja chicken she felt was going to jump out and attack her at any moment.

"Oh, hello Trixie," called a shy, timid voice.

Trixie turned to see Fluttershy approaching. "Oh, hello, Fluttershy…Nice day we're having…" she said, a tad nervously. 'If she knows about the fillies, she'll want to help, and I won't accept it, I know I won't. And then, she'll know about it, and if anything happens, everypony will know, and then who knows what will happen!'

Fluttershy trotted along next to Trixie. "I'm so very, very sorry that Sally sprayed you like she did yesterday," apologized the Pegasus, as if she'd actually committed some heinous crime.

Trixie blinked. "Sally?…Oh yes, the skunk…" she said, feeling a tad embarrassed. "Its fine, it was Trixie's fault…Do you name every animal in your care?"

Fluttershy nodded proudly. "Of course, giving them names let's me connect with them better, it makes them feel more like individuals."

"Trixie can understand the desire for that…And you remember all their names?"

"Yes, of course, every last one of them."

Trixie gave a rather impressed glance to the pegasus. "Even all the bunnies?"

"Especially all the bunnies, Angel would get so upset if I mistook him for one of the others."

Trixie nodded slowly. "Yes…Trixie supposes he would…" she said, part of her wanting to hurry up and get away from the pegasus who she'd somehow ended up in a conversation with, but another part of her was curious after all she'd heard of about this pegasus. Extremely so. She looked ahead, Everfree Forest was still quite some distance away, and she was still fatigued from her run this far. She gave a thoughtful look before looking to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy…How did you manage to cow a full-grown dragon and outstare a Cockatrice? No offense, but you seem kind of…"

Fluttershy didn't look offended at all. "It's alright, I understand. I know I'm weak and helpless."

Trixie gave her an astonished look. "Fluttershy, the stories Trixie told, which were complete fabrications, don't even compare to what you've done, so how can you call yourself weak?" she asked, in disbelief a pony could actually consider themselves weak but still be completely content, let alone after doing what Fluttershy had. "And that's without factoring in that you're one of the ponies who saved the world…twice."

Fluttershy blushed, looking down uncomfortably. "Um…T-thank you…But really, I'm not strong at all. I'm not very brave either, sometimes I'm even-" she said, just before catching sight of her shadow, giving a cry of fear and hiding in a nearby bush. She peaked out timidly, Trixie looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "…Scared of my own shadow…" she added, the shy little Pegasus coming out and following Trixie once more. "But those things I did that you say are so strong and brave…I only did them because somepony I cared about was in danger."

Trixie blinked in complete surprise. "Wait…so you're saying caring for other ponies is what makes you strong?" she asked, clearly surprised and in disbelief, as if the very idea was alien to her.

Fluttershy nodded without hesitation. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I couldn't do anything brave, or strong, or impressive on my own, but when I'm with my friends, I feel completely different…and when one of them, or anypony else important to me is in danger, its like I'm not afraid of anything except of losing them, it's like I'm a totally different pony…if that makes sense…"

Trixie looked confused, as if something inside her head was wrestling with what she was just told. "So…Trixie assumes you're still upset about how badly she treated your friends…" she stated, surely someone who cared that much for her friends would be mad, right?

Fluttershy gasped and shook her head. "No, not at all. I think you've been punished more than enough, and two wrongs don't make a right," she said, her shyness seeming to melt for a moment. "And now that I've seen what you're really like, I can tell you aren't a bad pony, you're a good one who just made a bad decision," she said, looking up at Trixie, no hint of anger or hatred or anything negative in her big, sweet eyes.

Trixie was completely at a loss for words, even knowing Fluttershy was literally kindness incarnate hadn't prepared her for something like this. "Fluttershy…" she muttered, not sure how to react. She was somewhat relieved when they arrived at the entrance to Everfree Forest, prompting a frightened gasp from Fluttershy.

"You're going into E-Everf-free F-forest?" asked the yellow pegasus, eyes wide with worry and fear.

'Should I go in alone? She's right here, and surely she'd want to keep the girls safe…is it asking for help when it's a mutual concern driving the other pony's involvement?' Trixie thought, uncertainty clear in her face. The truth was, she was every bit as scared as Fluttershy of going alone into Everfree. 'Besides, she knows the area, I don't. There's nothing wrong with asking for a guide.'

"Yes…Trixie is…Fluttershy, Trixie wants to tell you something, but you must promise not to tell anypony else," said Trixie, giving the pegasus a serious look.

Fluttershy nodded. "Of course, I'll even Pinkie Pie Swear."

Trixie rose her brow. "Pinkie Pie Swear?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I forgot you're new here…It's our own way we promise to each other when it's really, really, really important," explained Fluttershy. "We named it after Pinkie Pie because she takes promises very, very, VERY seriously. She always reminds us that breaking a promise to a friend is the quickest way to lose their trust, and losing a friend's trust is the quickest way to lose that friend-"

"FOREVER!" yelled Pinkie Pie, popping out of a nearby bush without any warning, causing both to jump about three feet in the air before slowly sinking back into it, not taking her eyes off either of them as she did so.

Trixie was shaking from surprise and looked into the bush, finding Pinkie gone. "How did she…when did she…where did she g…What just happened?!" asked the extremely bewildered Trixie, looking into the bush again but still finding no sign of Pinkie.

"Um…Pinkie does things like that…" said Fluttershy, settling down. "…Sorry, I can't explain it any better than that, but even Twilight can't figure out how Pinkie does a lot of the things she does…She's tried…"

Trixie calmed herself down. "A-alright t-then…" she said, clearing her head and regaining composure. "P-proceed with the Pinkie Pie Swear…"

Fluttershy nodded quickly. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," recited Fluttershy, doing corresponding motions with her hoof, but making sure to close her eye for the last part. "And you can trust me, you don't want to know how mad Pinkie would get at me if she found out I broke a Pinkie Promise!"

Trixie blinked at the strange ritual, and then nodded, taking a deep breath. "…Trixie overheard those three fillies, Rarity and Applejack's baby sisters…and an orange pegasus whose name escapes Trixie…They got furious that their camping trip with Rarity and said they were going to go on one themselves…" she explained, guilt surfacing again before she pointed to the forest. "In there…"

Fluttershy gasped in shock, suddenly looking terrified. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders are in the Everfree Forest?!"

Trixie nodded, looking down at her hooves. "And their trip was ruined because Trixie messed up…Trixie is going after them to make sure they're safe…But she's never been in Everfree Forest before, will you please accompany her, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy was almost hyperventilating, but nodded quickly. "Yes, of course! They could be in big trouble!"

Trixie blinked. "You took that considerably better than Trixie expected."

"I'm sorry…But the same thing happened to me once when I was foalsitting them, so I'd be a hypocrite to be angry at you," stated Fluttershy, worry, but also understanding clear in her voice.

Trixie nodded. "Alright…Let's go…" she said, starting off into the forest, her and Fluttershy both giving a gulp as they did so.

See Chapter 5 Part 2 aswell.

Chapter 5 Part 2: Into the Forest

"This seems familiar," said Sweetie Belle, looking around, ducking under a big creepy tree limb looking like a claw.

"Yeah, Scootaloo, Ah think this is the same way we went last time," said Applebloom, looking around at their surroundings. The deep, dark, foreboding forest stretched on in all directions with no end in sight.

"Yeah, but that's just cause the path goes the same way," replied Scootaloo, leading the group confidently. "Trust me, have I ever got us lost?"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked to each other nervously, then back to Scootaloo. "Yah sure Rainbow Dash taught you this way?"

Scootaloo nodded swiftly. "Yeah, she took me there one time, it's AWESOME, trust me!"

"Alright, Ah guess if Rainbow Dash taught yah, she knows what she's doin'," said Applebloom, a little reassured. "But Ah still ain't sure we should be going the same way we did before, considerin' we ran into a Cockatrice that time. Yah all remember what Fluttershy said when we tried bein' Cutie Mark Crusader Park Rangers?"

"Don't make bear sounds or you'll attract them?" asked Sweetie Belle, rubbing her head with her hoof.

"No, before that!…Besides, yah didn't sound anything like a bear anyway. What I mean is how she told us animals have a territory that they claim and don't wander from? What if this is that Cockatrice's turf?"

Scootaloo scoffed. "Yeah, but it's daylight, it's probably asleep," she said…before suddenly stopping, the other two crashing into her flank before looking around, seeing a green, snake-like tail with red spikes laid out over the path, it's owner in a bush next to it. "Uh oh…"

The trio prepared for the owner of the tail to strike…but nothing happened. "What's goin' on?" asked Applebloom, a little surprised.

The trio waited a few moments…then heard a strange noise, like a snoring chicken.

Scootaloo and the others peeked into the bush the tail lead into, finding the chicken-headed, snake-bodied monster sound asleep inside. Scootaloo gave the other two a smirk. And shushed them, the trio pulling out and tiptoeing ahead a good distance ahead. "See, told you it'd be sleeping."

"Yeah, I guess you were right…" said Sweetie Belle, surprised by this, not that she was complaining.

"Come on, let's get goin' before it wakes up," said Applebloom, the other two nodding and continuing on their path.

The Cockatrice poked its head out with a yawn, looking in all directions and seeing nothing. It gave a growl of annoyance, but simply went back to sleep, leaving it's tail stretched out across the path…

"So you had to chase them into the Everfree Forest once too?" asked Trixie as the two followed the fillys' hoofprints through the dark forest. It honestly gave her the creeps. In all directions nothing but deep, dark woods. The canopy was so thick that only a tiny bit of light made it through to light their path, giving it an even more surreal feeling. It was the kind of place you'd expect a horror story to be written about. And Trixie couldn't help the feeling something would jump out of nowhere to attack her.

Fluttershy nodded, looking down at her hooves timidly. "Yes…But please don't let anypony know, it's kind of between me, Twilight, and the girls." Fluttershy would've liked to move faster, but she knew Trixie wasn't in the best of shape right now and couldn't run for very long, so they'd kept it to sprints, walking slower when Trixie had to catch her breath.

Trixie gave a small nod. "You are keeping Trixie's secret, so she shall keep yours…"

"Pinkie Pie Swear?"

Trixie sighed. "Alright…cross Trixie's heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in her-" Trixie screamed out in pain as she accidentally jabbed her hoof into her eye.

"Twilight always does that too…"

Trixie gave a sigh, but was relieved it wasn't just HER. "Anyway, what happened?"

"They wondered off into Everfree after Elizabeak, one of my chickens and got attacked by a Cockatrice, who turned Elizabeak to stone, I had to protect them," explained Fluttershy, remembering it vividly. "I ended up having to use the Stare to scare it away."

"Ah…That was when you saved Twilight, correct?" asked Trixie, getting a small nod. "She told Trixie that much, and that you saved fillies from it, but didn't go into detail on the matter…"

Fluttershy nodded, but blushed at the mention she'd saved her friend. "It was honestly one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me," she continued, giving a shudder. She then looked around the area. "Come to think about it, it was actually right about here."

Trixie blinked, looking around a tad fearfully. That feeling like she was in a horror story reared its ugly head again. "Really?"

Fluttershy nodded, looking at the ground. "We should be very careful, this is probably the Cockatrice's territory…But it should be sleeping during the day, they're nocturnal, we just have to make sure we don't wake it up…"

Trixie nodded, keeping her eyes out in all directions as they continued. "And hope those three loud fillies haven't already done that…"

Trixie suddenly tripped over something in the middle of the path. "Ow! What was that?!" she exclaimed, quite loudly.

Fluttershy's eyes went wide as she saw just what Trixie had tripped over. "Trixie! Run!" she yelled, running over and helping Trixie to her feet, trying to pull her, all the while looking back in complete panic. "Hurry! We have to get out of here!"

"What?" asked Trixie, looking back to see the long tail of the Cockatrice recede back into the bush. Trixie promptly screamed and ran along with Fluttershy as the now furious Cockatrice, having been trying to get back to sleep, took off after the two fleeing mares with a roar.

"You already beat it once! Why are we running?!" asked Trixie, panting as she did so. She knew she should've trusted that "you're in a horror story" feeling…

"I'm sorry! I-I can't!" replied Fluttershy, fear induced tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can't control when that happens!"

Trixie just kept running, realizing that it probably was best to do so if they could get away without fighting the dang thing. She then peaked back to see if it was still following them.

Big mistake.

The Cockatrice narrowed its eyes as they met Trixie's and Trixie suddenly felt a cold feeling begin up her hind legs, falling flat on her face, thankfully breaking eye contact. Trixie groaned, looking back and giving a gasp of surprise as she found her hind legs partially turned to grey stone, rendering them completely useless. Trixie quickly gave a scream and covered her eyes as the Cockatrice flew over her and landed with a loud thud in front of her, giving a screech.

Trixie trembled in fear, keeping her foreleg over her eyes so tight it hurt, feeling and smelling the Cockatrice's hot breath on it as it kept its eyes focused where hers were, just waiting for the chance to turn the rest of her to stone. 'Is this how it ends? Turned to stone by a monster in Everfree Forest?'

"P-Please! Stop! I'm sorry I woke you, but don't turn me into a statue!" begged Trixie, absolute terror in her voice, heart racing from blind panic as she tried to keep her hoof over her eyes and not look.

The furious Cockatrice batted her hoof off her face with its wing and locked eyes with her before she could close them. Trixie couldn't force herself to break eye contact, despite the bone chilling feeling of cold, lifeless stone creeping up her body. She tried screaming, but felt her jaw and mouth turn to stone before the sound could escape. She couldn't move or speak as she felt the stone slowly closing in around her eyes, terror utterly consuming her as she tried to think of any way to save herself, fear induced tears running down her face. 'Please Celestia, don't let me die here! Please!' she begged in her mind, praying for anypony or anything to save her.

"Stop that right now, young man!"

The Cockatrice's head snapped away to look at the source of the scream. Trixie, the only things not turned to stone being her eyes and part of her nose, moved her eyes to look over at the source of the sound seeing Fluttershy glaring daggers at the Cockatrice. At least she thought it was Fluttershy. Instead of the shy, meek little pegasus she was used to, Fluttershy stood strong, not a hint of fear in her tone or appearance at all. Instead it was the Cockatrice that suddenly looked terrified when it recognized her.

"What did I tell you about turning others into stone?" asked Fluttershy with the sternest voice Trixie had ever heard, that was clear despite how muffled it sounded to her petrified ears. "You turn her back to normal this very second, before I find your mother and tell her you've been turning innocent creatures to stone again!"

The Cockatrice whimpered and gave a squawk, pointing to Trixie.

"Yes, I know she woke you up, and I'm very sorry about that, but you should know better than to leave your tail across a path ponies and creatures walk on, you or someone else could get hurt," stated Fluttershy, not giving an inch, but her tone became somewhat sympathetic, almost motherly. "Now you turn her and any other innocent creature you've turned to stone back to normal right this instant!"

The Cockatrice gave a fearful nod, turning and concentrating on Trixie, who felt stone glow and shatter off her body. Trixie gave a gasp as she could move again. She panted as she shakily forced herself back to her hooves, only to find Fluttershy hugging her, once more the timid, scared little pegasus she'd come to know.

"Trixie, are you alright? I heard you scream and realized you must've tripped. I'm so sorry I didn't notice you'd fallen, please forgive me!" begged Fluttershy, looking worried half to death, Trixie could feel her heart racing a mile a minute.

"You…you saved me…" muttered Trixie, staring at Fluttershy in complete awe. Sure, she'd heard stories, but that was next to nothing to seeing something like this with your own two eyes. She looked up and saw the Cockatrice running away from Fluttershy, squawking like a frightened chicken. If Trixie hadn't seen it with her own two eyes, she'd never have imagined this soft-spoken, sweet little pony in front of her had sent it running for the hills… "But…I thought you could only do something that if one of your friends was in danger…"

Fluttershy smiled warmly. "One of my friends was in danger."

Trixie gave a small gasp of surprise. "…I'm your…friend?" she asked, in complete shock.

Fluttershy nodded without question. "Of course, and I'd never leave a friend behind…Well, except for that one time when we accidentally left Rarity and Pinkie Pie in Dodge Junction, but that was an accident and we all felt really, really, REALLY guilty about it when they got back."

Trixie didn't know what to say. All that she could think is this little pegasus just saved her life because she actually cared about her. Trixie figured even the ones she'd previously thought cared about her before her return to Ponyville would've left her to the Cockatrice and saved themselves.

"Trixie…Real friends? They're the ones that still care about you when you're down on your luck…In fact that's when they care the most…"

"…I don't know what to say except…thank you, for saving my life…"

"It was nothing, really. I was just doing the right thing is all…Can you walk?" asked Fluttershy, concern clear in her voice as she looked over the unicorn worriedly.

Trixie nodded slowly, wiping the fear induced tears on her face away. "Yes, Trixie can…We should continue, those fillies might be in danger…" she said, walking on, side by side with the timid little pegasus, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened.

"Alright, we're almost there," said Scootaloo, leading the way forwards down a dirt path.

"Wait!" called Sweetie Belle, recognizing the path. "If we go that way, we go right past Zecora's hut!"

"So?

"So she'll see us!"

Applebloom gasped in realization. "Yeah, and then she'll tell the other grownups and we'll get in big trouble!"

Scootaloo stopped and rubbed her head. "Yeah, I hadn't thought about that…" she muttered, looking around and seeing a second path heading through the forest. "This looks like it leads the same way; we just cut through here and come out up there around Zecora's."

"Sounds good to me," said Sweetie Belle, giving a nod.

Applebloom looked down the path, something in her telling her it was a bad idea. She then gave a gasp as the location of this path clicked in her mind. "Oh no, we ain't goin' that way, trust me," she stated, suddenly seeming scared. "Ah've been that way, it's WAY too dangerous."

Scootaloo blinked, about to say something, but relenting when she saw Applebloom was dead serious and seemed a bit afraid. "Alright….So then how do we get past Zecora's place?"

"Well…let's just cut through the woods over there, it shouldn't be that far from the path, right?" asked Sweetie Belle, getting nods from the others before leading the way.

Fluttershy and Trixie continued along as fast as they were able, Trixie not sure how to feel right now. "Fluttershy…All Trixie's life, she's believed caring for others made one weak, it's how she was raised…Now that she's seen what you and the others have done, despite how caring you all are…Trixie doesn't know what to believe…" she stated, confusion clear in her tone, along with a little pain.

Fluttershy gave a small gasp, but looked to her kindly. "Um…I'm not the philosophical one, but…I know if I didn't care for other ponies nearly as much as I do, then I'd never have been able to save my friends from that dragon, or the girls, and you, from the Cockatrice…That's something I know, not just something I believe…"

Trixie gasped, listening to the soft, soothing voice of the tenderhearted pony walking along, unsure of how to react to what she was being told. But the more she listened, the more she saw, the more she thought…the more Fluttershy seemed right, no matter how much Trixie's own mind tried to support the contrary…

Trixie and Fluttershy galloped up to the area were the Cutie Mark Crusaders had headed into the forest, following the three little sets of hoof prints, which were fresher now than before, meaning they were catching up. "This isn't good; they left the path…" said Fluttershy softly, worry clear in her face. "They could get lost or worse, run into something that lives out here!"

Trixie nodded, finding worry that surprised even her slipping into her mind. "Trixie understands…In that case, we'd best move quickly," she said, starting into the forest with Fluttershy before she realized something. "But what if we get lost following them?"

Fluttershy gave it some thought. "Sorry, I hadn't thought of that…"

Trixie scratched her head, thinking. 'Come on, Trixie, you're a traveling pony, this should be easy to figure out…' she thought, looking around.

"We could mark the trail…but I didn't bring anything we could use…" muttered Fluttershy, looking concerned.

Trixie gave it some thought, and then it hit her. Trixie's horn glowed as she manifested some brightly colored confetti and floated it in the air. "We'll leave a trail of this."

"But isn't that littering?"

"It's magically generated, that means that Trixie can decide how long the spell lasts. When the spell ends, the confetti vanishes," explained Trixie. "Surely you've seen Twilight do something similar."

Fluttershy nodded. "The spell she used to make our coach and the horses to pull it for the Gala only lasted till midnight…though the horses didn't work out so well, she used mice and they were…well…"

"Trixie understands," said Trixie, shuddering at how that probably ended. "Now let's hurry, shall we?" she asked, sticking some on a tree branch so it wouldn't blow away. "10 hours should do," she said, the two galloping along, Trixie telekinetically placing the confetti in trees were it was plainly visible to them as they ran.

"Scootaloo, we're lost," said Sweetie Belle.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well for starters, we're in a cave," said Sweetie Belle, the trio standing in the middle of dark cave.

"How did we even get in here?" asked Applebloom, looking rather perplexed.

"…Well…we wouldn't have gotten lost if you hadn't brought up Zecora's!" retorted Scootaloo, glaring at her and vice versa.

"Well we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if you hadn't decided to lead us into the Everfree Forest!" yelled back Sweetie Belle.

"Girls, let's settle down," said Applebloom, trying to separate the two.

"Oh, and you're innocent? If you hadn't decided to lead us off course!" yelled Scootaloo, snarling at Applebloom.

"If Ah hadn't we'd be in big trouble!" Applebloom yelled back. "Besides, we wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for your dumb campin' spot!"

"Yeah!" shouted Sweetie Belle, before her ears twitched. "Hey, wait…" she said before Scootaloo could retort, hearing something that sounded like heavy breathing. "Do you guys hear something?"

The other two stopped and looked around them, hearing it as well. "Yeah…It's kind of creepy…" said Scootaloo, a chill going down her spine.

Applebloom nodded, looking around fearfully. "It sounds like breathin'…" she said, getting frightened. She then felt something wet land on her head. "Uh gals, I think somethin' just landed on my head…"

The trio gulped, then looked up at the ceiling and into the blank eyes of a large bat-like creature which lit up white as it spread its massive wingspread with a loud screech.

Trixie galloped along with Fluttershy, adrenaline pumping. Part of her was downright furious at those three for dragging her through all this. Not only where they in the heart of a forest of death, she'd nearly been turned into stone! It was just too much to put somepony through…

"Help! Somepony! Anypony!" screamed three young voices, screeches cutting through the air.

And somehow, she forgot all of that hearing them scream, something that made her blood run cold. Without hesitation, she sped up.

The girls ran out of the cave, the creature flying low after them. It was a massive vampire bat-like beast with pal grey fur, but giving off a white light all around it. Its eyes were blank, grey, and it had a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

"What is that?!" yelled Sweetie Belle, screaming as they jumped out of the way of a dive from creature.

"Ah don't know! But let's just get away from the darn thing before it eats us!" yelled Applebloom, ducking as the creature dove overhead, barely missing her with its talons as it flew back up with a vicious screech. "That was too close!"

Scootaloo nodded, giving a scream as the trio hit the dirt, the wind from the creature's passing blowing through their manes. They quickly resumed their run, the creature's shining form circling them as it screeched, like a banshee hunting its prey.

Sweetie suddenly tripped and fell, looking back to find her hind hooves caught in a tangle of vines laying on the ground. "Scootaloo! Applebloom! Help!" she screamed, trying to untangle herself.

"Sweetie Belle!" the other two screamed, instantly racing back and trying in vain to free the white unicorn filly.

The monster sensed its chance, giving screech as it dove at them, teeth gleaming in its own light. The trio screamed and covered up…only for a fireworks style explosion to go off between them and the flying monster. The creature screamed and flew back, seemingly disorientated by the explosion.

"Huh?" asked Scootaloo as Trixie dashed between them and the beast.

"T-Trixie?!" all three Crusaders asked at once.

Fluttershy ran up, to her surprise having been left in the dust by Trixie. "Are you girls alright?" she asked, worry clear in her voice.

"F-Fluttershy?!" asked Applebloom. "What are you doing here?"

"Trixie came to make sure you were safe, she picked me up on the way," the pegasus explained, trying to free Sweetie's hooves.

Scootaloo looked up at Trixie, who was standing between them and the monster, not taking her eyes off of it. She didn't look scared at all. "You…you came to save us?" "Mainly Sweetie Belle, but yes," said Trixie, horn lighting up. Sweetie Belle had stood up for her and seemed to like her, that meant something to Trixie...But she wouldn't say the other two meant nothing to her. "Besides, if anything happened to you, your families would never forgive Trixie!…And Trixie would probably never forgive herself," she muttered, a blue smoke beginning to form around them. "Now quiet…" she whispered, the smoke hiding them from sight.

Fluttershy gasped. "But Trixie! That won-"

As Fluttershy said that, the monster dove through the smoke and Trixie narrowly evaded its gapping maw, being knocked to the ground by its wing. "That didn't work?" she asked, surprised it was able to find them in the magically generated smoke.

"It's a Ropen!" stated Fluttershy as she continued to try and free Sweetie.

"A Ropen?" asked Trixie, blinking, seeing the monster coming at them again and setting off another explosion of magical fireworks, driving it back once more.

"They're huge bat-like creatures that hunt by sound!" replied Fluttershy, urgency clear in her voice. "It's blind, but can see with echolocation! The light is just to lure prey closer in the dark, like an angler fish!"

Trixie gave a nod, seeing it come at them again and jumped back to avoid a bite, giving her enough time to set off another fireworks explosion and force it back, realizing it was the sound of the explosions that worked. 'If it can't see, that means "the Stare" won't work on it either. At least loud noise works. Looks like my first show still has some value to me after all these years after all.'

"Trixie is getting tired, Fluttershy!" Trixie called back, summoning another explosion as it dove at them to keep it at bay. "She can't keep this up forever!"

"Almost done!" called back Fluttershy, working furiously, the Crusaders helping her as well..

Trixie set off another firework blast to drive it back again, panting heavily. The Ropen was relentless, it just wouldn't quit and she was beginning to lose strength. 'Think Trixie! It sees with sound, but the fireworks aren't enough to drive it off! You need to do something to keep it occupied so we can get her hooves free!' Trixie took the opportunity to look around quickly, seeing the vines laying around. She gave a gasp of realization.

The rope slithered up like a snake under Trixie's control, Applejack watching its movements in confusion as the other end rose up, wrapping around an apple in a tree. The other end lassoed the mare's legs and hoisted her into the air, the rest of the rope stuffing a red apple in her mouth.

"Well, it's worth a shot I suppose…" muttered Trixie, horn lighting up as she caused a long vine to slither up like a snake, moving back and forth in place like a cobra following a flute. Trixie made it hit leaves to make more noise, attracting the Ropen's attention. Giving a screech, it dove for what it presumed was easier prey. The vine snaked around as the Ropen tried to bite it, the other end snaking up and suddenly wrapping around the creature from behind, ensnaring its wings and talons, sending it crashing to the ground with a screech. As it struggled, the remaining end of the vine wrapped around its jaws, clamping them shut.

Trixie rushed over and began helping Fluttershy at freeing Sweetie Belle as the monster struggled in its bindings. "Hurry! That won't hold it for long!" she pleaded, the Crusaders helping as well.

"Wow! Where'd yah learn to do that?" asked Applebloom as they tried to free their friend.

"Actually, that was how Trixie…humiliated your sister," said Trixie with a nervous tone. "The irony does not escape Trixie! Hurry up!" she pleaded as the Ropen began breaking the vine entangling it.

"Got it!" yelled Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle's hooves coming free at last as the Ropen's bonds snapped and it tore off the vine around its mouth, giving a screech and diving at the group, slamming into Trixie and knocking her off her feet.

Trixie panted and struggled to her feet, seeing it come back, aiming at the girls. She growled and jumped in the way. "Beast, you shall not harm these girls! So says the Great and Powerful Trixie!" she announced, horn lighting up as she waited for it to get close. She reared up on her hind legs and brought them down as it dove, setting off as big of an explosion of fireworks and smoke as she could, the Ropen screaming out in pain as it was blinded from all the sound.

It flew through the smoke, the group having vanished. Still blinded, the creature's echolocation didn't return to normal until it was too late. It gave a screech and slammed full on into a tree. It gave a groan as it slid down the tree and fell unconscious to the ground with a thud.

Trixie panted heavily, her lungs felt like they were on fire. They'd practically ran top speed all the way back from the cave, following the trail of confetti, only stopping once they'd returned to the trail. "Do you girls…have any…any idea what you…what you put Trixie through today?" she asked, rather sternly, sweating heavily and barely able to breathe. She couldn't remember being this tired before.

"Trixie's right, if she hadn't heard you saying where you were going, you could've been hurt or worse," said a worried Fluttershy, somewhat stern as well.

The three fillies nodded slightly, looking down, Applebloom and Scootaloo seeming more ashamed than Sweetie Belle. "We're sorry…" they all three said at once.

Trixie sighed, finding herself unable to stay mad at fillies. "…Well at least you're all alright…Trixie supposes that's what's most important…"

Applebloom looked up at her, feeling just plain rotten. "…And Ah reckon we owe yah an apology for treatin' yah like dirt before…" she said, then heard Sweetie Belle clear her throat. "Well…Most of us…" she said, Scootaloo nodding slowly.

Trixie gave a small smile, looking gratefully to all of them, but especially Sweetie Belle. "It's alright…Trixie forgives you…Trixie would not have learned a valuable lesson today if you hadn't…Trixie is just glad you're safe…"

Scootaloo nodded, then filly excitability kicked in. "But you were awesome back there! With all the explosions and vines! You kicked that thing's tail!"

"Yeah, it was so cool!" added Sweetie Belle, looking up to Trixie with a big smile.

"And that big explosion at the end that let us get away! You were like a ninja or somethin'!" continued Applebloom, sharing her friends' excitement. "You're a great magician! Think yah could teach us stuff like that?"

Scootaloo nodded rapidly. "Yeah! Maybe we could earn a magic Cutie Mark!"

Trixie found herself blushing slightly at the genuine praise. "Well…only one of you is a unicorn, but Trixie does know some stage tricks anypony can do…" she stated, before her adrenaline rush finally ended and their words just caught up with her, as well as her fatigue. She gasped in surprise. "I…I saved them from…the Ropen…" she said, realizing just what she'd done. "I just went into a forest of death, nearly got turned to stone by a Cockatrice, and fought and defeated a Ropen all to save three fillies I only met today…" she stated, eyes wide as it hit her. Especially the fact she hadn't felt afraid of the Ropen at all while fighting it to protect them.

"Yeah! And it was awesome!" exclaimed the Cutie Mark Crusaders together.

"…T-Trixie needs to lie down now…" said Trixie as her eyes rolled back and she fainted in an overly dramatic fashion.

"Hey, she faints just like Rarity!" announced Sweetie Belle, rather cheerfully as they gathered around the mare to help her recover.

"Ah keep tellin' yah, Rarity, Ah ain't got no accent!" yelled Applejack as the two walked back towards Rarity's boutique.

Rarity sighed. "Applejack, everypony has an accent, even me. I'm just saying, we might want to make you sound a tad more refined to fit in at the fair is all. I'm not insulting you, I'm just saying it'd help make you look more professional."

Applejack sighed. "Fine. But Ah don't need no lessons," she said, thinking hard and trying to remember her time in Manehatten. "I picked this up in Manehatten, is it good enough for the fair?" she asked, in a near perfect Manehatten accent.

Rarity's jaw dropped. "You…You can talk like that?" she asked, a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Yes, when I was staying with my Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehatten as a filly, they arranged for me learn how to speak like a 'proper' Manehatten pony, at least as far as they saw it," continued Applejack, still keeping up the Manehatten accent. She shook her head. "But dang, Ah don't like doin' it, it don't even sound a thing like me."

Rarity smiled, though still clearly shaken by it. "I agree, Applejack, but it'll probably help at the fair," she said, then blinked, hearing the sounds of three cheering fillies.

"That's very good, girls, Trixie approves," said Trixie's voice.

"What's going on?" asked Rarity, leading the way over to where Trixie and Fluttershy watched the Cutie Mark Crusaders each standing by a top hat, dressed like magicians. Rarity looked to Trixie.

"Oh, hello Rarity, Applejack, Trixie is just teaching the girls a little stage magic. We…spent some time together today and they decided they wanted to be Cutie Mark Crusader Magicians," replied Trixie, keeping her mouth shut about the Ropen and Everfree. Not only did she not want her new fans to get in trouble, but she figured there was absolutely no way Rarity and Applejack would believe her. She hardly believed her!

Trixie looked back to the girls. "Alright, girls, show them what Trixie taught you."

"Alright, here we go! Watch this sis!" said Applebloom, reaching into her top hat and pulling out an apple in her mouth. Applejack smiled and applauded her baby sister.

"I'm next! Watch, Rarity!" yelled Sweetie Belle, reaching into hers and pulling out a rabbit, Angel to be exact. The bunny gave Fluttershy a rather annoyed look with his front legs crossed as Rarity clapped.

"Sorry, Angel..." said Fluttershy in a sheepish tone. "But it makes the girls happy."

Angel sighed and looked at Sweetie Belle's smiling face. He sighed and gave a small smile.

"Alright, my turn! I wish Rainbow Dash could see this!" called Scootaloo, reaching into her hat and pulling. She had trouble, whatever it was wouldn't budge. "Oh come on!"

"Trixie felt that since she ruined their camping trip, she should do something to make up for it," said Trixie, giving Rarity and Applejack a smile. 'Well, at least if I go on the road when I get back on my hooves, I'll have a REAL story to tell…Strange, all it took to be the hero I've lied about being is to have something I care about enough to protect it.'

"Well that was right nice of yah, Trixie," said Applejack, looking up as the other two Crusaders helped Scootaloo pull. "Ah wonder what's in that hat."

"Tada!" they exclaimed as they finally pulled something out of the hat…Pinkie Pie, she exclaiming the same along with them, causing the watching mares to clop their hooves in praise.

"Hey wait a minute…" said Scootaloo, rubbing her head in confusion. "When did Pinkie Pie get in there?" she asked, the other two joining in with her confusion.

Trixie blinked as that fact hit her. "That's…that's a good question…"

Pinkie Pie simply chuckled.

"Wow, Trixie, it sounds like you had quite the adventure today," said Twilight, sitting at the table with Trixie for dinner.

Trixie nodded. "Yes, Twilight, quite…" she then gave a sigh. "It's a shame no pony will ever believe Trixie…Trixie hardly believes it!"

Twilight smiled, putting a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. "I do…" she said, getting Trixie to give a small smile.

Trixie gave it something a thought, thinking about the day, how she'd managed to do something she was VERY certain she'd never had if she'd not cared for the wellbeing of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. How strong that had made her. How brave it had made her…And the fact that doing it made her actually felt truly happy for the first time in a months. '…I think grandmother was strong after all…I was just too much of a fool to see it…'

"…Twilight…you said any of your friends who learned a friendship lesson may send a letter to Princess Celestia about it?"

Twilight nodded quickly. "Yes, that was what the Princess said. Any time one of my friends learns something about Friendship, they have Spike take a letter and send it to the Princess."

"Trixie sees…Spike…Could you please take a letter?"

Twilight and Spike both gasped. "Trixie…you actually want to send a friendship report?" asked Twilight, startled. Not an unpleasant startled, mind you, but startled nonetheless.

"Yes, Trixie believes she's learned one," replied Trixie, with a serious ton. "So can she?"

Twilight gave a small smile. "Of course, Trixie."

"Alright, Spike, will you take the letter?"

Spike pulled out a scroll and a quill. "Ready!"

Trixie cleared her throat and gave it serious thought as to what to say. After all, she was a sending a letter to THE Princess Celestia, even if it was based on friendship, she wouldn't be sloppy about it.

"Dear Princess Celestia;

I am a new…friend of your student, Twilight Sparkle, so please excuse me if I do this incorrectly, I am not used to this sort of thing. Today, I learned an important lesson about friendship… All my life, I believed that showing kindness and caring for others made you weak, that nice ponies finish last. But thanks to your student and her friends, I now know that the opposite is true. Not only can a kindhearted pony still be strong and successful, caring for others can actually make a pony stronger, not weaker. I used to tell lies to try to make myself seem better than I really was, but because I cared for the wellbeing of three of your youngest subjects, I was able to be the heroine I always pretended to be, and I didn't have to tell a single lie to be her.

Trixie Mon-" she stated, then stopped when she got to her last name.

"What was that?" asked Spike, blinking as he looked up at the mare.

"Trixie…Midsummer," finished Trixie quickly. "How was that, Twilight?"

Twilight smiled. "Wonderful Trixie, good job," she said, happy to hear Trixie learn such a valuable lesson.

Spike nodded. "Yeah, and you've got a really cool last name. Now all that's left is to send it…" he said, walking over to the window and breathing fire on the letter, sending it on its way.

Twilight looked back to Trixie. "Well it seems like you had a good day."

Trixie nodded with a smile. "Yes, not only did Trixie realize something extremely valuable, she found this lovely blue flower in the woods on the way back," she said, pulling out a multi-petaled blue flower, then noticed both her friends suddenly recoil from it. "What?"

Chapter 6: Through New Eyes

“Gems, precious gems!” exclaimed the leader of the Diamond Dogs, Rover, scooping up a pawful from the hole he and his fellow dogs had just dug out, the others joining him in enjoying their find.

“Well well, what have we here?” asked a female voice behind them.

The trio looked up to see Checker standing above them, looking down at them with a cold calculating stare, Luna‘s moon behind her. “A pony!” exclaimed Spot, the smallest of the three.

“Get her!” ordered Rover, Spot and the other one, Fido, jumping up and running Checker.

“Oh, now there‘s no need for that,” Checker said with a detached expression, not seeming moved at all. Her horn lit up as a rock moved several inches to the right in an instant, tripping Fido and causing him to fall on Spot, knocking them both to the ground. As they tried to get up she pulled a gem out of her pocket. Her horn lit up its dark violet as she enchanted the gem, keeping her eyes on the two dogs as she did so. “Fetch,” she said simply as she threw it right in front of the two Diamond Dogs. As they looked at it, their eyes seemed to roll over and be replaced by hearts.

“It’s mine!” exclaimed Spot, jumping on it instantly.

“No, I want gem!” yelled Fido, jumping on Spot and the two getting into a rather large fight.

“What are you doing?!” asked Rover, watching his two cohorts start fighting amongst themselves. “Get the pony!”
Checker gave an uninterested sigh, walking up to him. “Want It, Need It Spell, it’s a personal favorite of mine,” she explained in a cold tone that even made Rover seem a little uneasy. Rover tried to grab her, only for her to duck under his arm and sneak behind him, bringing her hooves down on his back and forcing him to the ground. “Sorry for the inconvenience, but I couldn’t have them attacking me, not until I’ve explained my offer. You seem to be quite fond of gems, correct?”

Rover looked up at her uncomfortably, but looked intrigued by the mention of gems. “Yes, we’re Diamond Dogs we want gems, we want all the gems.”

“Well, I’m a very wealthy pony,” said Checker, giving a false smile. ’Ugh, I had to pick minions with bad breath. Oh well, good help is so hard to find these days.’ “If you work for me, I can get you a lot of gems, and I mean a lot,” she stated, looking him in the eye, keeping her smirk but her detached eyes never changing.

Rover gave a small smirk at the proposition. “I listening...”

Trixie climbed into her borrowed bed, feeling like a dead weight. She was completely worn out, sore, and generally felt like she’d been through hay…but it was a good tired. For the first time in months she actually felt happy. Maybe it was what she’d accomplished, maybe it was all the praise, or maybe, just maybe, it was finally shedding the belief she’d carried for years that had done nothing but hold her down… Still, she felt like she was missing something…

Then it hit her.

“Spike?” asked Trixie, peaking out to look at the little dragon.

Spike looked up at the mare. “Yeah, Trixie?”

“Can you only send letters to Celestia or to anyone?”

“Anyone, so long as you tell me the address, I can send it,” explained Spike, in a somewhat proud tone.

Trixie gave it some thought, then telekinetically floated a quill, some ink, and a scroll up to herself. “Alright, Trixie has a very important letter she needs sent…”

“I can write it if you want me to,” said Spike, it was his job after all.

“No, that’s quite alright…It’s a very private letter,” Trixie quickly explained, beginning to write.

'Dear Helena Midsummer

Hello, grandmother, it’s been a long time. Too long. I know I haven’t seen you since I was a little filly…I hope you’re well…I know how I’ve acted, how I haven’t visited you in a long time…how I haven’t even wrote you for years…It was wrong to abandon you like I have, especially after all you’ve done for me. It was selfish, and I won’t blame you if you never forgive me…I was told that caring for others made you weak…And I believed it. At present, there are very few mistakes I regret more than that one. I love you, grandmother…I miss you…and I’m sorry…

Your granddaughter, Trixie’

Tears dropped on the scroll, staining the page. Trixie turned her back to Twilight and Spike so she could let herself cry without being seen. Choking back a sob, she added something else.

‘P.S. I’m presently staying in Ponyville with a friend…I’ll include the address if you wish to contact me…I don’t blame you if you don’t…I just had to get this off my chest…’

Trixie let her tears flow for a few moments until she finally composed herself, rolling up the scroll, wiping the tears from her face with her foreleg. “Here you are Spike,” Trixie said, turning and floating it down to the little dragon, who put a different ribbon on it than normal, since the recipient wasn’t the Princess. “Ok, where too?”

“Hoofington,” explained Trixie, before giving the exact address. “Got that?”

Spike nodded, poking his head out of the window and breathing fire onto the letter, sending it off. “Alright, it’s on its way.”

Trixie nodded. “Trixie is grateful…” she said, before a wide yawn interrupted her.

“And tired,” said Twilight, snuggling into her makeshift bed. “Can’t say I blame you, after the day you’ve had.”

Trixie gave a nod of agreement. “Trixie could not agree more. This was probably the most physically and mentally draining day of her entire life…” she said, getting under the covers. “Goodnight, Twilight Sparkle, Spike.”

“Goodnight Trixie,” both of them replied.

“You’re sure the Poison Joke won’t affect you, right?” asked Twilight, not exactly convinced.

“Trixie is immune to plants like Poison Ivy, has been since she was a filly, so she should be fine,” said Trixie, confident as always.

“Alright…Also, tomorrow you’re actually going to be working with Applejack, they found a job that they need done and you can do,” said Twilight, still uncertain, but hopeful.

Trixie blinked. “Uh…What’s the job?” Trixie had not forgotten that the Apple Family didn’t exactly like her outside of Applejack.

“Sorting apples for apple cider,” explained Twilight. “Me and the others are helping too, she decided to give you a job while we’re at it,” she explained. Apparently, Applebloom had had a lot to do with that. Trixie had proved diligent at the tasks she was assigned, it was asking for help afterwards that was the problem, so it seemed like a good idea. “After finding out how effectively we worked together thanks to these two brothers with a cider machine who tried to take Applejack’s farm, we decided it’d work out better to work as a team.”

“Two brothers?” asked Trixie, blinking in confusion, but also a little suspicion.

“Yeah, they called themselves the Flim Flam Brothers…” explained Twilight, looking up to Trixie to see her look rather angry. “You know them?”

“Yes…Trixie knows them,” explained Trixie, growling all the while. “They tricked Trixie into investing in the machine you seem to have run into…then cut town with Trixie’s money, leaving a note rubbing it in her face. Trixie was not their only victim in that town either…Just at the time the only one Trixie cared about.”

"That sounds like them…" Twilight said, remembering the experience with the pair of constallions. "You didn't report it?"

"Of course Trixie did, but...Trixie...kind of didn't read the fine print in the contract she signed when she invested...some legal mumbo jumbo that let them off the hook."

"Anyway, please tell Trixie you kicked their flanks rather thoroughly," Trixie replied with a growl.

“Well actually, we lost…then the town chased them out and Applejack warned her entire family, who own apple orchards all over Equestria, about them…they’re not getting off easy.”

“They’re fortunate Trixie wasn’t here,” Trixie snarled. “Or Trixie would probably have given them the “anything you can do, Trixie can do better” treatment, in the most humiliating way she possibly could.”

“Then bragged about it?” Spike asked.

“Yes, there would also have been much bragging.”

“I’d have liked to see that,” said Spike with a chuckle, getting Trixie to give a smirk.

“I doubt Applejack or Rainbow Dash would’ve argued…Anyway, we should get some sleep,” replied Twilight with a yawn. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Trixie laying down and letting herself fall asleep as the lights shut off and the only thing stirring was Owlowiscious keeping ever vigilant.

“So the deal is simple, you help me ruin a certain annoying mare’s life, again, and I provide you with a very large amount of gems,” said Checker, sitting across from Rover on a rock. Her speech and posture was like she was talking over a simple business deal as opposed to arranging the ruination of somepony else. Helping Hoof even provided them both with cups of tea. “Do we have a deal?”

Rover gave it about as much thought as a Diamond Dog could, then smirked. “But what if-”

“You kidnapped me for ransom?” asked Checker, slowly setting down her tea… before she telekinetically grabbed the collar around Rover’s neck, pulling him face to face to her. “Then this little mine of yours becomes a parking lot,” she said, giving the Diamond Dog a piercing, hateful glare and dropping all pretense of politeness. “With you and your pack still under it,” she spat, before letting him go. “Understood?” the mare asked, in a perfectly polite tone as she took a drink of tea.

Rover gulped, giving a trembling nod, and then thought it over again as he recovered. “Lots of gems?”

“You’ll be swimming in them. And I mean that literally.”

Rover gave a nod. “We help, we want gems!” he said, extending his paw and taking her hoof for a handshake.

“Good,” said Checker, gagging and flicking her hoof like it had just touched something rotten once the handshake was finished. She turned to the two still fighting Diamond Dogs, horn lighting up as she broke the spell, leaving both laying in confusion over what had just happened. She floated about ten, very high class gems out of her pockets and deposited them at Rover’s paws. “A down payment,” she explained, floating a stick of lipstick out of her purse and applying it absentmindedly. “Welcome to Monarch Incorporated.”

Rover took the gems with a smile. “Spot, Fido, come! We working with pony now! We have deal!”

Trixie groaned, rolling over in her bed, trying to fall into a peaceful sleep but unable to. She finally sighed and got up with a groan. She looked over to see two big eyes staring at her.

“Hoo.”

“Oh…Hello, Owlowiscious…”

“Hoo.”

Trixie started for the window to the balcony, then looked back at the owl, remembering he was keeping an eye on her. “Trixie is merely getting some fresh air is all, alright?”

“Hoo.”

“…Trixie will take that as a yes…” said the unicorn, trotting through the window onto the balcony, staring up at Luna’s moon and stars, closing the window with her telekinesis. Trixie looked up at the moon. “…I wonder how it was like for you…To suddenly see the entire world change in an instant…” she said, knowing from Twilight how Luna had had difficulty adjusting to the world after her thousand year banishment. “…That’s how I feel right now…It’s just like something has suddenly changed…Everything’s so different than how I thought it was…” she muttered, thinking it out slowly.

“The world is cold, that’s how it seemed to be

You couldn’t count on anyone but you

No one out there cared at all for me

That’s what I thought was true.

Caring for someone made you weak

And anything that’s weak is what dies

Only the selfish made it to the peak

At least that’s how it was through my eyes,” sung Trixie, slowly, somewhat sorrowfully.

“But I was wrong, this I know now

I was deceived somehow along the way

But I can’t remember when or how.

The difference is like night and day.

The world is a much warmer place

It isn’t anything like I thought it’d be

It isn’t cold like the void of space

But all this is just so new to me,” she sung, confusion entering her voice as she continued to look up at the sky.

“Luna, did you feel the same?

When after a thousand years in the moon

Your time finally came

And the world sang a completely different tune?

My world has changed and I don’t know what to do

Everything is so different than I realized.

But how do I change from what I thought I knew?

Now that I see the world through different eyes?” she sung, thinking things out as she watched the stars high above.

“Now that I know what’s true

Now that in me the fires of friendship burn

What am I supposed to do?

I have so much I still need to learn

I’m so lost in this world I’m in

This changes everything I once believed.

But how do I even try to begin?

Now that I’m no longer being deceived?” Trixie continued, seeing a shooting star fly passed in the sky.

“Trixie, don’t go it alone, there‘s no need,” sung another voice behind Trixie.

Trixie turned to see Twilight trot out onto the balcony, up beside her.

“I know how it must be for you

Even if friendship is now my creed

That wasn’t always true.

Books were the only things I knew back then

I thought everything could be analyzed

That I could always plot a trend

That’s what it was like through my eyes,” sung the purple unicorn, walking up next to Trixie and looking up at the sky alongside her.

“I thought true friends were rare

The only ones I knew didn‘t like me for me

My place was the only reason they were there

But there was something I couldn‘t see

True friends are more abundant than I believed

You just have to get out and take a look

Even if you might be deceived

Now it’s a risk I‘m glad that I took,” sung Twilight, looking to Trixie with a smile. “I know it’s not easy, Trixie,” she said softly. “When I first came to Ponyville, I said the fate of Equestria didn’t depend on me making friends. It wasn’t even close to my top priority. It wasn’t even on my…rather extensive checklist. I thought the only reason anypony would be my friend was because I was somepony important. I only saw Spike as my true friend because we’d been together since he was born. Would you know that looking at me now?”

Trixie slowly shook her head. “No…Trixie wouldn’t think that at all, Twilight…”

“There you go,” said Twilight, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “I know you’ve had your world view shaken, that things don’t make as much sense to you as they used to…But I promise, we won’t let you get lost. I‘ll be your guide.” Twilight knew better than to use the phrase “I’ll help you” to Trixie.

Trixie gave it some thought, then nodded slowly. “Alright, Twilight…You shall be Trixie’s guide, everypony needs one when in unfamiliar territory…Pinkie Pie Swear?”

Twilight blinked in surprise, though more that Trixie knew what one was. She then nodded. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-” Twilight gave a cry of pain as she jabbed herself in the eye with her hoof.

Trixie chuckled. “Fluttershy told Trixie you had trouble with that part…” she said, giving a smile. “…Get some sleep, Trixie will be in shortly, alright?”

Twilight nodded, rubbing her painful eye, but gave a small chuckle herself. “Alright, just don’t be out too long, ok?” she asked, looking back to Trixie.

Trixie nodded thoughtfully. “Trixie won’t…goodnight, Twilight.”

“Goodnight, Trixie…”

Trixie smiled lightly, looking up at the sky.

“That’s how you got along

You had your sister there for you

I have somewhere I belong

Somepony who will guide me through

I’ll learn what I need to do.

That’s something I now realized.

Now that I’ve got a friend true.

To teach me to see the world through new eyes.

I won’t give up now, I swear

I won’t be tricked anymore by lies.

Now I’m a brand new mare

Who sees the world through new eyes…” Trixie finished, smiling up at the moon, turning and heading back inside.

She gave a wide yawn. “I’d better get to bed or I will not be able to do my job at Sweet Apple Acres in the morning…” she muttered, turning and heading back inside. “With any luck, Rainbow Dash has calmed down…”

“Ah, so that’s how it is,” said Checker, hidden from sight under the balcony Trixie had stood on just moments before, the Diamond Dogs and Helping Hoof surrounding her.

“We get her for you?” asked Rover, looking to the pony who‘d hired him and his packmates.

“No, not yet,” said Checker, walking on. “Come,” she commanded, leading the way.

“But you said you want to hurt pony,” replied Spot, scratching his head with his paw in confusion.

“Brute force isn’t always the best way of doing things,” replied Checker, looking back to see confusion from the three canines. “You know nothing at all of psychology, do you?” she asked, getting a head shake. “I’m going to force her to play into my hoof through cunning, not by kidnapping her or having you beat her up,” she continued, still able to tell she wasn’t exactly getting through to the trio. She gave a frustrated sigh. “Helping Hoof, make a note that next time I seek to employ some henchmen, give them an IQ test first,” she whispered to him.

“Yes, Miss Monarch,” replied the yes stallion with a simple nod.

Checker looked back at the Diamond Dogs. “My point is that you need not resort to force when there are other, far more effective ways to get the same effect,” she stated, looking back to the path. “All it takes is the intelligence to manipulate ponies and being willing to crush somepony else to do so. What happened when you tried to kidnap that pony you told me about, Rover?”

All three Diamond Dogs winced. “She whined until we let her go…”

“Exactly, because she discovered your sensitive ears were vulnerable to such assaults,” Checker explained as they got closer to Sweet Apple Acres. “She turned the tables on you with her mind, not her hoofs. You used brute force while she used mental force. Since your own mental force is…lesser than hers, you lost.”

“Hey! Are you saying we dumb?!” asked Fido, insulted.

“No, I’m saying she’s smarter,” replied Checker, not looking back. ‘And also that you three are utter imbeciles with less intelligence than the rocks you dig out of the ground.’ she thought. “Now be quiet, we’re almost there.”

The Apple Family slowly got ready for bed, Granny Smith already there and the three Apple children all preparing themselves. “Now Big Macintosh,” said Applejack, looking her brother’s way. “Ah know you’re still sore about how Trixie treated me before, probably don‘t trust her all that much.”

Big Macintosh didn’t look her direction, but looked somewhat upset. “Eeyup,” was his only response as he continued to prepare for bed.

“But please don’t go bein’ hard on her tomorrow, we need all the hooves we can get.”

Applebloom nudged her big brother, looking up at him. “You’ll give her a chance, won’t yah Big Macintosh?” she asked, giving her brother big quivering puppy dog eyes with her ears pinned. “She’s my friend.”

Big Macintosh couldn’t resist the little filly’s puppy eyes and gave a small smile. “Eeyup…” he said, ruffling the filly’s mane.

Applejack smiled. “Good, now let’s all hit the hay, a lot of work in the morning,” she said, yawning and heading for bed. “Yah get the apples for the fair set up nice and safe?”

Big Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup, they’re not goin’ anywhere. Night, Applejack.”

“Hmm, interesting,” said Checker, sitting not too far from the house using her eavesdropping spell. She then got a thoughtful look. “Yes, I believe I have a wonderful plan in mind,” she said, taking out a small golden box and opening it to reveal a miniature chess board. Her horn lit up, causing a holographic chessboard to display, a chess piece version herself being the “king” and one of Trixie on the other side, the Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack pieces on that side as well, while her side had pieces for the Diamond Dogs and Helping Hoof..

“Just one more thing, lets check out this Rainbow Dash character, shall we?”

Rainbow laid on a cloud bed in her home, trying to read another book in the Daring Do Series, but she just couldn’t concentrate on it. She couldn’t get her mind off what happened earlier.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Rainbow Dash said, looking down at Scootaloo in disbelief. “You’re saying Trixie was actually nice?!”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, she, um, taught us some magic tricks! She was awesome! Not nearly as awesome as you, Rainbow Dash, but still pretty cool! Anyway, I’m supposed to meet the others to be Cutie Mark Crusaders Baseball Players, see yah later!”

Rainbow Dash threw the book across the room and let her head fall back down on the cloud pillow. “Now even Scootaloo likes her! Come on! Am I the only one that remembers she was a big bully?!” she exclaimed in frustration. She gave a sigh. “Maybe Twilight’s right…No, since when has any bad guy we’ve ever had to deal with done that? Next thing you know they’ll tell me Discord’s become a good guy!”

She looked over at Tank, sitting on his little cloud bed, thanks to Twilight’s cloud walking spell. “I‘m right, aren‘t I Tank?”

The tortoise merely looked at her and blinked, then cocked his head and gave her a look.

“Ok, there was Princess Luna…But she had to get blasted full on with the Elements of Harmony to turn good!” Dash held her head and fell back into bed with a sigh. “Whatever, I’ll find out what’s really going on tomorrow, night Tank.”

Rainbow slowly let herself fall into a restless slumber.

Rainbow Dash, a blank flank filly back at flight school, stepped forwards, stretching for her turn during a flight exam, taking a deep breath.

“Hey, you better watch out everypony!” announced a big Pegasus colt. “Rainbow Crash is up next!”

“Yeah! Everyone get your helmets on and take cover!” another cried.

Rainbow gave a slightly hurt look but hid it as she took her turn. She took flight when the coach blew his whistle, flying through cloud rings floating here and there throughout the room. She was gonna do it!…Then she bent her wing the wrong way at the wrong time.

Next thing she knew, she crashed landed hard on the clouds. When her head cleared from the crash, she heard something…everyone was laughing.

“Nice one, Rainbow CRASH!”

“Yeah, what do you call that move? Choking?”

“You’ll probably have crashing as your Cutie Mark from the way you’re going!”

Rainbow Dash looked up at the Coach, who, while not laughing, didn’t stop them FROM laughing and merely shook his head in disappointment.

“Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash!” chanted the bullies, circling her and laughing.

“Stop it!” yelled Rainbow, covering her ears. “Don’t call me that!”

“What’s wrong, loser?!” asked a familiar voice.

Rainbow opened her eyes and looked up, finding herself on Trixie’s stage in Ponyville. Now the crowd, even her friends, where all laughing, chanting “Rainbow Crash” over and over again.

Trixie chuckled. “Trixie knew you were a loser, Rainbow Crash! Now its time to show everypony else!” she said, her horn glowing a dark violet, almost black as she telekinetically lifted her hat off her head to begin.

“No…S-stop!”

“No…stop…P-please…don’t…don’t laugh at me…” muttered Rainbow, twisting and turning in her sleep, tears running from her clinched eyes.

“No…stay away…d-don’t…STAY BACK!”

In an inversion of previous nights, Twilight was the one who found herself stirred in the morning by a mare screaming with nightmares. “Trixie?” she asked, looking up.

“No…don’t…don’t eat me!” Trixie cried in her sleep, hidden by the covers.

Twilight hurried up the ladder. “Trixie! Wake up!” she called, nudging Trixie through the covers. Trixie shot awake…and Twilight’s eyes went wide. “T-Trixie? Are you alright?”

“Y-yes…Trixie just had a nightmare…But I haven‘t had one since I was a filly…”

Spike came up. “What’s the ruckus?” he asked with a yawn, then looked at Trixie and nearly fell off the ledge laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

Twilight hovered a mirror over and floated it in front of Trixie, who found herself staring into the eyes of a blue furred, white maned unicorn filly about the Cutie Mark Crusader’s age.

Twilight groaned, shaking her head to clear it after the scream Trixie let off. “Trixie, calm down…Its ok…I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for this.”

Trixie pouted like a child. “Trixie doesn’t like this!”

Twilight looked closer and gasped, seeing light blue spots all over Trixie, which had been difficult to see at first glance since they were so close to her natural fur color anyway. “The Poison Joke!”

“Well this isn’t a funny joke!” yelled Trixie, like a child who’d had a mean prank pulled on her.

Spike laughed. “Of course it is! Now, what’s a good nickname?” he asked, thinking…then noticed Trixie looked at him with a genuinely hurt expression. “T-Trixie?” he asked, seeing the little mare turned filly almost on the verge of tears. “Come on…its ok, I didn’t mean it,” he said, now feeling rotten.

Twilight blinked in confusion. Yes, Trixie had feelings like anypony else, but she wasn’t THAT sensitive. “Don’t worry, Trixie, I’ll get you the antidote…which I forgot to get because you said you were immune…”

Trixie lowered her head sorrowfully. “Trixie’s sorry…” she muttered with genuine remorse, as if expecting punishment.
Twilight gave a confused look to Spike and vice verse. Trixie had…apologized?! For something that wasn’t even her fault? Ok, something was weird…

Rainbow Dash’s head drooped, her bloodshot eyes barely keeping open. “Uh, Rainbow Dash, yah ok?” asked Applejack, looking over to her friend.

Rainbow Dash jumped to full alertness. “I’m fine! Everything’s fine! Why wouldn’t it be?” she replied rapidly.
Fluttershy looked the most concerned. “Rainbow Dash…you look like you had a horrible night last night…er, no offense, you don’t look horrible, you just look like you didn’t sleep well.”

Rainbow Dash gave a big yawn. “Y-yeah, I’m fine…Just had some bad dreams, nothing I can‘t handle…” she stated, shaking her head to try and keep awake.

“Would you like to talk about it?” asked Fluttershy, looking her foalhood friend over with worried eyes.

“No, I’m fine,” said Rainbow Dash, trying not to look as exhausted as she really was, or hurt Shy‘s feelings.

“Well whatever it was, do try not to make this Applebuck Season Part 2. We wouldn‘t want that, would we?” asked Rarity, putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder as she prepared to help Granny Smith sort apples.

“Ooh! If she does, can I make funny noises into a trophy again?!” asked Pinkie in her normally excitable manner, causing Rarity to facehoof.

Applejack cleared her throat. “Ah thought we all agreed not to bring that up again.”

“Yeah…Wait didn’t you do the same thing when Trixie said that about “Tom”?” asked Pinkie Pie, scratching her head.

Rarity glared. “I said we shall never speak of that embarrassing incident again!”

“Duh! That’s my point, silly!” Pinkie responded.

Rainbow Dash sighed as the three got into an argument over who said not to say what when.

“Rainbow Dash,” asked Fluttershy, putting herself so her and Rainbow’s backs were to the others and Rainbow had a little more privacy. “…Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked, looking deeply worried. “If you want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

Rainbow gave her old friend a smile. “I’m fine…thanks anyway, Fluttershy.”

“Girls!”

“And so I’m left standing there with a rubber chicken and-Oh hey Twilight!” yelled Pinkie as the argument stopped and everyone’s attention fell on the newly arriving Twilight and Spike.

“Hey, Twi’,” said Applejack, embarrassed at the little spat they’d had.

“Where’s Trixie?” asked Rainbow Dash, spitting her name like it was venom.

Twilight sighed. “See for yourself…” she said, turning to reveal Trixie, still a filly, riding on Twilight’s back, much to everyone’s shock.

“Aww! She‘s so cute!” yelled Pinkie Pie, dashing over and looking at Trixie, nearly causing the filly to fall off Twilight‘s back in suprise.

“Alright, Twilight, what spell did you mess up this time?” asked Rainbow Dash, looking to her along with the others, except Pinkie, to get an explanation.

Twilight growled. “None. It turns out Trixie ran into some Poison Joke yesterday, and…wasn’t nearly as immune as we thought she was.”

Rainbow Dash practically fell over laughing at this revelation, no one paid much mind to her.

“Who’s a cute little filly? Trixie is! Yes she is!” said Pinkie in a voice like she was actually talking to a child.

Trixie gave an annoyed growl. “Even if Trixie was as old as she looked, that would still be demeaning!”

“The weird part is it seems at least part of her personality has reverted too,” said Twilight, perplexed as she focused her attention on her friends who actually seemed to care. “She has all her memories, but her personality seems to be like it was when she was just a filly…” she stated, looking a tad concerned. So far, Trixie’s foal personality worried her a bit. She seemed so…delicate emotionally. Twilight couldn’t help but feel concerned.

“Uh, Twi, that don’t make a lick of sense,” said Applejack, giving a confused look.

“I know! But since when does Poison Joke make any sense?” asked Twilight, with a frustrated look. “I’m beginning to think Discord made it when he ruled Equestria!”

“Serves her right,” said Rainbow Dash lowly, earning a stern glare from Twilight. She gave an annoyed look and crossed her forelegs.

Trixie whimpered, looking genuinely hurt by Rainbow‘s words. “Oh no, don’t cry!” said Pinkie as she noticed this, then made funny faces to try and cheer her up. “Here! Watch this!” she said, before pulling a bag of flower out of nowhere and busting it over herself, turning her completely white. Despite trying to act as mature as she could, Trixie couldn’t help laughing at Pinkie’s antics. Prompting Pinkie to give a smile and an aside glance seemingly to no one. “Works every time.”

Trixie blinked, trying to follow Pinkie‘s gaze but seeing nopony, then looking back at her. “You mean you’re HAPPY Trixie laughed at you?”

“Silly, you weren’t laughing AT me! You were just laughing at the silly thing I just did!”

Trixie blinked. “…There’s a difference?”

Pinkie Pie nodded. “Yeah, a really, really, really, REALLY big one! Laughing AT somepony is really mean! I mean really, REALLY mean! Only a bully does that on purpose, or doesn‘t stop laughing when they know they’re hurting them! Laughing when somepony does something funny is fun! But only if they can laugh along with you and think its funny too! Oh, and never be afraid to laugh at yourself too sometimes! Like this!” she said, then pulled out a mirror and laughed at her own reflection. Then she AND her reflection looked back to Trixie. “See?”

Trixie chuckled. “Yes…Trixie guesses she does…Could you teach Trixie that trick?”

“What trick?” asked Pinkie and her reflection, both looking equally confused.

“Um…never mind…”

“So, what we gonna do, Twi’? She ain’t gonna be much help as a filly,” said Applejack, looking a little concerned as well. “And Ah reckon you don’t want her stayin’ that way for long.”

“I tried going to the spa, but they ran out of the Poison Joke cure this morning,” said Twilight with a sigh. “I’m going to have to run to Zecora’s for it. Can she stay here while I do?”

“What? Why?!” asked Rainbow Dash, rather bitterly.

Twilight glared back at her. “Because I don’t think dragging a filly into the middle of that place, even if she’s really a mare, is a bright idea, that’s why.”

“Don’t worry,” said Applejack. “She’s already tight with Applebloom and the girls, they’ll keep an eye on her,” she said, then looked over. “Applebloom! Can yah bring your friends over here?! It’s important!”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were there in a flash. “Yeah, sis?”

“Can yah all keep an eye on Trixie while we‘re workin‘?” asked Applejack, pointing to Trixie, who was now on the ground, trying, and failing, not to laugh as Pinkie pulled balloons out of nowhere and made them into balloon animals, including a full sized, balloon Trixie, which Trixie gave an approving look to.

The CMC did a collective jaw drop. “Whoa, what happened?!” asked Scootaloo in surprise.

“Poison Joke,” replied Twilight. “And I’ve got to run to Zecora’s to get the cure so we can fix her up, will you play with her until I get back?”

The three fillies nodded. “Sure! We had fun with Trixie yesterday, now that we’re the same age, we’ll have even more fun!” announced Sweetie Belle.

Twilight smiled, glad to see the fillies had accepted Trixie as they had. She looked to Rainbow Dash. “Will you please at least try to be nice to her?” she asked, pleadingly.

Rainbow Dash gave a huff. “Fine! Just keep her out of my mane!”

“What’s gotten into her?” asked Spike, noticing Rainbow seemed to be even more of a jerk to Trixie now than before.

“Twilight, I’ll come with you,” said Fluttershy, walking over to her. “Its too dangerous to go into Everfree alone.”

Twilight gave a smile in return. “Thank you, Fluttershy, come on, lets’ go…”

“So, yah got turned into a filly by Poison Joke?” asked Applebloom, looking to Trixie. Then to Pinkie Pie, who had somehow managed to put herself in a giant party balloon and was trying to get out, then realized how much fun bouncing around inside was.

Trixie gave a childish pout. “Unfortunately, Trixie thought she was immune…”

“But you still remember everything?” asked Scootaloo, scratching her head with her hoof.

Trixie nodded. “Yes…some of which suddenly seems much more traumatic…” she said, giving a shudder. Trixie guessed that was why she’d had nightmares and her method of dealing with them hadn’t worked. Well, actually, it was more she was too terrified to remember it at the time.

“Well, want to come to our club house? We can hang out till Twilight gets back with the antidote!” suggested Sweetie Belle excitedly.

Trixie looked confused. “What do you need Trixie to do?” she asked, looking confused.

The three looked at each other in confusion. “Nothin‘, ain’t yah ever been over to a friend’s just to hang out?” asked Applebloom, looking at the mare turned filly with a surprised look.

Trixie shook her head. “No, Trixie’s father did not permit such things. The only time Trixie went to be with other fillies was when her father had business to do with theirs or she had a project to do for school with them…”
The three gave her a sympathetic look. “Well you really missed out. Come on, we’ll show you what you’ve been missing,” said Scootaloo, the three leading Trixie towards their clubhouse.

Rainbow gave a suspicious look their way. “Maybe I should go keep an eye on them…” she said, to no one in particular.

“No way, Rainbow,” said Applejack, pulling her back. “We got Apple Cider to make! And those girls ain’t gonna get into any trouble just goin’ to their clubhouse.”

Rainbow sighed. “Fine, let’s just get to work,” she grumbled, crossing her forelegs in front of her chest.
Pinkie finally burst the balloon she‘d somehow managed to get herself in, landing on her back. She then looked up at the situation at hoof. “What’s gotten into Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie asked Applejack as Rainbow got to look, the pink pony looking concerned. She may have been a little wacky, but she wasn’t blind.

“Ah don’t know, but Ah don’t like it,” said Applejack. “Ah’ve seen honey badgers in better moods than she is.”

“Yeah, Fluttershy had that one, I half expected it to be Rainbow’s pet,” said Pinkie, once more being sidetracked by the analogy.

“I think they’d get along splendidly,” added Rarity in a deadpan fashion. “Now come on, we’ve got plenty of work to do.

Checker watched from the bushes nearby, giving a subtle, cruel smirk. “Ah, even more perfect. Trixie is a sensitive little foal, this will make things go so much smoother,” she stated, not letting her analytic eyes leave the situation at hoof.

“Why don’t you just zap the ponies and make them hate her?” asked Spot, scratching his head.

“Yeah! Like you did us!” followed Fido, equally as confused.

“Because, and I don’t expect you three to understand the finer points of mind magic, a Want It, Need It Spell makes a person fall in love with something, it’s far easier to make somepony fall in love with something they don’t care one way or another for than to make them hate something they care about,” said Checker, like someone talking more about a hobby than brainwashing. “I don’t understand it myself, I just know making somepony hate somepony takes a lot more effort…speaking of which,” she said, looking at Rainbow Dash, who was struggling to keep awake and grumbling under her breath. “With any luck, I’ve crafted exactly that.”

“Y-you built this place?…By yourselves?!” asked Trixie, staring up in awe of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse as they walked into it.

“Mainly Applebloom,” said Scootaloo, smirking to her friend.

“And it was already here, sis just gave it to us,” said Applebloom. “But when we got it, it was kinda…”

“Condemned?” Scootaloo finished.

Trixie raised a brow. “That bad?”

“Yeah, but we fixed it up good as new, now this is where we plan how we’ll get our Cutie Marks!” announced Sweetie Belle.

“Trixie sees,” Trixie replied, looking at the wall, seeing a poster labeled “list of things we’ve tried to get our Cutie Marks” hanging. “Hang gliding, diving, dancing, baseball, tennis, mountain climbing, ninjas,” she read. “My, you certainly have tried a lot of things…” she said, then saw another poster reading “list of places we’ve been banned from trying to get our Cutie Marks.” It was unnervingly long. “So…what’s on the agenda today?”

“Well, we were gonna try time travel usin’ this flux capacitor from Doctor Whoove’s scrap pile,” said Applebloom. “But he sold it to that Wonderbolt with the crazy white hair.”

“And when we asked him about it, he said ‘no, not again’ for some reason,” continued Sweetie Belle.

“Which is weird, cause we’ve never tried time travel before,” finished Scootaloo.

“Maybe we already went back in time and he stopped us from doing it again?” asked Applebloom.

“But wouldn’t that mean he wouldn’t need to stop us, so he wouldn’t stop us, and then we’d do it anyway and he’d have to stop us,” said Sweetie Belle.

“But then he’d still have no reason to have to stop us in the first place.”

Scootaloo cringed and held her head. “Ow! Stop, you’re making my head hurt!”

Trixie just gave a raised eyebrow. “Uh…right…So, what shall we do now?”

“Well…we could read comic books, or go try being Cutie Mark Crusader Surfers,” said Scootaloo, thinking it out. “But you’ve already got your Cutie Mark, so I guess that wouldn’t work too well…”

“Hey, there’s an idea!” said Sweetie Belle, excitedly.

“What?”

“Trixie, maybe you could tell us how you got your Cutie Mark!” suggested the white unicorn filly.

Trixie blinked. “You…you really want to know how Trixie got her Cutie Mark?” she asked. “No one has ever asked…”

“Of course we do!” said Sweetie Belle, smiling widely.

“We love hearing about how ponies got their Cutie Marks!” Scootaloo continued.

“Yeah, there ain’t nothin’ more special than how yah got your Cutie Mark! Well, except friends, but yah are already our friend,” Applebloom finished.

Trixie nodded, blushing a little at being called their friend. “Alright, please gather round then,” she stated, the three pulling up chairs and sitting to watch. Trixie looked a little self-conscious, but still enjoyed having the eyes on her. “Alright…First, Trixie must let you know how all this started, why she got into magic in the first place…It started a long time ago at the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot…Trixie’s father took her there to see Celestia raise the sun. It was so breathtaking…Trixie realized at that moment, Trixie wanted to make spectacles of her own, so she began studying stage magic to become a magician.”

“That sounds familiar,” whispered Sweetie Belle, scratching her head, only for Scootaloo to shush her.

Trixie used her magic to put a projection of events into view for them to help tell the story. Even though she’d reverted to a child, that didn’t change the fact she was good at this kind of thing.

Trixie, as a little filly, walked the streets of Hoofington, her father, a large, muscular dark blue unicorn stallion with a Spartan shield as his Cutie Mark, walking next to her, an older unicorn filly with darker fur colors than Trixie walking along with them.

“One day, while walking with her family, Trixie saw a sign for a local talent show. She’d been practicing magic for a long time, so she felt it’d be the perfect way to finally show it off.”

Trixie looked up, seeing a poster on the door of a theatre announcing the “Hoofington Junior Talent Show”. “Daddy, can I try?” she asked, excited as could be, but doing her best to hide it and carry herself with a professional like air..
Her father looked over at the poster, not changing his chiseled visage one bit. He then gave a very small, barely noticeable smile if any at all. “A good way to prove yourself in the world and become somepony in town, I approve.”
Trixie gave an excited cry, then noticed a disapproving look from her father. She cleared her throat and bowed to her father. “Thank you, daddy,” she said and trotted into the store, signing up immediately. As she looked back, she saw her sister glaring daggers at her for one moment, but the older filly looked away the moment she noticed Trixie was watching her.
“Trixie began training immediately. It wasn’t an easy task, after all; she had no formal training and mostly just knew simple spells she’d learned from books.”

Trixie growled. “None of these spells are good enough! I can’t enter a talent show unless what I’m going to do is good!” she exclaimed, batting the book off the table, then looking almost depressed.

“Trixie…didn’t take that too well. So she tried looking for other places of inspiration.”

Trixie climbed up a shelf, trying to grab another spell book from the top shelf. She had to balance several books on one shelf to climb up to the one she wanted. For a brief moment, the one she was about to get on glowed dark violet and moved over a few inches. The moment she stepped on it, she lost her balance along with the book. Flailing, she grabbed a book from the bookcase as she fell to the ground below in an attempt to catch herself.
Trixie’s sister walked up to her. “My my, little sister, you certainly are clumsy, aren’t you? You’d best be careful, we wouldn’t want you getting hurt and missing the opportunity of impressing father, would we?” she asked before trotting off.

Trixie groaned, getting up and looking down at the book she’d grabbed, which had opened to a passage on Canterlot. She flipped through the book and found an entry on the founding of a little town near it. As she read, she got a big smile.

“It turns out, the book had a history lesson that Trixie was especially inspired by. Trixie learned some Zebra magic from one who lived in our neighborhood, he would become her magic teacher later on.”

Trixie gulped, waiting for her name to be called so she could do her act. She was shaking in her horseshoes, wearing a homemade version of her hat and cape. Trixie’s sister walked up to her. “Well Trixie, it looks like the big night is here, there has to be at least a hundred ponies out there and all their eyes will be on you, it must be a riveting feeling, huh?”

Trixie shook, giving a gulp, her irises and pupils becoming pinpricks. “A-at l-l-least a h-h-hundred?!” she asked in a frightened, nervous voice.

“Yes, and daddy and me will be right in the front row,” her sister stated, giving a cold smile. “It’d be horrible if you choked in front of all those ponies, especially father, wouldn’t it? Oh well, I’m sure you’ll do fine. Break a leg Trixie!” she said, muttering something under her breath as she walked off.

“All in all, Trixie thinks she handled the stress well.”

Trixie was curled up, trembling in a fetal position in the corner as contestants were called and did their acts.

“But having a little guidance didn’t hurt…”

“Trixie, what’s wrong sweetie?” asked a caring, kind voice.

Trixie didn’t have to look to recognize it. “I’m scared grandma…” she muttered, not moving from her position.

Trixie’s Grandmother, Helena Midsummer, pulled her up gently and set down next to her. “Tell grandma why you’re scared.”

Trixie didn‘t stop trembling. “There’s so many ponies out there…They’re all going to be watching me…I don’t want to mess up in front of them…in front of daddy!”

Helena put a hoof on her back. “Dear, there’s nothing to worry about, you’ve shown me your act, you’re going to do fine.”

Trixie started crying. “But what if I don’t! I don‘t want to disappoint daddy!” she exclaimed, looking terrified.

Helena looked thoughtful, then got a smile. “I think I’ve got just the thing,” she said, as she calmly took out a blue crystal from her saddlebags. “Here,” she said, putting it on Trixie’s cape to replace the pin holding the two sides together. “Its special. I was going to give it to you for your birthday, but now seems like a better time.”

Trixie blinked, looking down at it. “H-how, grandma?”

“It’s a good luck charm. My momma gave it to me when I was just a filly. I can’t promise you you’ll come in first, but I can promise you can’t mess up while you’re wearing this.”

Trixie’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the little stone, then up to her grandmother. “Really?”

“Really,” said Helena, nuzzling her granddaughter. “Don’t tell your papa I gave it to you, you know how he gets. We know it’s a gift, not me pitying you, but he doesn‘t.”

“Trixie! Is there a…Great and Powerful Trixie here!” called an old mare overseeing the contest.

“You’re up,” said Helena, getting a hug from her granddaughter. “Break a leg, alright?”

Trixie nodded, trotting up to the mare. “Here! I…er, Trixie is right here!” she said, clearing her throat.

“Trixie had read that referring to oneself in the third person had a more regal and impressive air to it, so she chose to use it in her act.”

“And it sounds cool!” chimed in Sweetie Belle.

“Yes, it does, doesn’t it?”

Trixie gave one last look back at Helena, who waved her on before heading to her seat. Trixie gulped and took the stage, seeing all the ponies watching her. She saw her sister and father in the front row. Her sister mouthed ‘Better not choke’.

Trixie gulped, it took all her will just to not wet herself from fright right there.

“Yes, Trixie had stage fright. Trixie knows the irony. But remember, Trixie was a filly at the time. It takes time to develop a stage presence such as hers!”

Then she looked down at the jewel her grandmother had given her and steadied herself, looking up at the crowd, seeing Helena sitting in the row behind her father, giving her a smile. Trixie took in a deep breath and regained her composure.

“Gather round! And behold the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” the little blue filly announced, not with as much volume and confidence as she did no, but decently.

She set off several fireworks style explosions around her. She made the fireworks dance and take on different shapes, though they weren’t very fancy or well refined, but fairly good.

“After Trixie dazzled the crowd with her amazing feats of pyrotechnics, she decided to move on to the grand finale!”

Trixie reached into a pouch hidden in her cape and produced some green powder, but hid her hoof from the audience, a trick she‘d learned from the Zebra. She shook slightly, but looked at her grandmother’s jewel and steadied herself again. “Now watch as the Great and Powerful Trixie demonstrates how to fend off a ferocious…” spinning and throwing the powder, causing it to transform into an imperfect, but passable illusion of a vicious wolf made out of wood. “Timber Wolf!”

“Wait a minute, what happened with that whole Ursa Major business you were goin’ on about here?” asked Applebloom.

“That didn’t come until later on, Trixie started with Timber Wolves and did a better job with research back then…As Trixie was saying.”

Trixie made her illusionary beast snarl and approach the edge of the stage, frightening many of the spectators. “Beast! Leave those bystanders be! Your fight is with the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

The illusion snarled in fury, spinning around and charging at the young filly. Trixie stood her ground and waited. Finally, when it got close, Trixie’s horn lit up and a miniature cloud formed overhead. As it leapt at her, the cloud sent off a roar of thunder as she jumped out of the way. The Timber Wolf illusion howled in pain once, then again as the thunder sounded again, sending it running off where it finally vanished.

Trixie turned to the crowd and took a bow as they applauded. A light flashed on her flank and her Cutie Mark came into being.

“And that’s how Trixie got her Cutie Mark,” said Trixie, giving a smile, though she was still looking somewhat nervous. “The story of how Ponyville was founded, with the Zap Apples and the Timber Wolves, actually inspired Trixie’s act, the book was on Equestrian history, specifically the area around Canterlot. That was actually one of the reasons she visited Ponyville in the first place…”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were looking at her with jaws dropped in surprise.

Trixie looked nervous and fidgeted a little bit. “Was it something Trixie said?”

Chapter 7: Fun and Games

Trixie stared at the three fillies, jaw almost to the floor. “So the story that inspired Trixie’s act that earned her Cutie Mark was about your grandmother?” Trixie asked Applebloom, eyes wide with shock.

Applebloom nodded nervously. “Yeah, that sounds about right…”

“And that means Trixie publicly humiliated the granddaughter of the one who is indirectly responsible for her Cutie Mark?”

“Yeah…I guess you could say that…” said Sweetie Belle, only to be elbowed by Scootaloo.

Trixie lowered her head and pinned her ears, looking miserable all of a sudden. “Now look, it ain’t your fault, yah didn’t know,” said Applebloom, trying to comfort the mare turned filly.

“But Trixie shouldn’t have done it at all…”

“Yeah, yah are probably right, but has Applejack accepted your apology?” asked Applebloom, a little surprised to see Trixie acting this way. She recognized the way the unicorn was holding herself. It was how a foal acted when they expected to be punished for something. The Crusaders were…well acquainted with it, but this seemed like a really strange thing to expect to be punished for.

“…Applejack forgave Trixie, yes…” Trixie replied unsurely. After all, she hadn’t exactly apologized. It hadn’t bothered her before…but now it just felt so wrong that she hadn’t. Something just seemed to click…what was it? She’d been forgiven, so why did she feel like she’d forgotten something?

“Well then its water under the bridge!” said Applebloom, in as serious a tone as a filly could put something. “She forgave yah, so the only thing yah need to do is make sure it don’t happen again, ok?”

Trixie still looked unsure, wanting to listen, but not sure if it was right or not. “…Trixie guesses that makes sense…”

“Good,” said Scootaloo, eager to move on. “Now lets do something fun, ok?”

Trixie looked about as confused as Princess Luna had when confronted with the concept. “Um…Exactly what do foals do for…fun?”

Scootaloo rubbed her head with her hoof, remembering Trixie’s childhood hadn’t included much playtime with other foals. “Let’s see…How about we play a board game? We’ve got a lot of them around here we tried to earn our Cutie Marks with.”

Trixie once more looked uncertain. “Um…sure, that sounds like…fun…”

“Alright, my employees, we’re about to get to work,” said Checker in her normal detached fashion, like a boss speaking to office workers in their cubical instead of hired guns. “And no, it does not involve kidnapping or brute force,” she stated, cutting off Rover as he tried to respond. “We’re doing things my way…you work for me, remember,” she stated, then gave a genuine chuckle, something that scared Rover and his pack mates even more than her cold attitude. “Dig underground and hide near that bin over there,” she said, pointing to the bin containing the pile of the Apple Family’s perfect apples. “When Trixie is as close as possible to the door, open it. That is all you have to do.”

“But how do you-”

“My way, that is all you need to know,” replied Checker in her cold tone and accompanied by an icy glare. “Now go,” she ordered. “Do it, and you‘ll get your paycheck.” As the dogs rushed off, she gave another disturbing chuckle, as if seeing her obey her actually rose a bit of joy under her icy cold exterior. She looked back at her yes stallion. “Helping Hoof, you know you’re expendable, correct? That I could fire you and get another hundred like you as easily as I can breathe, correct?” she asked, in her normal cold tone.

“Yes, Miss Monarch,” replied Helping Hoof, not seeming to find the subject unnerving…on the surface.

“But then again, even if I did, you’d still probably be working for me,” said Checker, her cold personality unchanging, but giving a cruel smirk. “So many ponies work for me and they never know it. I’m a privileged sort that way, you know, and that‘s just how I like it.”

“Yes, Miss Monarch.”

Checker turned away, watching the Apples and their friends on one side, specifically Rainbow Dash, then looking back to the Diamond Dogs.

“There are two types in the world, or so you’re told
The strong who care only for themselves and no other
And the weak who treat everypone like their brother.
But what you won’t find in that saying of old
Is one who is above all the rest,” Checker sung, projecting her chessboard once more, all the pieces moving on their own with their real life counterparts. Her singing was rather like a dance in its pitch and tone, but actually had a bit of passion in it, since she was the subject.

“That is the place to which I do belong
She who controls both the weak and the strong.
The one who is the best of the best,” she continued, watching out events from the side lines.

“It’s something that long ago I realized
Just something I always have possessed
To me the world is my own game of chess
At least it is through my eyes,” sung Checker, looking at her little chessboard as she did so, pieces moving this way and that with their real life counterparts.

“I discovered my talent when I just was a filly
How easy it is to make my puppets dance
I just point the way and away they prance
How do I do it? It’s quite simple really
All it takes is knowing the tricks
Knowing how to twist someone’s heart
Make them think they’ve lost from the start.
Add a little deceit into the mix
Or you can wear just the right disguise
If you hide behind the right mask
Manipulation becomes an easy task
Especially if you see the world through my eyes.” Checker continued, her pace picking up, but keeping the same calm tone as it began with. She was watching Applejack closely, her and Rainbow Dash, analyzing their every movement. Rainbow Dash was running on the treadmill with Big Mac to power the cider maker and Applejack was bucking trees for apples, facing the opposite direction as Rainbow Dash. Checker’s horn glowed and an apple moved a few inches to the right in a basket so that it was lined up just right.

“It’s not very hard, this I promise
Move one little piece just right
And you can start a big fight
And I am the master of this.”

She motioned Helping Hoof to move and check the alignment of the apple from the bushes with a small extending telescope produced from his pocket. He motioned her to the right a little and she adjusted accordingly until he gave her a nod and stealthily returned to her.

“I am the one who guides their fate
If only the strongest will thrive
Then why is it any surprise?
That for me it‘s always check and mate?”

Right as Applejack bucked again, Checker’s horn glowed and Applejack’s front hooves did the same, slipping and causing her to miss. Checker’s magic subtlety guided her hind legs right into the apple, launching it so that it slammed right into Rainbow’s flank, throwing her off balance and making her trip. She fell on the moving treadmill, causing her to be spun around in the treadmill until Pinkie Pie tried pulling the break lever, but it jammed, briefly flashing with Checker’s magic. Rarity ran to help her as she tried to pull the lever.

“If you don‘t know, it‘s time you realized
Nothing is out of my reach
Your life hangs on my speech
That‘s how it is through my eyes
To resist me is so unwise
So just sit back and relax
There‘s no need for your will to tax
Just look at the world…” Checker sung, never changing from the soft, dance like pace she used as she released her magic hold, allowing Pinkie to pull the break at just the right moment, launching Rainbow Dash out of the treadmill and right into Applejack as the Earth Pony ran to help her friend.

“…though my eyes,” finished Checker, giving a cruel, cold smirk.

Rainbow snarled as she stood up, already not in the best of moods from her lack of sleep and Trixie‘s presence in Ponyville. “What’s the big idea nailing me with an apple!” she yelled at AJ.

Applejack gave a growl. “You think I’d do that on purpose?” she replied, looking rather Insulted by the assumption.

Checker looked to her chessboard and moved the pieces for Rainbow and Applejack so they faced each other. She gave it a thoughtful look. “Mate in…six…” she stated, giving a cold glare at the Trixie piece.

Trixie telekinetically moved one of her two remaining checkers and jumped Scootaloo’s last three. “Aww, I lost!” exclaimed Scootaloo, a little disappointed in tone.

Trixie suddenly cringed, as if expecting something bad to happen.

“Good job Trixie, you’re really good!” Sweetie Belle stated, with a bit smile.

“Yeah, way to go, Trixie!” Applebloom added, also giving the blue unicorn a smile.

Trixie blinked, looking up. “Y-You’re not mad Trixie won?” she asked, cocking her head in bewilderment.

Scootaloo blinked, giving the mare turned filly a confused look. “Uh, no…Nopony likes losing, but I’m not gonna get mad just because somepony beat me fair and square!”

Applebloom looked concerned. “Why did yah think we’d be mad?”

Trixie pinned her ears back and lowered her head. “The only pony Trixie has ever played games with was her elder sister, and she was…a sore loser to say the least. The one time Trixie actually won her sister’s favorite game, her sister put a hole in the neighbor’s window.”

The Crusaders cringed. “Baseball?” Scootaloo asked.

Trixie shook her head. “Chess.”

“Wow, sore loser,” Sweetie Belle replied, with wide eyes.

“Well we’re not like that,” Scootaloo said, as reassuringly as she knew how to be. She wasn‘t that good at that kind of thing after all. “You beat me fair and square, good job.”

Trixie gave a small, timid smile. “T-thank you…” she said softly, then looked up. “So…what should we do now?”

“Well we could play another game, or go outside and play,” said Scootaloo, thinking it out.

“What do you want to do, Trixie?” asked Sweetie Belle, the trio looking at her expectantly.

Trixie shifted nervously, swinging one of her legs back and forth uncomfortably, having little to no knowledge of this subject. “Well…i-it is a pretty day outside…”

“Alright, let’s go then,” said Applebloom, leading the way outside.

Rainbow Dash was taking a break while Big Macintosh took over the treadmill for a bit, Checker Monarch watching closely from her hiding place. As the drowsy Pegasus walked over to a tree to try and rest, Applejack doing much the same on the other side, Checker smirked at the opportunity. As they laid down, her horn lit up and she magically shifted the apples off their stems and dropped them on both ponies in mass.

Rainbow growled, popping out of the pile of apples, still cranky from lack of sleep. “Hey! Watch where you’re going, Applejack!” she yelled, glaring at the Earth Pony.

“Ah was! Ah don’t know about you!” AJ yelled back, glaring right back.

Checker gave a cruel smirk as the two argued. “Let’s see, what next?” she asked, looking over everypony and everthing with her analytic eyes. Her eyes fell on Pinkie collecting apples and bringing them to the sorters.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders bounced a ball back and forth between them with headbutts, each seeming to have a good time with it, while Trixie just watched nervously from the sidelines. “Yah want to play, Trixie?” asked Applebloom as she bounced the ball to Scootaloo.

Trixie looked uncertain, swinging her front leg back and forth nervously. “But what if…you know…” she said, pointing to her horn.

“Don’t worry, Twilight put a special spell on this ball so it won’t pop,” said Sweetie Belle, bouncing it to Applebloom, making sure her horn hit it to prove the point. “She gave it to me for my birthday a few months ago.”

“Oh…o-ok,” said Trixie, moving forwards as the group made room for her and began bouncing the ball back and forth once more. Finally, it was sent her way by Applebloom. She closed her eyes and bounced it towards Scootaloo with a grunt, then blinked as the Pegasus bounced it to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle then passed it back to Trixie, who sent it to Applebloom. The third time it was sent to her, by Scootaloo, Trixie actually gave a real, genuine smile. “This is actually kind of fun…” she admitted it. ‘I can’t believe it, I’m actually having fun playing ball with a bunch of foals…is this what I was missing all those times father wouldn’t let me play with the other foals?’

“See! Told yah it was!” said Applebloom, before sending it her way again. “Heads up!”

Trixie happily headbutted it and sent it to Sweetie Belle, smiling brightly.

“Now how in Celestia’s name did this happen?” asked Applejack, looking at the now broken treadmill, scratching her head with her hoof. One of the gears was missing completely, rendering it effectively useless without a replacement. She didn’t notice the disturbed ground next to the machine, as if a hole had been dug and filled in. She gave a very aggravated sigh. “Ah guess we’ll just need to get another gear…Can anythin’ else go wrong today?” she asked, looking over to see Rarity and Pinkie picking up apples from several baskets that‘s bottoms had broken while being carried, and she herself covered in apple cider from a barrel that had sprung a leak while she was carrying it.

Checker coldly pocketed the gear. “Good job Spot, I knew it was an excellent idea to send you,” she said, her tone as if she’d done all the work. She took out a few gems and deposited them in the Diamond Dog’s paw. “Now get back to your place and wait for the time to be right,” she ordered, in her cold, unemotional tone, causing the Diamond Dog to run off. She looked out as Applejack examined the machine, frustrated from Checker’s manipulations, while Rainbow Dash stood nearby sulking from just how things were going before laying down and trying to rest. “Well they look suitably angry…Time to check how our other little pawns are doing,” she said, walking over with Helping Hoof following closely.

She peaked out of the bushes to see Trixie still happily playing ball with the Crusaders. “Aw look, she’s happy…We can’t have that, now can we?”

“No, Miss Monarch…” answered Helping Hoof. “Um…Miss Monarch,” he said, professionally, but with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “It has occurred to me that this course of action may cause considerable losses to the Apple Family, it’s not a one hundred percent certain thing, but it is still a considerable possibility. Not a certain one, they could very well end up fine…but it‘s quite possible they‘ll lose a great deal of money.”

“And?”

“Well, is it really necessary to risk harming some ponies we don’t even know to ruin this mare? I mean clearly, what you say goes, but aren’t there…other options?”

Checker gave him the look of someone consulting someone about a business decision. “And is there a benefit to me if I choose not to make this move? Does pursuing this course of action harm me or my company in any fashion?”

“Well…no, Miss Monarch.”

“Then why should it concern me?” asked Checker callously, turning back to Trixie and the Crusaders. “I have no use for apples, there is no gain to be had by changing my course of action, therefore, I won’t, and that is final,” she stated in an absolutely cold, detached voice, even more than normal. “Understood?”

“…Yes, Miss Monarch.”

Checker turned as the four fillies continued playing with their ball, the mare looking at Trixie’s smiling face like it was some hideous thing that shouldn’t even exist. Her horn flashed as she changed the trajectory of the ball by a few inches, causing it to miss Applebloom and bounce close to the bush. Checker stuck her horn out, keeping the ball between the four fillies and herself to hide her from sight. She touched her glowing horn to the ball carefully, causing it to glow momentarily before she pulled back into the bush as Applebloom ran over.

“Got it!” the Earth Pony filly called as she picked up the ball. She looked down at it and her eyes suddenly seemed to roll over, getting hearts in them.

“Applebloom?” asked Scootaloo, noticing Applebloom had froze up.

“Applebloom, is everything alright?” Trixie asked, she and the others walking over. The moment they looked at the ball, their eyes too rolled over into hearts. They all looked at the ball like it was something they couldn’t live without, like they absolutely had to have it.

“Hey! Let me have it!” called Scootaloo, trying to pull it from Applebloom’s grasp.

“Its mine anyway! I want it back!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, joining in the tugging match.

“No! Trixie wants it!” Trixie yelled, trying to pull it from the others. “Trixie must have it!”

Checker gave another cruel smirk. “Now that they’re under my spell too deep to know what‘s going on…” she said, grabbing the ball with telekinesis and bouncing it from their grasp, all four blindly running after it as she guided it where she wanted it to go. As they got closer, she moved small rocks and tripped the Crusaders one by one, allowing Trixie to move on ahead and finally catch the ball, spinning head over hills with it.

“Trixie got it!” exclaimed Trixie, looking at the ball adoringly.

Rover stuck one of his long arms out of the ground and undid the latch on the bin of perfect apples…which Trixie was right in front of.

Checker gave a cruel smile and concentrated on the ball, shattering her spell.

Trixie groaned as the Want It, Need It Spell was broken. “What…what happened?” she asked, shaking her head in a disorientated fashion, then turned as the door swung open and the apples fell on her in an avalanche, causing her to let out a loud scream.

“That was Trixie!” exclaimed Rarity as the group heard the scream and took off towards it, except Rainbow, who‘d fallen fast asleep.

When they arrived, Applejack looked at the scattered apples in shock and despair. “No…” she said, rushing over and looking over the mess in complete shock. Fixing up the farm road on these apples that were now all over the ground, some obviously would be unusable now from bruising, but she had no idea how many. And the longer they set on the ground, the more likely something might happen to them or worms might get in them or something! She desperately tried to pick them up. “Don’t just stand there! Help me pick ‘em up! Hurry!” she plead to her friends, who instantly took to helping.

Trixie looked in shock as she climbed out of the apples covering her, she didn’t know what happened….But she’d been the only one around and something bad had happened…She looked up at Applejack, seeing how whatever happened must‘ve hurt her…how SHE must‘ve hurt her. She felt her heart sink looking up at the mare. “Applejack…Trixie…I’m-”

“Do yah have any idea what yah did?!” snapped Applejack, causing Trixie to recoil in surprise and fear. “These apples are the only thing that’s gonna help us fix up this farm! These were really important to my family! We needed em to fix up the farm! And yah all might have ruined that!” she yelled in rage, a day’s worth of frustration suddenly erupting to the surface in one moment…then she saw the look on little Trixie’s face. A look of pain and fear, tears welling up in her eyes. Applejack instantly felt like someone stabbed her in the heart, rage cooled by bitter guilt. “Trixie…A-Ah…”

Before Applejack could finish, Trixie ran off in the opposite direction, crying her eyes out.

“Trixie!“ called Applejack, but she could only watch as the poor girl ran off and vanished into some bushes next to the farm. Applejack pinned her ears in guilt and sorrow. “A-Ah…Ah’m sorry…”

Checker gave a cruel, cold smirk as she watched this, then looked to her chessboard. “Mate in…two,” she stated, turning and noticing Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep. “On second thought…make that three…” she said thoughtfully, turning and looking to the Pegasus. She closed her eyes and her horn lit up dark violet. Almost instantly, Rainbow began to contort in fear as slept.

Rainbow Dash stood, looking at her friends, who were all sobbing, sitting on street corners begging for money, looking like homeless mares no better than Trixie had looked when Twilight found her.

“What happened?! W-who did this?!” asked Rainbow, looking at the scene in horror, finding herself in the same fashion as her friends when she looked upon herself. She felt rage, sorrow, and pain fill her mind.

“That would be Trixie,” said Trixie’s voice, almost proudly. Rainbow turned to see Trixie, dressed in fine clothing in an extremely fancy chariot.

“You!” yelled Rainbow Dash, glaring daggers at Trixie.

“Yes, it was Trixie, Rainbow Crash,” said Trixie, giving a chuckle as she opened the door telekinetically, her horn glowing dark violet. Rainbow couldn’t put her hoof on it, but Trixie’s eyes seemed…wrong…just wrong, she just couldn’t describe what it was. “Trixie tricked your friends into giving her everything, well, some of them. Others she just took great satisfaction in ruining in every way she could. You were all so gullible. You really believed all those lies Trixie told to earn your sympathy?” she asked with a cruel laugh. “Pathetic.”

Rainbow looked up at her in anger, staring daggers through her as the mare laughed.

“Now, Trixie has a show to put on, and you’re going to be the star,” said Trixie, giving a cold, sadistic smirk. “Ready for the spotlight, Rainbow Crash?”

Checker opened her eyes as Rainbow sprung awake with a shout a few minutes later and looked around in a panic. Checker turned to Helping Hoof and the returning Diamond Dogs. She shushed them until Rainbow regained her wits and noticed she’d been left behind, then ran off to find the others. “Alright, speak,” Checker said calmly, ignoring the act she just committed as she floated a large pouch of gems out of her pocket and threw them to Rover. “Good job, I knew it was a bright idea to hire you,” she stated, as always sounding more like bragging than praise.

Rover opened the pouch and looked at the gems eagerly, but then looked to Checker with uncertainty. “What you do to pony?” he asked, having seen her do it the night before, but not understanding it. It honestly scared the Diamond Dog for reasons he didn’t know.

“Oh, just a dream infiltration spell used by psychiatrist ponies to better analyze the dreams of their patients. Psychology is a major part of business and manipulation, both of which are my forte, so it falls within my realm of expertise,” explained Checker, not seeming all that interested in it, more like speaking about a trivial note. Rover and the Diamond Dogs all gave her a shocked look, even their simple minds able to understand what she said, but none of them spoke. “Of course unless you’re a licensed therapist, using it at all, let alone on somepony without their permission, is highly illegal, at least it is if you get caught. Not that anypony would believe your word over mine, and of course things would end…messy for you if you did, which is naturally why I‘m telling you this…Now come, let’s go watch the fireworks,” she said, in a plain, uninterested tone as she lead them on.

“…So Ah blew my top and yelled at her,” Applejack explained to Twilight, looking and sounding absolutely guilt ridden. “Ah was just so frustrated Ah lost it…Ah know Trixie wouldn’t do somethin’ like this on purpose…Ah just lost my cool…”

Rainbow scoffed. “Don’t be so sure,” she muttered, knowing no one else still distrusted Trixie like she did. That dream…it seemed off but…it was what she was afraid of, it’d just brought the fear back to the surface. Just like the dream the night before had reopened her old wounds from being bullied in flight school.

“It’s alright, Applejack, I know you’d never hurt Trixie on purpose,” Twilight consoled with a hoof on her friend‘s shoulder, but she still looked worried. Trixie had the personality and emotional state of herself as a filly, Twilight couldn’t imagine what the poor mare was going through right now.

“We don’t know how it happened sis…” said Applebloom, looking just as guilty as her sister. “We were just playin’ ball and then…this happened…” she said, she nor her friends remembering anything after Checker’s spell was put on them until it was broken. The apples had been collected, and only a few were bruised, but it still hurt to know not only had their game hurt her own family, but hurt Trixie as well.

“It’s alright, Applebloom, we’ve still got enough apples for the fair,” said Applejack. Though with the loss of some of the apples, their odds of winning still decreased, but she didn‘t want anypony to be worried by it. “But poor Trixie, the poor mare’s heart must be broken after what Ah said…”

Zecora, having returned with Twilight and Fluttershy to make up the antidote, watched nearby, her saddlebags full of the necessary herbs. “Healing hearts can wait for now, now Trixie must be found,” she said, showing concern. Even if she’d never met Trixie, she was still worried. After all, she was Twilight’s friend; that was good enough for the zebra. “You cannot make up for your outburst, if we do not find her first.”

“Zecora’s right,” said Twilight. “Girls, lets split up and find Trixie!” she called out, then looked to Rainbow. “ALL of us!”

Rainbow growled. “Fine!” she yelled, still angry and bitter. She took off and flew away to search, though not too hard.

Checker kept moving pieces on her chessboard. “Almost done,” she said, looking over as the Diamond Dogs returned. “You found her?” she asked, a tad surprised they could smell Trixie’s scent through their own appalling stench.

The trio gave a nod, though they now watched her more closely, almost fearfully. While they did still want her gems and intended to follow her orders to receive them, they now knew just how dangerous their boss was, how even someone‘s dreams were not safe from her. To a pony, this was a disturbing thought, but at least a unicorn understood how their magic worked and understood all Checker did was misuse her own natural power in a wrong and highly illegal fashion. A disturbing thought, but they at least knew what she did. But to the more simpleminded Diamond Dogs who knew very little of how it actually worked? They had little intention of seeing what else she had in her arsenal, especially seeing it used on them. Checker didn’t seem to mind, in fact, she even seemed to enjoy it. The control their fear gave her over them was something she seemed to relish.

“Good, now let’s make sure my little pawn does too,” the insidious mare said, looking at the Rainbow Dash piece.

Rainbow Dash grumbled as she headed through the woods, it being too thick to look properly from the air. She half wanted to just fly home and get some much needed sleep, give up on Trixie all together, but of course Twilight would just chew her out if she did that. Plus, if she found Trixie first, she could give her a serious piece of her mind, which she fully intended to do. “Stupid Trixie…who does she think she’s got fooled?” she grumbled as she walked. “She probably spilled all those apples on purpose, just to mess up Applejack and her family…Why am I the only one who sees her for the…bully she is!” she exclaimed, letting out her frustration by bucking the air.

Suddenly, she heard a rustling in the woods near her. “Huh?” she asked, approaching, barely missing Spot shaking a tree as the Diamond Dog fled off as quietly as he could. She walked that way until she began to hear something else. “Is someone there?” she muttered, slowly walking forwards and poking her head through some branches, seeing Trixie sitting in a clearing, her back to her. Rainbow growled at the sight of her…then realized something. Trixie didn’t know she was there.

Checker watched from nearby, a cruel grin on her face. “Come on. we know you want to do it. Yell at the little brat so much she runs far, far away from here,” she whispered, looking to her chessboard. “And from any possibility of ever getting back on her hooves.”

Rainbow got a rather disturbing smirk, a nasty thought brewing in her head as she slowly snuck up behind Trixie, her hoofs making little to no noise, a little thing she‘d learned from hanging out with Fluttershy.

Checker got a cruel smirk as she moved the Rainbow Dash piece into position. “Checkmate…”
‘Nows the time to show her. I’ll never let her mess with me, or my friends, again,’ thought Rainbow as she approached, spreading her wings to their full length to appear more threatening…Then, as she got closer, she heard the foal…sniffling? No…sobbing…

Refolding her wings, Dash stood perfectly still, listening closely.

"...I didn't mean to...I'm so sorry...please don't hate me...it was an a-accid-d-dent...please..." The little filly sobbed.

'The hay?' Rainbow Dash studied her target. Trixie was hunched over, and even from behind, Rainbow Dash could tell her eyes were clenched. Trixie had curled inwards into a little ball, and was pretty much crying her eyes out. She let out another sob as her mantra continued.

“I didn’t mean to…I didn’t want to hurt anyone…I just was playing and…”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide in surprise. There was no one around, or at least it was clear Trixie didn’t think there was. She was all alone…and she was crying her eyes out over what she’d done on accident…And Rainbow had been about to give her hay for something that’d happened months ago and something she was afraid might happen in the future. “Man, what was I doing?” she whispered as she realized something that shook her to her core. Images of a little rainbow haired Pegasus curled up on the crowd crying her eyes out with her hooves over her ears in Flight School as she was mocked by the entire class filled her mind, followed by the image of a little blue unicorn doing the exact same as the same pegasus yelled her head off at her for something everyone except her tormentor was smart enough to forgive and move on from.

Rainbow Dash shook that image away as her expression changed to one of concern and she set down next to the filly. “Trixie, are you ok?” she asked in a genuinely concerned tone.

Trixie jumped at the sound of Rainbow‘s voice, eyes wide in fear before she recognized Rainbow. “Oh…it’s…i-it’s you,” she said, looking up at Rainbow Dash shamefully, ears pinned. “I’m …I’m so sorry about the apples! It was an accident!” the little filly exclaimed in a panic, then looked down, with that ‘I’m about to be punished’ look. “I just…I just didn’t want you all to hate me…not again…” she said, lowering her head and looking like she was about to cry again.

Rainbow looked down at the filly, at a loss of what to say. She wasn’t used to these kinds of situations, it was Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie’s thing. What was she supposed to do? “You’re really sorry?” she asked after a few seconds, looking down at the filly.

Trixie nodded, looking up at her, tears streaming down her face.

“…Well…I guess it didn’t cause too much trouble…and it WAS an accident…” said Rainbow Dash, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof, not believing she was saying it after all this. But she couldn’t believe how closed she’d come to something she knew she’d have regretted. She was just glad she’d snapped out of it before it was too late. “I forgive you…I guess…”

Trixie looked shocked. “You…you do?”

Rainbow Dash gave her a little smile and put her wing on her back to comfort her. “Yeah, yeah, now come on, let’s go get you cleaned up…I don’t like seeing foals cry…too many bad memories from flight school…” she said, leading the way.

Checker looked on at the scene in utter shock for a few seconds before she smacked the Rainbow Dash chess piece with her hoof and sent it flying into a tree where it shattered into magic dust, the only sign of her anger being a small growl.

“Pony’s plan fail,” Spot whispered to his pack mates.

Checker suddenly spun around, giving the Diamond Dog a glare that made his heart skip a beat from terror. “MY plan didn’t fail. MY plans NEVER fail.…SHE… SHE just should’ve hated Trixie more! And call me BOSS or Miss Monarch, not pony!” the mare snarled before regaining her composure again and recollecting her chessboard with her normal cold, detached look on her face, the only inclination she‘d been angry at all was her hair having been slightly messed up. “Let’s go, it’s time for Plan B.”

The group reassembled back at the farm, Rainbow still not back. “I couldn’t find Trixie anywhere,” Fluttershy said, worry clear in her tone and voice.

Rarity sighed sadly. “I couldn’t either…” she said, looking around. Applejack looked the most upset of them all, she understood why and put a hoof on her back.

Zecora shook her head. “I looked high and low, but Trixie was nowhere I did go.”

Twilight paced. “She has to be somewhere, she’s in the body of a filly, where could she have gone?” she asked, looking around worriedly for any sign of her.

“Hey girls!” called Rainbow Dash’s voice, getting everyone’s attention as the rainbow maned Pegasus touched down. “Looking for somepony?” she asked, turning to reveal Trixie riding on her back.

“Trixie!” exclaimed everypony as they ran over, exclaiming their relieved comments at finding her safe and sound.

Applejack looked to Trixie, guilt clear on her face. “Look…Ah feel just plain awful for what Ah said…It wasn’t right…” she said, taking off her hat and putting it over her chest as she looked down in remorsed. “Ah’m sorry…Can yah forgive me?”

Trixie looked surprised by this but then slowly nodded. “…O-of course…I‘m really sorry I messed up like that, it was my fault…”

Applejack nodded, giving a small smile. “Ah‘ve already forgiven yah, sugercube, accidents happen all the time,” she said, putting a hoof on the little filly’s shoulder.

Twilight looked in shock at Rainbow Dash, who didn’t seem to mind Trixie’s prescience anymore. “Rainbow…What happened?”

Rainbow looked to Twilight, trying to look nonchalant. “Oh, nothing much. I just found her in the woods over there.”

Twilight didn‘t buy it for a second. “Should I get Spike?”

“…Later, ok?” asked Rainbow in a low voice, but gave a small smile.

Twilight smiled back, glad Rainbow had a change of heart. She gave a nod, then looked to Trixie. “Trixie, this is my friend Zecora, she’s got the antidote to the Poison Joke ready to go,” she introduced, though she was a little uncertain of how Trixie would react to the Zebra.

Trixie looked up at Zecora. “Habari, bibi.”

Zecora gave a surprised gasp, but then smiled warmly. “Habari, bibi,” she replied, politely.

The group just blinked as they looked at the scene. “Ok…what just happened?” asked Rainbow, giving the two a confused look.

“Trixie’s magic instructor as a filly was a Zebra, he taught her illusionary tricks with simple herbal dust, he also taught Trixie that phrase. It simply means ‘hello, madam’ in their language,” Trixie explained, looking to Zecora.

Zecora nodded. “And it does my heart good to hear, a greeting from my homeland dear,” she replied, rather happy. “Now, mare who has been made young again, are you ready for your healing to begin?”

Trixie was about to answer…then looked to the Crusaders. “Um…Could Trixie maybe stay a filly just a little bit longer?…Please?”

Twilight watched Trixie and the Cutie Mark Crusaders playing ball once again, Zecora waiting nearby until Trixie was ready to return to her true age. After the last accident, it was decided a watch would be helpful. Strangely, all the problems they’d faced all day seemed to have been resolved, though she‘d been absent for most of them. Twilight smiled, glad to see Trixie having fun for a change, she looked so happy. Twilight turned and got back to work as the four continued their game.

“Now hold still, this will only take a moment, Applejack!”

“Rarity, watch what yah all are doin’ with my mane!”

“Just a little more!”

A few seconds later, Rarity turned Applejack in front a full length mirror. Her mane had simply been cut a little bit around the ends and a few split ends clipped here and there. Applejack was rather surprised how different she looked with her mane out of its normal ponytail, allowed to hang straight down. She didn’t really like it all that much, it didn’t look like her. “Ah don’t know, Ah don’t really look like…me…”

Fluttershy, standing nearby, gave a small nod. “Um…its really pretty…but I think whatever Applejack thinks…”

Rarity nodded as she looked at her friend’s look. “Yes, I see what you mean…” she said, giving it deep thought. “Ah, lets try this, shall we?” she asked, and went to work again. Applejack’s hair was soon up in a bun behind her head, though perfectly arranged. “Better?”

Applejack gave herself a look in the mirror. “Well…Ah guess Ah could wear this to the fair. Still ain‘t me, but it ain‘t that bad.”

Rarity nodded. “Alright, how about we head over to the spa?”

Applejack blinked, giving Rarity a confused look. “Say what now?”

“To the spa, Fluttershy and I go every week, which is why she’s here now, so I thought taking you along would be a good idea. Mainly for your hooves and fur, make sure you look presentable in Canterlot.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “And just what does that mean? Yah sayin‘ there‘s somethin‘ wrong with how Ah look?”

Rarity sighed, and was about to explain when the door flew open, and Pinkie Pie…vibrated in. Her entire body was vibrating like crazy to the point she was kind of bouncing around. “P-Pinkie Pie? Whatever is going on?”

“Hi Rarity! My Pinkie Sense is going crazy again!” announced Pinkie, not stopping her vibrating at all, her voice oscillating with it.

“Oh no, not another doozy!” exclaimed Applejack, looking surprised.

“Yeah! That’s it! And whatever it is happening here!” Pinkie replied, vibrating around the three mares.

“Another?” asked Rarity, looking surprised. She then gasped. “This has happened before? What does it mean? What’s going to happen to my beautiful boutique, Applejack?!” the white unicorn pleaded, hooves on Applejack’s shoulders as she went into her typical Rarity hysterics.

“Well…last time we ran into a Hydra…”

“A Hydra?! A Hydra is going to attack my shop?!”

“What?! No, it ain-”

“Then what is it?! Parasprites?! A cockatrice?! A Dragon?! Who isn’t Spike?!”

“DRAGON?!” screamed Fluttershy in terror before she zipped under a nearby table and cowered, peaking out fearfully.

“Now calm down Rarity!” stated Applejack, putting her hooves on Rarity’s shoulders and making her look her in the eye. “Now listen, last time the Hydra wasn’t the doozy, it was after that when Twilight admitted she’d been wrong bout Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense,” the orange Earth Pony explained. “Now we still don’t quite understand what it means, but it ain’t anythin’ like yah think it is. If it was, she’d have been doin’ it when Discord and Nightmare Moon showed up, wouldn’t she?”

“Well…I suppose…but if it’s nothing to worry about, then why is Fluttershy cowering?” Rarity asked, pointing to Fluttershy, who was still hiding under the table, only her eyes visible as she peaked out fearfully.

“Cause yah all said dragons, and she‘s terrified of ‘em,” Applejack replied. “Now calm down and lets just think about this,” she said, turning back to the vibrating Pinkie Pie. “Yah alright, Pinkie?”

Pinkie nodded, despite her vibrating. “Yeah! It makes my voice sound silly! This is so fun!”

At that moment, Trixie, back to her normal self, let herself in and blinked at the sight before her. Applejack with had her hair done up like she was going to some fancy party and a mildly hysteric Rarity observing a vibrating Pinkie Pie while Fluttershy cowered under a table. Trixie responded by giving a raised eyebrow. “Is Trixie interrupting anything?”

The group looked at her and blinked, before realizing how strange it must’ve looked. “No, nothin‘ at all, Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense is just goin’ off and we‘re tryin‘ to figure out what‘s goin‘ on.”

Trixie once more rose an eyebrow. “Pinkie Sense?”

“Uh…it’s kind of complicated, sugercube, but Pinkie gets these weird feelin’s that predict things. Like if her tail twitches, somethin’ bout to fall,” Applejack explained. “Normally on somepony’s head.”

Trixie blinked. “But that makes no sense.”

“Yeah, but Twilight believes it…after tryin’ for a day to figure out how it worked and afterwards not knowin’ any more bout it than she started.”

“But we all believe it, and right now, Pinkie is predicting a doozy of something is about to happen right here!” explained a still mildly hysteric Rarity. “Please don’t let it be something bad! Not with all my beautiful dresses all ready for shipping! That’d be the! Worst! Possible! Thing!” she exclaimed, with her typical overly dramatic posing.

Trixie gave a sigh, deciding it’d be less of a headache to just accept Pinkie’s weirdness and move on. “Regardless, Trixie is here simply to check and make sure everything is alright after her…unfortunate mishap with the sewing machine.”

Rarity looked back, giving a sympathetic look. “Everything is fine, Trixie, no need to worry,” she stated, giving a small smile. “That’s just water under the bridge now, darling.”

Trixie gave a small smile. “…Alright, Trixie was merely checking in…” she said, but something felt…strange…why? She’d actually felt strange since she’d returned to her adult self, but wasn’t sure why…Then it hit her…Rainbow Dash’s sudden change of heart. At the time, as a little emotionally delicate filly, she’d been more relieved…now she was confused, even more than before. Come to think about it, Rainbow Dash had been a perplexity since they’d met, and the only one who’d acted as Trixie thought they would…something was off.

“…Why was Rainbow so angry with Trixie? Trixie knows she hurt you all, that’s something she’s seen…but why did Rainbow take it so hard? Normally Trixie wouldn‘t think much of it, but her being the only one of you that feels that way? There must be a reason for it.”

“It might be…well, Rainbow was bullied a lot at Flight School, so was I, and she always stood up for me,” explained Fluttershy, crawling out fully from her hiding spot, memories of ‘Fluttershy can hardly fly’ chants flashing in her mind briefly and causing her to whimper lightly before she shook it off. “So I guess you just opened some old wounds…”

Trixie lowered her head, ears pinning as the full weight of that hit her, the realization of how painful her misdeed must‘ve been to Rainbow Dash. “That would explain it…Trixie should’ve known better, Trixie was bullied as a filly, she knows what it‘s like…and she became one she supposes…” she said to herself, then gave it a good deal of that. It’d actually felt good to apologize earlier to Applejack, it’d took a huge weight off of the unicorn. And she did know exactly how Rainbow Dash must feel, having been bullied herself…Trixie finally sighed at realizing what she had to do to make this right. “All that Trixie can do is go set things right…Trixie must go and make up with Rainbow Dash,” she announced, in a slightly over the top and hammy fashion. “It’s the only thing to be done.”

This was greeted by a group jaw drop that Trixie, ADULT Trixie had decided, completely of her own accord to actually swallow her pride and apologize…and then Pinkie Pie launched into the air, doing a series of convulsions, before landing with a blink as the vibrating ceased. She then giggled. “Oh, so THAT was the doozy!”

Applejack face hoofed while the frustrated Rarity did an overdramatic faint onto a couch she pulled over telekinetically.

Trixie blinked. “…Huh, she does faint just like Trixie does…Is it really THAT surprising?”

Applejack rubbed her head. “Kinda. Feelin’ guilty? No surprise, but swallowin’ your pride and decidin’ to apologize? We ain’t seen yah do that before, not as your grown up self anyway, no offense.”

“None taken…Trixie understands…” she replied, realizing that she rarely if ever apologized for anything as an adult, the only time she’d done so yet was to her grandmother, and she was the only one aware of that. Of course it was surprising. Now that she thought about it, it even surprised Trixie she‘d decided it.

Fluttershy nodded, then gasped as something popped into her head. “Oh, don’t tell Rainbow I told you! She’ll be so angry if she finds out!” she stated, realizing she’d let a secret of Rainbow’s slip.

Trixie nodded. “Trixie understands…let Trixie guess, Pinkie Pie Swear?” she asked, getting a nod. Trixie sighed. “Alright, cross Trixie’s heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in her-AHHHH!”

Rainbow Dash laid on her back in her house, finally able to concentrate enough to read her book after having gotten herself a good nap earlier in the day…when there was a knock on her door…or as close to a knock as one could make with a cloud door. Rainbow growled and put her book down. “Man, just when I get to the good part…” she muttered, walking to the door and opened it, expecting Fluttershy or some other Ponyville pegasi. She was more than a little surprised by who was actually there. “T-Trixie?! How did you get up here?!” she asked, wide eyed at the sight of the unicorn. Standing at her cloud doorstep. About a hundred or so feet in the air.

“Twilight put a cloud walking spell on Trixie at her request, said she didn’t trust Trixie with the wings spell after some incident with Rarity involving that spell. Then Pinkie gave Trixie a ride up here on some crazy contraption of hers,” Trixie explained, looking a little surprised about that herself.

“Hi Rainbow Dash!” called Pinkie Pie, on a peddled powered helicopter/balloon/bicycle machine of some sort as she waved from outside. Rainbow Dash just waved back, used to this by now.

“May Trixie come in?”

Rainbow blinked, then shook it off. “Uh…sure, come in.”

Once the door was closed, Trixie turned to Rainbow Dash and looked serious. “Trixie is not good at this kind of thing, nor is she an emotionally delicate filly that does this constantly at the moment, not that she didn’t mean it when she said it before, so forgive her if she doesn’t do this right…Trixie knows she tied you up with your own rainbow…and shocked you with lightning… and publicly humiliated you…and publicly humiliated two of your best friends…in front of the entire town…”

“Then bragged about it.”
“Yes…there was much bragging involved…What Trixie is trying to say is…Trixie is sorry,” Trixie said, her voice truly genuine as she looked down with her ears pinned.

Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped nearly to the floor. It’d been crazy enough hearing Filly Trixie apologize, but ADULT Trixie? That was just completely out of left field. “Y-you’re sorry?!”

Trixie nodded, looking down in shame. “Trixie was wrong to do that and she apologizes. If Trixie is going to move on with her life, Trixie should start with a clean slate…Anyway, Trixie wanted to apologize to you because it seems you were hurt worse than the others were…”

Rainbow looked nervous and rubbed her head. “What gave you that idea?”

“Do you think Trixie is really that naïve, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow sighed. “Alright, I may have been a little sensitive…It’s just…”

“Bully troubles?”

Rainbow’s eyes went wide. “Who told you that?” she asked, almost evasively.

Trixie slowly looked over to the window with only her eyes, seeing Pinkie Pie glaring back at her and mouthing “FOREVER”.

“Lucky guess…”

Rainbow Dash rose her eyebrow. “Really?”

“A Pinkie Promise is involved!”

Rainbow Dash nodded understandingly, knowing a Pinkie Promise was not to be trifled with. “Ok, I won’t ask…” she said, then gave a sigh. “Yeah, I got bullied back in flight school…a lot. I was great at flying…not so much at landings…You’re going to laugh, aren’t you?”

Trixie shook her head, looking sympathetic. “No…Trixie understands; as talented and spectacular as she was even as a filly…she still had magic fireworks explode in her face…multiple times, after which her elder sister mocked her until Trixie’s eyebrows grew back…she mocked Trixie for a lot of things. Even though Trixie loves her, it didn‘t change how much her teasing hurt…Trixie really hurt you, didn’t she?”

Rainbow sighed, realizing there was no point evading it now. “Yeah…I guess you just reopened old wounds I really hoped would stay closed…”

Trixie nodded, sitting down next to Rainbow Dash. “Well Trixie is sorry…she doesn’t know what more she can say than that…“ she replied sincerely, then looked thoughtful. “Rainbow Dash…you had the chance to get revenge on Trixie today, but you didn‘t take it…Why?”

Rainbow Dash looked a little surprised, then looked down. “You were just a little filly crying your eyes out. I might not be a sap for the emotional junk, but…seeing you like that and me about to make it worse made me realize I would be no better than the bullies who picked on me if I kicked you while you were down like I was planning to…And I knew that if you were that upset from an accident, you couldn’t be as bad as I thought…”

Trixie listened carefully and nodded. “…The idea of losing her new…friends frightened Trixie a great deal, even now it does a bit…Thank you, Rainbow Dash…Trixie is glad you had a change of heart…So will you forgive Trixie for what she did to you?”

Rainbow looked up at her. “Can you forgive me for being the pain in the flank I’ve been to you?” she asked, Trixie gave a nod. “Then we’re good.”

Trixie and Rainbow both nodded and smiled. Trixie’s eye then wandered over to the book Rainbow had left. “Daring Do,” she stated. “My, Trixie wouldn’t have pegged you to be a book lover…But you have good taste.”

Rainbow blinked. “Huh? You read Daring Do?”

Trixie smiled. “Doesn‘t everyone? They‘re one of the most popular series out there. And what kind of storyteller would Trixie be if she didn’t keep up on the newest things?…Alright, Trixie just started the first one this evening at Twilight’s request, she couldn’t put it down. Trixie especially loves the research the author put into it,” she stated. “Did you know that Ahuizotl is an actual mythological beast?”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “I did not know that…”

“And the author got the design quite accurate, the tail is a defining trait of the creature,” Trixie said. “Which book are you on?”

“The fifth one.”

“My, a dedicated reader are we? Trixie is only on the first book, but she has read the entire Harry Totter series in one setting, you’d probably enjoy them.”

“Really? What are they about?”

‘Dear Princess Celestia;
Today I learned a pretty important lesson. If you let old grudges get the better of you, it can cause everypony more trouble than it’s worth and make you into something you don‘t want to be. Ponies can change and if you can’t see that, you might miss out on making a really cool friend. It’s better to learn from the past than live in it.

Your’s truly, Rainbow Dash’

Applejack sighed, finally relaxing after the hard day. And it had been a HARD day, what with everything breaking down and all that, but things finally cleared up and it looked like they’d have more than enough cider for everypony in town. She peaked into the living room, Granny Smith in her rocking chair, Big Macintosh relaxing. Applebloom was upstairs doing homework. It was pretty quiet…until a knock sounded at the front door.

Applejack opened the door. “…Trixie?”

“Hello, Applejack,” said Trixie, looking to the farming pony. “Um…this shall sound strange, but…may Trixie speak with your grandmother for a second?”

Applejack blinked. “Uh…sure, Ah don’t see why not…Granny Smith’s in the livin’ room,” she replied, not sure why Trixie wanted to speak with her grandmother. Applebloom had been kind of quiet since they’d gotten the crisis all settled, so she didn‘t know what Trixie and the CMC had spoken about.

Trixie nodded, heading into the living room. Big Macintosh gave her a stern glare. Trixie looked up at the huge stallion. “Trixie knows what she did to your little sister, Big Macintosh. She’s sorry, it was the wrong thing for her to do…now she has something to say to Granny Smith…it’s important…” she said, sincerely. “May she speak with her? Please?”

Big Macintosh blinked, then gave a slow nod. He didn’t see anything to make him think she was lying. “…Eeyup…” he replied, slowly moving out of the way, but kept a close eye on her.

Trixie slowly approached Granny Smith, despite being an adult, she was still a little nervous. “Um…Granny Smith?”

Granny Smith startled. “Huh? Who’s there?!” she asked, looking around before noticing Trixie. “Who are yah? Ah ain’t seen yah here before…”

“Trixie…” said Trixie, then realized that using her normal third person speech would likely confuse an old mare. “My name is Trixie…I have something I need to say to you, it’s important…” she said, looking serious.

“Well, what is it?”

“…You were the one who discovered the Zap Apples and caused Ponyville to be founded, correct?”

Granny Smith gave a surprised look, then smiled nostalgically. “Yeah, that was me…That was a looooooong time ago though, back when Ah was a youngin‘…”

Trixie nodded. “Yes, it was…Granny Smith…That story of what you did…it inspired me to do a magic act when I was a filly…The one that earned me my Cutie Mark,” Trixie explained. “…And for that…I thank you.”

Big Macintosh and Applejack’s jaws both dropped in surprise.

Granny Smith gave a smile. “Trixie is it? Well…Ah can’t take credit for that, findin’ yer Cutie Mark is somethin’ special. No pony can take credit for yer Cutie Mark but yerself…But yer welcome, not a lot of ponies thank me for what Ah did anymore other than the youngins…Yah made this old mare happy.”

Trixie gave a small smile. “I understand…” Trixie stated. “But still, I…Granny Smith?…She’s asleep, isn’t she?”

Granny Smith had indeed fallen sleep in her chair and snored.

“Yeah…but don’t worry none, yah didn’t bore her or nothin’, just how she is,” Applejack said, as Big Macintosh took Granny Smith upstairs. AJ then looked to Trixie. “Yah really meant all that? Granny Smith foundin’ Ponyville is what earned yah your Cutie Mark?”

Trixie nodded. “Correct…Trixie just didn’t know it until today…Trixie must admit…that was one of the brightest moments of her youth, it only seemed right to thank the one who made it possible. Trixie knows your grandmother founding Ponyville was important, but…”

“Yah don’t need to explain it, sugercube…” she said, putting a hoof on Trixie should with a warm smile. “Ah understand how much it must’ve meant to earn your Cutie Mark and all…”

Trixie gave a small, almost sad smile. “Yes, thank you, Applejack…it really is getting late, Trixie should be returning to the library, goodnight, Applejack.”

As Trixie walked home from Sweet Apple Acres, taking care to be seen as little as she possibly could be, she still didn’t know if the townsponies would accept her, considering some would likely blame her for the Ursa, she thought back to the day she earned her Cutie Mark…

Trixie walked home with her father and sister, keeping her father in the middle. Trixie had a bronze third place trophy on her back, carrying it relatively proudly. Top three was respectable, and after all, she had earned her Cutie Mark in the process. Why wouldn’t she be proud of herself? “You did well, Trixie,” said her father, looking down at her out of the corner of his eye. “You’ve discovered your special talent…but it needs work, third place means two ponies are above you, and you must never settle for just that, understood?”

Trixie nodded, respectfully, but frowned slightly, not seeing any smile on her father’s face.
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Trixie put the trophy in a cabinet in her relatively nice bedroom. She had few things outside her necessities, her sister had far more. Their father made them work and earn everything they had outside of the necessities, and earning it wasn’t easy. The cabinet was a very recent edition given to her for simply seeking to enter the contest, meant to encourage doing well to fill it.

“Well well, aren’t you proud of yourself,” said her sister’s voice.

Trixie turned to face her sister. “Why shouldn’t I be? I got my Cutie Mark and third place in the contest!” she exclaimed in excitement.

Her sister gave a small, seemingly sympathetic smile. “Yes, you did,” she said, then frowned. “I only wish father was as proud.”

Trixie’s smile became a frown. “What do you mean?”

Her sister gave a sigh, walking over. “I heard him talking with one of his friends, eavesdropping spell, always handy…He said he’s ashamed to have a daughter come in third. Third place is no place after all, you might as well have come in last. His words, not mine of course.”

Trixie looked like someone had stabbed her in the heart. “W-what?”

“That’s what he said…Oh, Trixie, don’t you remember? Father won’t accept anything but perfection. And third is far from perfect.”

Trixie looked like she was going to cry. “B-but…but he said he-”

“Of course he did, because he doesn’t want you to feel bad by letting you know he‘s ashamed of you.”

“T-then why are you telling me?”

She looked sympathetic, coming over to her sister. “Because, I’m your big sister. I just want you to do the best. It’s better you know, so in the future you can do better and really impress father,” she said, giving her sister a hug, then turning and heading to the door. “Oh, and I wouldn’t bring it up to father. After all, he’ll just cover up the lie again.”

As her sister left, Trixie slowly sunk to a sitting position, breaking down in tears as she did.

Trixie let tears flow as she walked, then shook it off and wiped them away. “I don’t care…I earned my Cutie Mark that day…What father or anyone else thinks is irrelevant,” she said, wiping her tears away. “Besides, I’m a brand new mare…it’s time I moved on with my life…” she said, looking back at Sweet Apple Acres, then ahead to Ponyville, giving a small smile. She trotted on towards the library.

Checker Monarch stood on a hill and looked over Ponyville with a sadistic smirk forming on her face. “Your ‘friends’ may have forgiven you, Trixie…But what about the rest of Ponyville? Will they be as forgiving?” she stated, thinking back. “I’ve always been good at turning your triumphs into failures, haven’t I?”

The young Checker stood in front of her father’s living room, listening in with her eavesdropping spell. “And she earned her Cutie Mark on top of it! Outstanding, wouldn’t you say?” asked her father’s voice.

“Certainly, Centurion, certainly. Checker hasn’t even earned hers yet, has she?” answered a stallion’s voice.

“Not yet, I’m certain she will soon, after all, she‘s not going to let her sister outdo her, it‘s not her nature,” said Centurion’s in response. “I’m so proud of Trixie, but you mustn’t allow your child to become too proud. Pride can easily become hubris, and nopony wants that. But still, I’m sure she’s destined for great things!”

Checker snarled in rage, turning around and walking away.
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“…Oh, and I wouldn’t bring it up to father. After all, he’ll just cover it up with a lie again,” Checker finished as she walked out of the room, hearing her sister begin to cry and giving a cruel smirk. “No one upstages me and gets away with it, Trixie,” she whispered as a light flashed on her flank and her Cutie Mark appeared.

Checker smirked, looking back at her Cutie Mark. She then slowly headed towards town to begin her plan.

Chapter 8: Clean Slate

Twilight smiled, putting books back on their shelves. “A little peace and quiet is always nice,” she said, smiling lightly. “I’m all for friendship, but everypony needs their alone time,” she continued, sliding the last book back into it’s place. She wondered when Spike and Trixie would be back from their errands. She expected Spike would be back first, since Trixie had another stop at Sweet Apple Acres and taking Rainbow’s letter wouldn’t take that long.

She heard the door swing open and loud, echoing hoof steps. She recognized the distinctive sound of more high class horseshoes hitting the floor, shoes none of her friends wore, she‘d only heard them in Canterlot.

“Oh, hello there,” the purple mare said, then actually saw her guest. The cold, calculating eyes staring back sent a chill down her spine. “W-welcome to the library.”

The mare’s eyes practically searched her. Twilight didn’t like it one bit, it made her feel like a manuscript being read for errors. And that wasn’t as fun an experience as it sounded. “Um…I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

The unicorn’s cold eyes met her own, making her begin to sweat as she looked back nervously. She felt like she was being silently judged for something, and the mare’s eyes just made her feel completely uneasy.

“I’m sure it’s a pleasure. I’m looking for a book, ‘Technology of Equestria; A Brief History’. Do you have it?”

Twilight nodded, but barely avoided cringing at some quality in her voice. No, not something in her voice, something that wasn‘t in it, but she couldn‘t tell what it was. “Y-yes, right this way,” she said, leading the way upstairs, glad to break eye contact with her intimidating visitor. She looked around the room carefully for the book in question. “Ah, here it is,” the purple unicorn said, pulling the book from the shelf and turning, finding her visitor’s analytic eyes scanning the room, resting on a section briefly, then moving to the next. It reminded Twilight of a camera taking photos.

The blue mare finally turned to Twilight and her horn glowed a deep violet as she floated the book over to herself. The mare leafed through the book and found a page, then scanned it and it’s neighboring page with the same exact precision she had the room. “Ah, there we are,” she said, then floated the book over to Twilight. “Just needed to clarify something.”

Twilight nodded, finding herself desperately trying to avoid eye contact as she took the book back and placed it back in it’s proper place.

The purple unicorn turned to find the mare watching her with those analytic eyes. “W-will that be all?”

“Yes,” the visitor answered. “Goodbye, have a nice night,” she said, turning and walking out.

“G-goodbye…” Twilight answered, watching her leave. She heard her stop in the main room for a second, then the door slam shut.

Twilight exhaled loudly. “Who was that?” she asked, giving a shudder.

“So you earned your Cutie Mark because of how Granny Smith helped found Ponyville?” asked Twilight, looking rather surprised as she and Trixie set in the library before bed. She was glad to have Trixie and Spike back so she could get her mind off that intimidating mare from before.

Trixie nodded in response, but looked preoccupied. “Trixie was quite surprised about it herself, Twilight,” the mare reported. “Trixie means who could’ve imagined such a thing? Trixie having a connection with the town where she became a laughing stock, not to mention one of those she publicly humiliated.”

Twilight gave a thoughtful look, thinking long and hard about what was said. “…Hey, could you tell me your Cutie Mark story?”

Trixie blinked in surprise. “T-Trixie’s Cutie Mark story?” she asked. “Well, Trixie supposes she could,” she said, showing a little bit of her natural pride at being the center of attention. She wasn’t a stage fright stricken filly anymore.

“Miss Monarch,” said Helping Hoof, climbing back up the hill over Ponyville to his boss. “I’ve got the addresses you wanted,” he reported, handing the list to her via telekinesis.

Checker took them with her own telekinesis and looked them over with her ever analytic eyes. Her mane was still messed up slightly, but over all her composure was normal. “Yes, these will do,” she said simply, pocketing them. “Now, come, I want to know what Trixie’s plans for tomorrow are.”

“Pony rich,” said Rover, looking fearfully up at his boss. “Why pony no use money to ruin other pony‘s life?” He was beginning to think he and his pack mates had gotten in over their heads. Unfortunately, he was also beginning to think Checker meant every word she‘d said before about what she‘d do if they crossed her.

Checker scoffed. “You semi-sentient brute, you don‘t know the first thing about running a business, do you? Ruining Trixie is something I thoroughly want to do, but it’s not worth the time and money to do some ‘business negotiations’ to do it. Doing it like this, the only money I lose is the gems I throw at you three nitwits, and I’ve got plenty more where they came from. Doing this to Trixie is more of a hobby really, I’ve been doing it since we were kids, it’s how I earned my Cutie Mark,” she said, talking about it like it actually was a hobby, sending a chill down the Diamond Dog‘s spines. “I’ll only put real money into it if I can get some money out of it, then it’s just a bonus.”

After the story was finished and Trixie ended her illusionary presentation, more than one thing seemed familiar about Trixie’s story to Twilight…but one in particular stood out. “Wait, so you were inspired by the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot when you were a little filly?” asked Twilight, eyes wide as the realization hit her

Trixie nodded. “Yes, it was the inspiration for Trixie to pursue stage magic,” the mare replied, looking at Twilight with surprise. “What’s wrong?”

“Spike, get me my ‘Special Events In Equestria: Dates, Places, and Times’ book please,” Twilight requested, a slight urgency to her voice.

Spike nodded and headed to find the book as Trixie gave a blink. “Is there any occasion you don’t have a book for, Twilight Sparkle?” she asked, giving Twilight a surprised look.

“If there is, I haven‘t come across it.”

“Here you go, Twilight,” said Spike, handing Twilight the book, which was bigger than he was.

Twilight flipped through the book to the Summer Sun Celebration‘s section and scanned it quickly. She then gasped. “It’s just as I thought.”

Trixie came over and looked at it with a blink. “What is it, Twilight?”

“Trixie, where the Summer Sun Celebration is held changes every year in a cycle. It was only held in Canterlot once during our foal hoods!”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“Trixie, I was inspired to go into magic when I went to the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot as a filly!”

Trixie gasped in shock, checking the book, then looking at Twilight. Then back to the book and back to Twilight about three times in rapid succession. It took her a few moments to get her composure back. “T-Twilight…I have a connection to you and Applejack…It’s unbelievable…”

Twilight couldn’t help giving a small chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s not nearly as unbelievable as you think,” Twilight replied, trotting over to a shelf filled with scrolls. She pulled out a scroll and opened it. “’Friendship Lesson 23: Today I learned something amazing! Everypony everywhere has a special magical connection with her friends, maybe even before she’s met them. If you’re feeling lonely and you’re searching for your true friends, just look up in the sky. Who knows, maybe you and your future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow.’”

Trixie gave a gag. “That is one of the most cheesy things Trixie has ever heard…”

Spike chuckled. “That’s what I said!”

Trixie then blinked as she actually thought about it. “So you’re saying Trixie may have had a special connection to you six because we were destined to be friends one day?”

Twilight nodded. “Well, sort of. Destiny might be too strong a word, but I think it’s easier to connect to someone if you’ve got a preexisting connection in your past,” she explained, giving a smile. “Rainbow Dash is the only Pegasus to ever perform the Sonic Rainboom, that’s how she earned her Cutie Mark. But when she did that, the shockwaves triggered the events that caused me, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie to all earn our Cutie Marks at the same time.”

“And led Twilight to hatch me,” Spike chimed in.

Twilight smiled and nodded to Spike. “Ours was probably a very special case because…well…”

“You six were destined to wield the Elements of Harmony, defeat Nightmare Moon, and save Equestria from nighttime eternal?”

Twilight blushed slightly. “Yeah, there’s that…But the point is, it’s not impossible for a group of friends to share a connection like we do. It just means we’ve got a common background that binds us together.”

Trixie gave a small smile. “Yes…Trixie supposes we do…”

Checker snuck up on the library. “Alright, be quiet, I need silence, eavesdropping spells require it,” she stated, concentrating, her horn glowing its dark violet as the words on the other side of the wall she was standing on became clear to her mind.

“Regardless, Trixie is rather happy to have finally made amends with Rainbow Dash…” said Trixie, smiling, but then gave a sad, unsure look.

Twilight quickly returned a concerned gaze to the unicorn mare. “Trixie, what’s wrong? You‘ve looked pretty distracted this whole time.”

Trixie sighed. “Twilight, Trixie is sure you’ve probably thought of it already,” she stated. “The townsponies…”

Twilight nodded grimly in response. “I have…Which is why I’ve tried to keep you from being seen as much as possible…”

Trixie nodded. “Trixie knows that they may not all be as forgiving as you are, but Trixie realized something today. If she is going to get back on her hooves, then she’d best wipe the slate clean. After all, how should she rise back up if everypony but you seven still hates her?”

Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. “But Trixie, it wasn’t your fault the Ursa attacked, it was Snips and Snails who lured it into town.”

“Because of the lie Trixie told,” replied Trixie, guilt in her face. “Trixie lied and because of that lie, those two colts brought the Ursa Minor to town. While Trixie never intended for it to happen, she still had a hoof in it. And regardless, the town still blames Trixie…I just want a fresh start, Twilight. I see the world through new eyes, I want to make the best use of that that I can. Besides, just how do you suppose I get along in this town, or any other that’s heard about it for that matter, if everyone hates me for something I did? Wouldn‘t it make more sense for me to earn forgiveness so I can just move on with my life?”

Twilight gave her a thoughtful look, then nodded, knowing Trixie was serious when she used the first person.

Spike looked understanding, as Trixie spoke. He looked down sadly.

“…Alright…what do you want to do?” Twilight asked, putting a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder.

“The best thing to do would be to apologize to the entire town at once, would it not? Publicly?”

Twilight nodded slowly, but wasn‘t so sure. “I suppose…I can probably get Mayor Mare to set it up.”

“Trixie would like that…”

“Oh this is perfect,” stated Checker, turning from the library, an icy sneer on her face. “They’re doing half my job for me, how perfect,” she said, leading the group along. “Now all I need to do is stir up the flames and get things ready,” she continued, thoughtfully. “Alright, Helping Hoof, we’ll need a copier, to make fliers. Then hand them out to everypony in town, especially those on this list you gave me, but not anypony who is affiliated with those six, and especially not those six, understood?”

Helping Hoof nodded, cowering at her gaze, then heading off to follow her bidding. “Yes, Miss Monarch.”

“Why pony so scary?” asked Spot to his pack mates, giving a shudder.

“It’s a gift,” said Checker, looking over her shoulder and giving him an icy glare, causing him to cower and back away whimpering. “Ponies tend to be quite intimidated by my eyes, it’s quite useful when it comes to manipulating them,” she explained, then looked back towards town.

“Better get your sleep, Trixie,” said the insidious mare, giving a cold smirk. “Tomorrow will be the show of a lifetime.”

The two both got in their respective beds and prepared for bed. “…Trixie,” Twilight said, looking up at the blue mare. “You’re sure you really want to do this? I mean, there‘s probably another way. You‘ve got no reason to apologize for something you didn‘t do.”

“Twilight, please…Let Trixie do this.”

To both mare’s surprise, it wasn’t Trixie that said it.

“Spike?” they both asked at the same time.

Spike looked sadly to Twilight. “I know how she feels.”

Twilight blinked, then realized something with a gasp. “Spike! That wasn’t your fault! You couldn’t-”

“Exactly, I couldn’t control myself, and that’s why it happened. Just like Trixie lied and that’s why the Ursa ended up attacking. We might have not done anything wrong in your eyes, and I’m glad, but we still messed up and did something we shouldn‘t have been doing in the first place that caused Ponyville to get wrecked,” Spike said, guilt clear in his eyes.

Trixie blinked. “Trixie is lost, what are you talking about.”

Twilight tried to speak up, but Spike shook his head, then looked down. “…Did you hear about the giant dragon that attacked Ponyville a few months ago?”

Trixie scratched her head. “Trixie believes she read something of the sort on the newspaper she was using for a pillow, what of it?”

Spike’s eyes misted up at the memory. “…That was me.”

Trixie blinked, not seeing how it was possible. “You?”

Spike climbed up and set down next to her, looking down. “…It was my birthday…it was the first birthday where I’d gotten tons of presents from everypony, Twilight normally just gets me a book…”

“Trixie expected as much,” said Trixie, causing Twilight to blush from embarrassment.

“It felt so cool…It felt great to get all those things, really great…”

“Trixie knows the appeal, the gifts a showmare receives have a certain appeal when your father gives you gifts based solely on how much you earned in his own eyes.”

“But I’m a dragon.”

“Trixie is not following.”

Spike sighed, looking down. “To a dragon, getting all those things…it felt so great, I’d never felt anything like it…Then I got more gifts, and I liked it more and more. I felt like I had to have more. I couldn’t resist it, it wasn’t me wanting things, it was like I needed things, and not like ponies say they need something, I mean it felt like there was a pit in me I was trying to fill with everything I could get my claws on…”

Spike looked like he was actually going to cry, so Twilight stepped in for a second. “Trixie, dragons have a natural instinct to create their horde. When Spike got all those things, it awakened his natural greed. I don’t know if what happened next is normal for dragons, ponies know very little about them. I only figured out what was happening to him by going to Zecora, and even she told me later she wasn’t certain if it was the normal for all dragons or just a condition that afflicts some dragons.”

Spike closed his eyes, thinking back. “I started to grow, really fast. I went from how I usually am to a teenager overnight. The need got so much worse…it started to become the only thing I could think about. The more I grew, the worse it got until…I can’t even remember…That’s the scariest part, I don’t remember half of what I did…” he said, his voice cracking a little bit as tears formed in his eyes. “I…I turned into a monster…I tore apart Ponyville, I hurt everypony I cared about…And I can’t remember any of it…I didn’t even recognize Rarity. Me, not knowing who she was…And she couldn‘t even recognize me anymore…”

Twilight climbed up the ladder and set on Spike’s other side, pulling the baby dragon close to her like a mother comforting a child as he couldn’t contain his tears anymore. She didn’t know what to tell him, and it hurt. She’d been with Spike his entire life, he was family. Somewhere between a little brother and a son, and it tore her apart to see him hurt like this. Twilight looked up to Trixie. “Spike gave Rarity a Fire Ruby he’d been growing specifically for his birthday meal. She wanted it, dear Celestia she did, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask him for it. She knew it meant a lot to him…He gave it to her anyway, his own special gift, without even being asked…And when Spike was that giant dragon, and tried to take it from her, she told him how much it meant to her because Spike had given it to her. She didn’t even know it was Spike, the only reason anypony knows is because they both said she’d said it when all was said and done, and she still said that. That reminded Spike of how good it felt to give the ruby to her and make her happy, which reversed the process.”

“Yeah…and sent us both almost falling to our deaths…” Spike muttered, after crying into Twilight’s chest while she spoke. He gave her grateful look before continuing. “…I know I couldn’t control myself…but I let myself be controlled by my greed…it was my fault, everypony else was just being nice…So yeah, I know how you feel when you say you feel guilty for the Ursa attacking Ponyville…”

Trixie was speechless. “Trixie…I…” she started, but couldn’t think of what to say. So she just put a hoof on his shoulder. “Thank you for telling me that…I know it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. But I have even less of an excuse than you do for what I did. You have the excuse of it being natural, I was merely a liar.”

Spike nodded. “You’re welcome…I’m glad I helped…And thanks…”

Trixie blinked. “For what?”

“For giving those lessons on dealing with nightmares,” said Spike. “I’ve been having nightmares for weeks about that, but thanks to you, they’re gone…thanks…”

Trixie smiled. “You’re welcome…” the unicorn mare said, then gave a yawn. “Trixie thinks we all need some rest, we’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

Twilight nodded, then smiled to Spike as they climbed down. “That was awfully nice of you, Spike.”

“Well…how many ponies can I talk to that know how it feels to have one of their mistakes nearly destroy Ponyville?”

“Well, there was that time Rainbow Dash’s ego almost caused the town to get flooded…and Fluttershy with the Parasprites…”

“And you with Smartypants?”

Twilight blushed. “Good point…”

With Helping Hoof and the Diamond Dogs enacting her plan, Checker Monarch approached the library and stood outside, as close as she could get to the room itself. “You may know grandmothers little secret, Trixie, but that won’t protect you. And your defense is my weapon…”

Checker concentrated, horn lighting up as she entered Trixie’s dreams.

Checker floated in a white void of a dream ready to form. She blinked for a moment before smirking. “A white void is something that simply doesn’t exist in real life, this is a dream…Trixie’s dream to be specific.” Now that she‘d established that, she concentrated on her memories, assembling the library from the careful examination she’d made earlier today. She assembled a near perfect replica of the interior of the building. With the dream world fully formed, she took “Technology of Equestria” and set down in a chair, opening it to the page she’d so carefully analyzed earlier that day. She made sure to make the copy in the slot in the upstairs vanish while she was at it.

Trixie groaned, turning over in her bed. She looked around, finding Twilight wasn’t there, must have gotten up early to go and arrange things with Mayor Mare for later. Trixie gave a deep breath, knowing what waited for her today, it weighing heavy on her mind. She headed down stares…then froze at the top of the stairs in terror when she saw the figure sitting at the table.

“Why hello, little sister,” said Checker, looking up from the book, shutting it with a loud slam and laying it on the table. “Long time no see.”

Trixie broke out in a cold sweat at the sight of the mare. “C-Checker?! W-what are you doing here?!” she asked in shock, nearly falling down the stairs.

“I heard you were in Ponyville, thought I’d stop by and see if my worthless little sister had managed to get back on her hooves yet,” Checker said, no element of compassion in her voice. Her cold, terrifying stare met Trixie’s, narrowing into a glare that made Trixie begin trembling. “And you haven’t, not that that’s a surprise.”

Trixie growled, working up what nerve she could in the face of her sister’s unnerving gaze. Something about Checker’s stare…no matter how hard she tried, Trixie just couldn’t help feeling intimidated just looking her in the eye. It reminded her of what little she’d seen of ‘the Stare’ in Everfree Forest.

Still, Trixie managed to head down the stairs. “Trixie is doing just fine, she’s not on the street anymore at least.”

“Yes, she’s accepting help, showing weakness, and generally being a complete disgrace to our family,” Checker said, giving her sister a disappointed look. “As usual.”

“Trixie…Trixie doesn’t care what you or father say Checker!” Trixie yelled, snarling at her sister.

“Oh really?” asked Checker, intensifying her glare, forcing Trixie to take a trot back. “You don’t care your own family has disowned you?”

Trixie gasped, then looked down sadly.
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“W-what?” asked the dirty, malnourished Trixie, at the door way to her father’s mansion, Checker standing at the door way, judgmental eyes staring down at her.

“You heard me, Trixie,” Checker said, spitting her name out like it was venom. “You’re a failure, and no Monarch is a failure! None of them! Look at yourself. You’re a poor, filthy, worthless excuse for a pony that comes crawling on her knees for help. What is the Monarch Family’s take on receiving help?”

Trixie started crying.

“Well!”

“…Accepting help is a sign of weakness…”

Checker gave an icy cold smirk. “Exactly. Now you worthless mare, until you make something of yourself, don’t you dare darken our doorway again! Not until you’re a somepony. If you’re not a somepony, then you’re a nopony! Never forget that, Trixie!”

Checker picked Trixie up with telekinesis and quite literally threw her off the property, in the pouring rain. “Now, get out of my sight you worthless has-been!”

Trixie cringed as the door slammed. Tears flowed freely as she ran off into the rainy night.
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Trixie tried to hold back her tears, but they still ran down her face. Checker gave an icy smirk. “I thought so.”

Trixie snarled as tears rolled down her face. “Get out! GET OUT! Trixie will get back on her hooves! She‘ll show you!”

Checker gave a bone chilling chuckle. “So you really think this little show of yours is going to work?”

Trixie gasped. “What…what do you mean?”

Checker got up and circled her sister. “You think this town will accept you after what you did to it? That you‘ll say ‘I‘m so sorry!’ and all will be forgiven?” she asked, in a calculating, icy cold tone. “You brought an Ursa Minor to attack their town, do you honestly think they care if it was an accident?”

Trixie started shaking with fear as her sister circled her. “T-they will! Trixie’s friends forgave her!”

“Exactly, your FRIENDS forgave you,” Checker stated. “And even then, only three whom you did not harm entirely, and two who didn’t TRUST you after they forgave you. The last one outright HATED you! What makes you think a town that has seen only the Trixie who brought ruin upon them will forgive you for that? Are you really that naïve?”

Trixie shook her head desperately. “T-they’ll understand…it was an accident…they’ll…they’ll forgive T-Trixie…”

Checker leaned in close, looking Trixie right in the eyes with an intense, terrifying glare. Trixie started trembling, fear surging through her body as she looked into her sister‘s glare. It took all her willpower not to wet herself in blind terror. But still, she couldn’t look away. “Face it, Trixie, they’re normal ponies, they’re not going to see a poor, down on her luck mare. They’re going to see the one who brought a monster to destroy their town then ran away with her tail between her legs like a coward. Remember the other places you tried getting shows after the incident? The ones who had merely heard about it? They pelted you with rotten tomatoes and booed you off stage before you could even get a word in edgewise, didn’t they?” Checker kept her voice low, deliberate, and as cold as ice.

Trixie tried to look away, but couldn‘t.

“Answer me when I’m talking to you.”

“Y-yes…” Trixie started crying.

“So what do you think the town who you actually hurt is going to do to you?” Checker said, giving a twisted smirk as her sister broke down crying. “If you get on stage tomorrow, you’re a ruined mare. What little safety you have here will be ruined. Face it Trixie, you’re done.”

“Sweetie Belle, what are we doin’ here again?” asked Applebloom, climbing up over a trash heap at the junkyard. She gagged and threw an old rotten banana peel off her hoof.

“I told you, I found out that after they couldn’t find Trixie to return what was left of her cart, they put it here,” Sweetie Belle said, tripping over a can and falling down a slope of trash, into Scootaloo and Applebloom, knocking them all down to the bottom.

“Why did they do that?” asked Scootaloo, helping the other two up and dusting herself off.

“Because half the town was angry at her for the Ursa thingie tearing it up?” asked Applebloom.

“Good point…”

“Anyway, I thought it’d be nice if we could find whatever might be left in the wreck for her,” said Sweetie Belle, looking to the other two.

“Yeah, and Trixie’s our friend, so it’s the right thing to do,” said Applebloom, looking around the surprisingly large junkyard. “…Uh…where do we start?”

Sweetie Belle scratched her head. “Hey, how come we never noticed this place before?”

“Well, I guess all the trash has to go somewhere,” said Scootaloo with a shrug.

All three sighed. “Ah guess we’d better get lookin’.”

Checker chuckled, watching the gathering crowd around the town hall. Many of them with clear anger on their faces. “Perfect. Everything is falling into place perfectly,” she said, taking out her chessboard, her side including pawns representing the town ponies as a whole. “All my little pawns doing exactly what I want them too.”

“Um…Miss Monarch?” stuttered Helping Hoof.

“Speak.”

“Well, not that this isn’t a perfect plan or anything like that but…how can you be sure that the townsponies will run Trixie out of town?” asked Helping Hoof, keeping his always submissive posture.

“Simple, they don’t have to,” said Checker. “Trixie just has to think they will. And Trixie should be having a nice case of stage fright right now.”

“For oh so many years, the spotlight I’ve had to share.
Since the day that you were born
Between us attention has been torn
And that’s something I have been unable to bare,” Checker sung, looking over the chessboard.

“Every time that you come close to checkmate
The spotlight is split between me and you.
And sister, that simply will not do.
And lucky for me it’s I that controls your fate!” Checker continued, picking up the chess piece telekinetically.

“Well Trixie dear, it’s about time for you to realize
Your place is with nothing left at all.
So be a nice girl and finally take the fall,” the mare sung, dropping the piece to the ground.

“Because that’s how it should be through my eyes…” Checker brought her hoof down on the chess piece, shattering it into magical sparks. Checker looked up at the gathering with a cold smirk and a chilling chuckle. She clapped her hooves once, the Diamond Dogs put a black cloak on her and she pulled it such that her face was hidden and from a distance she couldn’t be identified.

Fluttershy peaked out from behind the door to town hall. “Um…those ponies don’t look too happy…”

“Of course not,” said Rainbow Dash . “We got them all out of bed early on a weekend, I’d be cranky too,” she said, looking to the others. “Where’s Trixie?”

Twilight looked around. “That’s strange, she was right here…”

“Ah think she’s in the back,” said Applejack, looking up at the pulleys for the curtains of the stage outside city hall commonly used for public announcements. “Yah know, those pulleys need a a good oilin’, they probably squeak like blue blazes.”

“Later, let‘s concentrate on finding Trixie,” Twilight said, then walked around. “Trixie!” she called, then peaked into another hallway, finding Trixie…but not in a good state. “Trixie?”

Trixie was curled up in a fetal position, trembling in fear.

“Trixie, are you alright?” asked Twilight, concern clear in her face as she trotted over to her friend. “What’s wrong?”

Trixie slowly looked up at her. “T-Twilight…I…I don’t think I can do this…Who am I kidding? They’re not going to forgive someone like me…They’re just chase me out of town…It would not be the first time…”

Twilight sighed and pulled Trixie up with telekinesis. “Trixie, they’re not going to chase you out of town,” she said, though she wasn’t completely sure herself. “They forgave Princess Luna for being Nightmare Moon…eventually…It didn’t help she came on Nightmare Night…Anyway, they’ve forgiven me for messing up, I’m sure they’ll forgive you if you honestly apologize. Or at the very least give you the chance to earn forgiveness. They‘re not mean ponies, Trixie, they can overreact sometimes…And during that Iron Will thing, they all took his lessons too seriously.”

Trixie blinked. “Iron Will?”

“A minotaur who gave a motivational seminar, he had to give another one when all was said and done to ‘use your anger as a tool don‘t be it‘s fool‘ because everypony took his lectures too seriously.”

“Trixie took his seminar once, where do you think she got her stage style?”

“That explains so much…Anyway, the point is, most of the time, Ponyville is a sweet place to live, and they’ll forgive you if you honestly apologize. I’ve seen them do it before with that whole Gabby Gums incident.”

“Gabby Gums?”

“Long story, I‘ll show you later…so please, just give it a chance,” said Twilight, giving her an honest smile. “And if they don’t accept you, I promise we won’t let them chase you out of town.”

Trixie took a deep breath. “…Alright…Trixie supposes she will…Thank you, Twilight…”

Trixie slowly trotted out towards the podium. She saw glares looking back at her, glares of anger, maybe hatred.

“Hey it’s that Trixie who made that Ursa attack us!” yelled a voice from the crowd.

That got a few others to scream a few things, and Trixie could hear the booing now.

Checker chuckled and slipped back into the crowd, comfortable in her disguise

“Yes, that was Trixie…” Trixie said, starting to sweat. Her eyes darted around the crowd, seeing all of theirs on her, a feeling she would normally relish in but now felt terrified of because she swore she saw hatred for her in every last one of them.

“Trixie-”

A boo came from the crowd. Trixie only saw a figure slink into the crowd when she saw the source of it.

“Trixie-”

Another boo, this time joined by a few others.

“Trixie-”

“Get off the stage you jerk!” yelled a female voice. Trixie almost recognized it. Several others joined it.

Trixie felt her heart rate increase. She saw angry eyes everywhere she looked.

“Trixiejustwantstosayshe‘s-” Trixie said, rapidly as she could to get it out before another boo. Instead, a rotten tomato flew out of the crowd and hit her in the face, knocking her on her flanks, followed by two more hitting her in the head as well. Trixie’s eyes teared up. She heard laughing in her ears, they had to be laughing at her, they HAD to be! What else would they be doing?!

“Sorry…” muttered Trixie, tears streaming down her face as she galloped off stage, several rotten tomatoes hitting both her and the stage behind her..

“Trixie!” yelled Twilight, running after her, the other five following suit.

Checker chuckled under her breath, putting another rotten tomato back in a basket with her telekinesis. “Checkmate,” she said, slinking back before anyone noticed where her projectiles had originated.

“Trixie!” yelled Twilight, catching up with the mare. “Trixie, are you alright?”

“Of course Trixie’s not alright! She just got pelted with vegetables and chased offstage!” yelled Trixie, tears running down her face. “They’re not going to forgive Trixie, Twilight!…I was stupid to think they would…”

Twilight frowned, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Trixie…”

“Look, just because there’s a few jerks in the crowd, doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel,” said Rainbow Dash, coming up to her.

“Yeah, cheer up!” said Pinkie Pie. “I know every single pony in Ponyville, and I can promise that about 90% of the town will at least give you a chance!”

“Trixie doesn‘t think they will…” said Trixie, looking like she was going to break down crying.

“Oh come on, I’m sure they will!” said Pinkie, before taking a deep breath.

“Is she going to-”

“I know that things look bad now”

“Yep, that’s Pinkie Pie for yah,” Applejack replied.

“I know it’s hard to turn that frown upside down!
I know things aren’t what you thought they’d be!”

“Is now really the time for a song?” asked Trixie, looking back.

“But Trixie, just listen to me!” Pinkie continued.

“When things are looking bad
Don’t let yourself stay sad
That’s like being wet and making yourself wetter.
So chin up, things are going to get better!” sang Pinkie, trying to get Trixie’s attention, but the depressed mare just kept turning away from her

“Trixie fails to see how…”

“Trixie, no one said it’d happen over night.
But you won’t know if you don’t fight!
I won’t say you’ll never have a bad day
Into sad time we all sometimes stray!” Pinkie sang, pulling Trixie around to face her.
“We all have bad times and need picked up off the floor
And Trixie, picking you up is what friends are for!” Pinkie sang, hugging Trixie. Trixie was surprised, but gently returned the hug.

“We’ll get through the bad times together.
Trixie, things are going to get better!” Pinkie sang, taking a step back and producing a tissue from offscreen for Trixie to wipe her tears away with as the rest of the group put hooves on Trixie‘s back to support her.

“So when you think you’re at the end of your rope
Never ever, EVER give up hope!
The sad times won’t last forever.
And we won’t leave your side ever!”

“You really mean that?” asked Trixie, looking at all her friends. She felt warm inside, having such kindness directed her way.

Rarity magically cleaned Trixie up. “Certainly, darling.”

“Of course, Trixie, we’d never think of leaving a friend behind.”

“Darn tootin’, we ain’t ever gonna leave our friend when they need us!”

“I’m not the Element of Loyalty for nothing, no way we’d leave you hanging.”

“We’ll be there for you…i-if that’s alright with you.”

“So Trixie, don’t give up now
Turn that frown upside down!
“And…and…” Pinkie looked confused, and looked to Twilight. “Twilight, what’s another word that rhymes with better?”

“Letter?”

“Oh! Thanks!”

“And we’ll follow our promise through to the letter
Trixie, things are going to get better!” Pinkie finished, Trixie receiving a group hug.

Trixie looked at her friends, unsure what to think. “…Trixie…I don’t know what to say except…thank you all…”

“No need to thank us, sugarcube, we’re just doin’ what friends do,” said Applejack, patting the mare on the back. “Nice song, Pinkie.”

“Hey, I’m Pinkie Pie and this story has songs! How could I not get one?” Pinkie replied with a cheerful smile, getting confused looks from everyone.

“Right…But how will we get Trixie out of this mess?” asked Trixie, confused, and not entirely convinced she could. “She just got pelted with tomatoes and chased offstage.”

“Let’s go tell those ponies you’ve changed!” said Rainbow, looking eager to do that.

“No,” said Trixie, seriousness in her tone.

“Why not? They’ll believe us!” Rainbow replied, looking confused.

“Yes, they’ll believe it because you said it,” said Trixie with a sigh. “Trixie appreciates everything you’ve done for her…but Trixie doesn’t want ponies to forgive her just because someone else tells them to, then Trixie did nothing but let someone else do the work she rightly should do to fix her own mess.”

Rainbow prepared to reply, but sighed and shut up. She knew it was partly Trixie not wanting others to help her, that’s just how she was, but it was partly because Trixie was right.

“That won’t be easy, I know that much…but after the Smartypants Incident, I helped out around town to make up for it…”

“What is the ‘Smartypants Incident’ you keep talking about anyway?” asked Trixie, raising an eyebrow.

“The last time Twilight was late getting her assignment to Celestia!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

Twilight blushed heavily, having been trying to avoid talking about it, but saw from Trixie’s look she wouldn’t rest until she knew. “I was really stressed from everything Discord put us through and I missed a Friendship Letter to Celestia…I kind of went temporarily insane and used a Want It, Need It Spell on the entire town on accident…”

Trixie shuddered. “After what Discord did to you, you’re probably not the only pony he ’played with’ to have a nervous breakdown…Ugh, Want It, Need It Spell, Trixie is quite familiar with it,” the blue mare stated, giving an unnerved look.

Twilight blinked. “You’ve used it?”

“Celestia no, Trixie’s special talent doesn’t lend itself well to mind magic outside a few low level stage hypnosis spells, she can‘t make anyone do anything truly against their will, at least not something they‘re completely opposed to doing. Trixie is fairly certain her sister brainwashed her with it as a filly several times just to get her in trouble with our father,” Trixie explained, frowning at her memories. “Trixie could never prove it to her father, but her sister was always a bully to her.”

Twilight gasped. “Trixie, that’s awful…”

The blue showmare nodded. “Yes, it was…Trixie’s sister made her foalhood quite miserable. She couldn’t stand for Trixie to do anything that took the spotlight from her in any fashion. And no, not just off her, if she had to share it with Trixie at all.”

“I’m sorry…I’ve been bullied, but my big brother was always so nice to me…” said Twilight, not sure what to say.

“You have a brother?”

“Well…remember that whole Changeling attack about a month ago?”

“Yes, Trixie came to Canterlot hoping to get a job fixing up the damage, no such luck, what about it?”

“Well-”

“Trixie!” called three young voices.

Twilight was somewhat relieved to hear the Cutie Mark Crusaders so she wouldn’t have to explain her brother was the Captain of the Royal Guard and married to Princess Cadence, Trixie had too many bombshells today without adding another.

“Girls?” asked Trixie, looking over as the three fillies ran up. It was a couple seconds later before everyone covered their noses. “Ugh, what is that smell?!”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all blushed a little, covered in trash and dirt. “Well, we kind of spent the day rummaging through the dump…” said Sweetie Belle, sheepishly.

“Sweetie Belle, why would you do something like that?! Do you have any idea how difficult it will be to get the stains out of your fur?!” asked Rarity, looking like it was the. Worst. Possible. Thing. Doing the faint that went along with it.

Trixie blinked. “Where does she get the couch?”

“Sis, we did it so we could find something,” said Sweetie Belle, giving a smile.

“Trixie, Ah think these are yours,” said Applebloom, Scootaloo pulling the wagon around to reveal a pouch of bits, a purple magician’s hat and cape covered in stars, both tattered and dirty, and a few other odds and ends.

Trixie’s eyes went wide. “These are…”

“Your things,” said Scootaloo, giving a smile. “What’s left of them anyway.”

“We knew you lost everythin’ when you lost your cart, so we found the wreck and managed to pull these things out of it,” said Applebloom, then frown. “Sorry it ain’t much, it’s all we could find.”

Trixie was in a daze. “T-thank you…” the mare said, before heading over and picking up her cape, the blue jewel still in it’s proper place. She looked at her reflection, her eyes tearing up. “Trixie needed a good deed done to her today…”

Applejack and Rarity put a hoof on their sister’s shoulders while Rainbow put one on Scootaloo’s, all with proud smiles.

Helping Hoof watched this and headed back to Checker, who was looking quite smug. “Um, Miss Monarch?”

Checker looked to him. “You may speak.”

Helping Hoof opened his mouth to speak, then looked back towards the group.

“Well?”

“Oh…it’s nothing…just wanted to say congratulations your plan went off flawlessly.”

“Yes, it did, didn’t it?”

“Oh, so this is Gabby Gums,” said Trixie, looking through an archived version of it with a chuckle she desperately needed after the day she‘d had. “My, those three really would make good tabloid journalists.”

Twilight nodded, a little embarrassed. “Yeah…But they ended up getting a bit too mean for everypony’s tastes…”

“Hey Twilight, isn’t that the issue with-”

“What?! Where did they…how did they…Trixie did no such thing!”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie’s Secrets Revealed…”

“Trixie’s act only involved hamsters that one time! And the one who hired Trixie said there’d only be a few hamsters! Trixie’s show failed because there were gnaw marks on everything!”

“Trixie!” yelled Twilight, putting her hooves on Trixie‘s shoulders. “Calm down! Yes, it’s hurtful they said those things, they said some nasty stuff about me too. They learned their lesson already and apologized to the entire town, and got punished enough.”

Trixie blushed. “Oh…Trixie‘s apologies…Trixie may have slightly overreacted.”

“What happened with the hamsters?” asked Spike, scratching his head.

“Trixie doesn’t want to talk about it…” said Trixie, shuddering. “They were everywhere…”

Trixie then sighed. “Twilight…speaking of being forgiven…”

“I’ve arranged with Mayor Mare, tomorrow you’ll be doing community service all over Ponyville, to earn the money to pay back the ponies who were hurt by the Ursa attack,” said Twilight, placing a hoof on Trixie‘s shoulder. “You’ll make it up to Ponyville, I know you will.”

Trixie looked down at the jewel her grandmother had given her all those years ago, uncertain eyes reflected back from her. “…Trixie will do her best, Twilight…”

Checker chuckled, turning away from the library.

“Um…Miss Monarch, are you going to do anything more tonight?” asked Helping hoof, looking frightened that she would, as did the Diamond Dogs.

“Maybe not,” said Checker, giving an icy smirk. “Let them build her back up just a little bit…It’ll make her fall all the harder when I pull the rug out from under her…I‘ve got other dreams to visit tonight.”

Chapter 9 Part 1: Making Amends

Checker walked off into the night, leaving Helping Hoof and the Diamond Dogs to their own devices for the time being. After a few moments of silence, Fido looked to Helping Hoof. "How pony know scary magic?" asked Fido, shuddering.

"You mean her dream infiltration spell?" asked Helping Hoof, looking to the Diamond Dog.

Rover nodded uneasily. "I no know much about ponies, but I know I never see pony do that…"

Helping Hoof sighed, looking rather sad. "Well…I don't know where she learned the spell itself, but I do know where she learned half of her method. She learned to control dreams from her grandmother, Helena Midsummer, just like Trixie has."

"Why?" asked Spot, scratching his head.

"Helena's trick is meant to let one control their own dreams, not the dreams of others," explained Helping Hoof. "She taught Checker for the same reason she taught Trixie; to deal with nightmares."

Rover blinked. "Scary pony have nightmares?"

Helping Hoof gave a sad chuckle. "I know, it's surprising somepony like her would, but don't forget, she's still a flesh and blood pony…In many ways that makes her even more frightening," he continued. "…As for why she learned her spell; imagine what it'd be like to have complete control over your dreams, to control that realm with a thought…Checker is a mare who desires one thing above all others; power. That desire is not in and of itself a bad thing, but it is why she's become the way she is, she threw away everything she saw as an obstacle to obtaining her desire until she became the mare you know now. She desires power even more than you three desire gems."

The three Diamond Dogs looked quite shocked. "And Diamond Dogs want all the gems…" Rover replied.

"And Checker wants all the power she can get, and then some. I suppose the 'strong rule the week' mentality her father taught her and Trixie worked too well in Checker's case," explained Helping Hoof, looking rather disturbed. "She is one of the most powerful ponies in Manehatten, but even that isn't enough. Her fortune is power, her social status is power, and being the boss of her own company, one of Equestria's largest corporations, is power, but none of it is enough, just like having absolute power over the world of her dreams wasn't enough for her. So she found a spell to extend that power into the dreams of others," he continued, looking somewhat scared. "Of all the kinds of power Checker has, the kind she covets the most is power over others, after all, she believes the strong have the right to control the weak. And that kind of power is exactly what her dream infiltration spells lets her have. Because once she takes control over their dreams, they are at her mercy and if they don't know the same trick her grandmother taught her, then there's nothing they can do about it until they wake up. And sometimes even that can't protect them."

The Diamond Dogs shivered, now even more afraid of this power the mare possessed.

"It's just one of many tools Checker Monarch has to maintain the power over others she craves so much, and is constantly learning more, because she can never have enough…" he explained, not seeming hateful, he sounded as if what he described was something to be pitied instead of hated.

The Diamond Dogs looked at each other in confusion. "Why pony sad?"

"Oh, just thinking…I'm not going to pretend Checker has a heart, when she had to choose between it and her lust for power, she chose her lust for power. I imagine, if he ever had a heart, Discord did the same thing with his when it came to his…games," All four shuddered, each with different memories of that day. "…It's just…sometimes I wonder if someone who's traded away their heart can ever be truly happy…Anyway, that's personal feelings, onto the point…I think that's why she hates her sister so much," said the unicorn stallion, looking over towards the library. "She is jealous of her sister, but I think that is just the reason it's Trixie and probably how it started, not the sole reason she does it now. Trixie is the one being that Checker had been able to maintain power over almost her entire life. Since that poor mare was a foal, Checker has been controlling her life like a puppeteer every chance she got," he revealed, looking as if he were recounting something from memory instead of second hoof. "The only way Trixie was able to cut her strings and live the life she wanted for herself was by leaving home and taking a profession that let her wander Equestria. And I think that Trixie was able to do that ate away at Checker every day. The 'chess piece' she'd been using since she was a filly had escaped her clutches…Now that she's got the chance to regain control over Trixie's life, I'm afraid of what she might do."

Rover looked horrified. "That scary…"

"Indeed it is," said Helping Hoof. "I think Checker could bare it before because she still had power over Trixie in a way. Trixie was still following the ideas that Checker had indoctrinated into her, she was still the Trixie Checker had done her best to mold her into…Now Trixie is starting to break free of that, and that's something Checker is unable to bare." Helping Hoof sighed, suddenly looking like a beaten dog. "And I think another way she handled it originally was by finding a chess piece to replace the one she lost…"

The Diamond Dogs looked at each other. "…Who is that?" Rover asked.

Helping Hoof briefly looked back at his Cutie Mark sadly. "…I don't want to talk about it…" he said, looking remorseful. "…Just be glad when all is said and done, you stop being part of her game…"

That sentence sent a chill down the three dogs spines.

"Trixie…come on, get up," said Twilight, trying to rise Trixie from the bed.

Trixie slowly got up, looking down miserably. "…Trixie is up…"

"Trixie…I know you're hurt, but you can't just lay around and pout, that won't solve anything," Twilight said, teleporting up and putting a hoof on her shoulder.

Trixie sighed. "…Trixie has not given up, Twilight…Trixie just wonders if this will actually work…"

Twilight gave her as reassuring a smile as she could manage. "You'll never know if you don't try."

Trixie couldn't help smiling herself. "Alright, your smile is rather contagious…Where is Trixie's first act of community service?"

"At the Cutie Mark Crusaders' school. You'll be trimming some trees," explained Twilight, trying to sound reassuring.

Trixie gave a sigh of relief. "At least it's near ponies Trixie knows don't hate her…and likely the two that helped her ruin her life…" the mare replied, the last part in a deadpan voice.

"Trixie, you can't scare the horse apples out of Snips and Snails."

"Fine…And what about the teacher?"

"Miss Cheerilee? She wouldn't hold a grudge on you," said Twilight, sounding fairly positive.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because the Cutie Mark Crusaders gave her and Applejack's brother the Hearts and Hooves Day love poison once in a well-intentioned, but ultimately disastrous attempt to make Big Macintosh Cheerilee's special somepony. She forgave them after giving them a proper punishment."

Trixie blinked. "They…what foal gave three fillies that recipe?!"

Twilight blushed. "Um…I kind of gave them the book…" she replied, getting an incredulous look from Trixie. "I didn't expect them to actually use it!"

"All you need to do is trim the tree limbs that are too flimsy to survive a storm, Trixie," said Cheerilee, giving a kind smile. "Do you understand?"

Trixie nodded, looking down at the gardening tools, made for Earth Pony use, but her magic could do just as well. She'd told the others to go about their business, she didn't want ponies to give them grief because of her, or someone to accuse her of having help, not that she'd take it anyway. "Trixie believes she understands…Thank you for giving Trixie a chance…"

Cheerilee nodded with a smile. "You're welcome, Trixie. When you're a teacher, you learn to give others second chances, how else are students to learn?"

Trixie smiled lightly. "Thank you."

Cheerilee nodded. "Alright, well I wish you luck," she said, trotting off to prepare for her classes.

Trixie picked up the limb trimmers with her telekinesis and prepared to begin when someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Hello?"

A white unicorn mare with a blond mane and tail was standing behind her. She wore sun glasses over her eyes, but her face still looked rather angry. "You're Trixie, right?" the mare asked, in a rather high pitched voice with a sharp quality to it.

"Yes, that is correct," Trixie replied, cocking an eyebrow. The voice sounded familiar, there was just some quality in it that rung a bell. She peaked over at her flank to see a Cutie Mark of a star burst. "What do you want?"

"Not that I like you or anything," said the mare, reminding Trixie of some mares she'd seen at the mall. But the closer she looked, the more familiar the mare seemed, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. The mare got closer. "But here in Ponyville, we have a rule; unicorns doing public service for a crime can't use magic. You've got to do it the Earth Pony way around here."

Trixie gave a frustrated sigh. "Really?"

"Really, and I mean it. You could get in big trouble," said the mare, with a sharp air to it.

Trixie groaned. "Fine, Trixie won't use her magic," said the unicorn, biting down on the mouth piece used to operate the device by biting down to close the cutters.

"Good, you better," said the mare, turning and walking away, but not before looking back with a cold smirk once Trixie's back was turned.

"So Trixie is really out there?" asked Snips, peaking over at the mare as the foals were out in the playground before class. He then blinked at the flash of Featherweights' camera, who as usual was simply photographing anything that interested him. He also noticed Dinky and Pipsqueak talking, occasionally giving glances in Trixie's direction.

"Yeah…" replied Applebloom, looking uncertain. "But yah might not want ta talk to her right now."

"Why?" asked Snails, blinking as he looked over.

"Yeah, we just want to thank her for inspiring our magic act," Snips replied, looking baffled.

"Um…It's…well…" Sweeite Belle started, rubbing her head. "You kinda…"

"Took her story seriously and caused the accident that ruined her life," said Scootaloo, being the blunt one.

"Though she admits it's her fault for lyin' in the first place, she might still hold a grudge on you two," said Applebloom, rubbing her head. "Ah'd wait for things to settle down a bit."

"Oh yeah…" said Snips, both him and Snails looking a bit guilty.

"Look, I'm sure she'll forgive you," said Scootaloo. "She just needs time, she's going through a lot right now."

The two colts looked at each other, then to Trixie.

The mare that Trixie had spoke with walked up to Helping Hoof. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around, Helping Hoof," said the mare, in Checker's voice. The stallion's horn glowed yellow as he broke the illusion spell on the mare, reverting her to Checker, though her mane remained down. The spell fell off as if it were a costume and it was clear the spell hadn't changed her body shape much at all. "Though of course, the vocal change was all mine. No wonder Trixie can work in show business, there's nothing to it. Where did you learn that spell again?"

Helping Hoof looked down, having a rather miserable look. "…When I was training to work at a theatre as a colt…"

"Oh yes, how could I forget? I remember how much you cried when your father pulled you out, a pity really, you were quite good at it," Checker said, with her usual cold tone, despite what she said making Helping Hoof lower his head almost to the ground. "It's quite useful, even if it can't change certain traits, and is only good for quick moments before they catch on," she said, rearranging her mane back to it's proper style. She then reached behind her and pulled off the sticker of a starburst on a white backdrop from her flank where it'd covered her Cutie Mark with her teeth. "Thank you for giving me that lovely excuse to buy these in bulk."

Helping Hoof cringed. "…"

"What do you say when someone thanks you?"

"…You're welcome, Miss Monarch…"

"Good boy," said Checker, giving an icy smirk. She then turned and looked out at Trixie, who struggled to use the trimmers with her mouth. "Oh Trixie, you've always been so easy to fool," she said, giving a cold smirk.

"What we do?" asked Rover, looking up at the mare, now more terrified of her than ever after Helping Hoof's story.

"Simple," said Checker, in a calm, cold tone. She took out her chessboard and looking it over. "We follow her…" she closed the locket shut with a resounding snap. "…and humiliate her," she finished, her tone as detached as could be.

Trixie cut off several tree limbs that had gotten too long. It was hard going, her mouth hurt, but at least she was making progress. "Um…hello?"

Trixie turned to see a little grey/purple unicorn filly with a yellow mane and golden eyes. Next to her was a white Earth Pony colt with a brown mane and spots, one of which was over his left eye. Trixie set down the clippers gently. "Hello…filly and colt…"

"My name is Dinky," the filly replied.

"And I'm Pipsqueak!" the colt chimed in. Trixie instantly recognized a Trottingham accent.

"Dinky and Pipsqueak…" said Trixie, finding the names interesting. She noticed both foals were blank flanks, she hoped the poor things weren't being bullied for that reason. "Those are interesting names…"

"Thanks," said the little filly, seeming quite cheerful. "You're Trixie, right?"

"Yes…" Trixie replied, slightly confused.

"My momma said you did something really bad…" said Dinky, but before Trixie could cringe, the child gave a smile. "But she said that you felt bad about it…"

Trixie blinked. "Yes…Trixie feels terrible for what she did…Trixie didn't want to hurt anyone…"

Pipsqueak prepared to reply, but then blinked. "Um…pardon, but you have a bee on your head."

"Huh?" asked Trixie, looking up to see a bee had landed on her horn. She looked up further just in time for a beehive to land on her head.

Predictably, Trixie screamed as she was stung, as did Dinky and Pipsqueak, and Trixie ran around, taking the bees with her…right into the playground.

Spot climbed down from the tree, looking to Checker. "Well done," Checker said. "I knew I was doing the smart thing when I trusted you with that job," she stated, handing the Diamond Dog some gems before watching the chaos the beehive stuck on Trixie's head caused as the panicked mare ran around. "And this is just the opening act."

Trixie cringed, the beestings still hurting as she carefully held a stick in her mouth she used to pick trash up off of the streets of Ponyville. She was grateful she wasn't allergic. "At least Cheerilee wasn't mad at Trixie…" she muttered with a miserable sigh. A stallion threw a candy wrapper at her hooves, glaring at her as he passed. She gave another sigh. "That's the sixth time…"

Checker watched from the shadows of a nearby alley with her group, her chessboard out, about fifteen ponies on her side, only Trixie on hers. "All the pawns moving just as I planned," she said, giving an icy grin.

Helping Hoof looked surprised. "But…how can you have expected that?"

Checker nonchalantly handed Helping Hoof the list he'd given her before. "I was rather busy last night."

Helping Hoof blinked, then his eyes widened in horror, the Diamond Dog's reacting much the same when it hit them what happened. "You…you gave those ponies nightmares?"

"What else did you suppose I was doing last night?" Checker asked, not seeming to notice his horror, or caring.

"But…those were innocent ponies who'd been hurt by the Ursa! I thought you were just going to pass out fliers to them!"

Checker turned slowly and narrowed her eyes into a glare. Helping Hoof began shaking in his hooves, but couldn't look away. "Is that a problem, Helping Hoof?" she asked, stepping towards him, glaring with more intensity, making Helping Hoof break out in a cold sweat. But her tone was conversational, almost friendly. "If it is, I can always fire you. I mean sure, I'd have you blacklisted, but at least you'd still have your morals. Not that I need to blacklist a worthless-"

"N-no, M-Miss Monarch…t-there's no problem, n-none at all," interrupted Helping Hoof, still unable to break Checker Monarch's terrifying gaze. It was like he was mesmerized.

Checker gave a cold smirk and turned away. "I thought so."

Helping Hoof panted in terror, sinking to his flanks.

Checker watched as the eighth pony threw a wrapper at Trixie's hooves. Without a change of expression, she telekinetically stretched the trash saddlebags that Trixie was wearing, slowly so not to attract attention, until finally, the weight of the garbage inside caused them to rupture and spill their contents everywhere around and on Trixie.

Scootaloo groaned, looking at her beestings. Due to half the class being stung by bees, Cheerilee had postponed class until she could make sure none of them were allergic. It was her job, after all, to make sure that none of her students got hurt. "Well, that stunk," the orange Pegasus stated.

"For who?" asked Applebloom, not seeming as bothered by her beestings. After all, when you lived on a farm getting stung wasn't anything unusual. "Trixie got humiliated…again."

"Yeah…" Sweetie Belle said, looking down. "And just when Dinky and Pip were saying something nice to her…"

Scootaloo was about to say something, when a hoof tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see a lanky cream Pegasus colt with a brown mane and a feather for a Cutie Mark. "Oh, hey Featherweight. What is it?"

The Pegasus handed them a couple pictures, not speaking. Pipsqueak rarely spoke, Scootaloo assumed he was just shy.

As the trio looked over the photos, Featherweight pointed to something in one of them.

"I don't…" Sweetie Belle started, then all three gasped in shock. "Uh oh…"

Checker gave a small yawn. She looked rather frustrated. "I suppose all that dream hopping last night took it's toll on me."

Helping Hoof gave a sigh of relief.

"Helping Hoof," the mare stated, causing Helping Hoof to jump.

"Y-yes, Miss Monarch?"

Checker looked to him, giving an cold grin. "I am going to take a nap. You are responsible for ruining Trixie's next community service attempt."

"Me?!" asked Helping Hoof, shocked.

Checker nodded. "And don't try anything funny. Because if Trixie spontaneously knows I'm here, I'll know who to blame," she stated, getting Helping Hoof to gulp. "Same if I hear you didn't make a token effort at humiliating her," she continued, her voice not changing as she approached him. "Am I clear?"

"C-crystal…"

Checker then looked at the Diamond Dogs. "Oh, and I wouldn't recommend any of you trying anything either," she said, her tone remaining perfectly level. "Because if you tell somepony I'm planning to ruin a mare's life, who do you think they're going to believe? The big powerful mare from Manehatten? Or the filthy subterranean canines who have a history of ponynapping?"

Rover and company gulped, giving a nod of understanding.

Checker nodded, walking away slowly before looking back. "Oh, and just so you know, I'm a VERY light sleeper, so if you had any fantasies about kidnapping me in my sleep, you can forget it. And remember what I said I'd do if you double-crossed me."

A rather filthy, bee stung, miserable looking Trixie stood with a paintbrush in her teeth on a ladder leaning against the house of a purple-furred mare named Berry Punch, painting the side of the house white. Cheerilee had set it up, apparently she was Berry Punch's elder sister, and Berry Punch's house had been damaged by a Love Poisoned Big Macintosh pulling it several blocks, then dragged back afterwards.

Helping Hoof looked out of a bush at Trixie, gulping. "…Maybe I should just…" he started, looking truly conflicted, sweating. "No…if Checker finds out…" he muttered. He looked back up, seeing Rainbow Dash clearing clouds over Ponyville. He gasped slightly, then looked back to Trixie.

Helping Hoof telekinetically gripped the ladder. "…I'm sorry…" he said, tears in his eyes as he rattled the ladder.

Trixie let out a scream as she lost her balance suddenly.

"Huh?" asked Rainbow Dash, hearing the screaming. She looked down in time to see Trixie lose her balance and begin to fall. "Trixie!" she yelled, taking off at full speed, adrenaline rushing.

Trixie fell, Rainbow flying right after her and catching her. Rainbow curved downwards and flew a few feet to slow down, not wanting to give Trixie whiplash.

Rainbow Dash set Trixie down. "Trixie, are you alright?" she asked, genuine concern on her face.

Trixie panted, trembling in fear, and looking more miserable than ever. "Trixie…" Trixie struggled to remain composed. And failed. "T-thank you. Rainbow Dash…T-Trixie needs some alone time…" the mare muttered, lowering her head and slowly trotting towards the library. Rainbow Dash swore she saw the mare's colors dim slightly.

"Trixie…" Rainbow Dash muttered, rubbing her head.

"Serves her right…" said a pink mare on the street corner.

Rainbow Dash was in her face in a second, glaring daggers at her. "Don't you EVER say that again!"

The mare staggered back, but then glared back. "That Ursa crushed my cart! I had to work overtime for a month to pay it off!"

Rainbow's eyes softened slightly. "And that makes it right for her to get hurt when all she wants to do is make up for what she did?" asked Rainbow Dash, sternly, but not yelling.

The mare looked uncertain. "Well…I…"

"Does it? Think about it."

The mare looked conflicted. "I…"

Rainbow watched the mare walk away to think about what she'd been told, before the Pegasus turned to the ladder. Looking close, she saw it was firmly rooted in place. "How could she have lost balance…she's not that clumsy…"

"Rainbow Dash!" yelled Scootaloo, urgency in her tone.

"Huh?" The mare turned to see the three fillies and one colt run up. "Hey girls, and…colt I've never seen before…"

"This is Featherweight," said Applebloom. "He takes the pictures for the paper."

"Well, he took them originally, then became editor when Diamond Tiara tried to blackmail us to stay Gabby Gums, then traded jobs with the pony Miss Cheerilee gave his old job to because he liked taking pictures better," Sweetie Belle explained, confusing herself with the explanation.

"Right…So what is it? Trixie needs me," said Rainbow.

"That's kind of what this is about," said Scootaloo, Featherweight handing the rainbow maned Pegasus the two pictures.

Rainbow blinked, looking at the pictures careful. One was of Trixie talking to Dinky and Pipsqueak and the other was the same. She didn't see anything…then it hit her. In the second picture, she could see the beehive just above the branches, but not connected to anything. She narrowed her eyes.

"Well what are we-"

"Yeah, that's pretty cool, nice pictures of trees, good job Featherweight," said Rainbow Dash suddenly, back to normal. Before the fillies could react, she winked quickly. "Hey, can you three meet me at my house latter?" she asked, keeping an eye out. "I've got something I'd like to show you."

Scootaloo blinked, then got it and smirked. "Oh, sure, we'll come."

"Yep! We'll see yah there!"

"It'd be our pleasure."

"And don't forget to have Twilight use that cloud walking spell on you," said Rainbow Dash, giving a smile. "Now I've gotta go, see yah later."

Helping Hoof sighed in relief when Rainbow Dash caught Trixie. "Thank Celestia…" he said…then saw Trixie's reaction and his face dropped. Helping Hoof slowly headed back towards Checker, his head almost to the ground. "I'm sorry…" he muttered, guilt clear in his voice.

"Trixie…Trixie, please come down," said Twilight, Trixie having returned to her bed and not moved since her fall. "We want to talk to you."

"…Trixie doesn't want to…" said the showmare's miserable voice, sounding almost on the verge of tears. "…Please leave Trixie alone…please…"

Twilight sighed, walking downstairs were the rest of group had assembled. "She's not coming down…" she said, worry plain on her voice.

"Can yah blame her?" asked Applejack. "The poor girl's had one rough go of it…And things just ain't lookin' up for her."

"I wish there was something we could do," said Fluttershy, concern in her tone.

"I tried everything! I even used puppets!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter having two sock puppets on her hooves, earning stares of confusion from everypony.

Rainbow Dash remained silent, looking like something was on her mind.

Rarity looked thoughtful, thinking about it. "…I'll talk to her…alone."

"Alright…" Twilight replied, uncertain.

"Good luck, Rarity!" said Pinkie, acting as if it were her puppets saying it.

Rarity blinked. "Thank you…Pinkie Pie's…puppets…"

"And if you can't do it, and the puppets didn't work, then this calls for extreme measures!" exclaimed Pinkie, and her puppets.

Rarity blinked. "Ok…you do that…I'm going to go talk to Trixie…"

Helping Hoof looked up at Checker as he returned. "…I did as you told me, Miss Monarch."

Checker nodded, stretching after her nap. "Good, good. What did you do?"

"…Knocked her off the ladder she was using to paint a house…" Helping Hoof replied, remorse clear on his face. He left out that Rainbow Dash had saved her.

"That brings back memories," said Checker, giving a cold smirk. "Well done."

"Trixie!" called Rarity in her typical sweet, over-the-top fashion as she entered the room. "Please come down and talk, darling."

Trixie huffed, not rising from her bed. "Trixie doesn't want to…"

"Trixie, you know you can trust me," Rarity replied, sincerely. "Please, just tell me what's wrong."

Trixie sighed. "…You're not going to leave until Trixie tells you, are you?"

"No, I shall not."

Trixie got up, walking down to Rarity, her posture looking like a beaten dog. "…It's…" Trixie started, then sighed, lowering her head. "You wouldn't understand…"

"Let me guess, you've got nothing and no matter what you do, you can't seem to get out of the gutter? And no matter how hard you try, it seems like you're walking in place and doomed to fail?" Rarity asked, with sympathetic smile. "That about it?"

Trixie blinked in surprise. "Yes…how did you-"

Rarity sighed. "Because, believe it or not…I've been there."

Trixie's jaw dropped. "But…but you're-"

"A successful fashion designer who caters to Canterlot elite and has connections in high places? Yes," Rarity replied, a little pride in her tone. "But I wasn't always like that."

Trixie didn't know how to reply. This mare had once been poor? "But Trixie had assumed you were old money…"

"Well I'm not, and proud of it," said Rarity, smiling lightly. "I grew up in a suburb in Manehatten, my father was out of work and my mother had a low end job. We barely had enough money to make our rent a month, let alone have any luxuries, we barely had enough food to survive on. No matter how many times my father tried to get the professional hoofball career he wanted, he just never made the cut. No matter how many times my mother tried to get a raise, she was shot down…And the neighborhood bullies just loved to rub it in."

"But…how did…"

Rarity smiled. "Hard work. My parents kept trying until my mother got promoted at work and I earned my cutie mark, allowing me to find gems to help supplement it. Then finally, my father got his big break and made it count." Rarity put a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. "And I know you can, Trixie. You're a strong girl, a weak one wouldn't have lasted over a year on the streets by themselves. My circumstances may not have been as bad as yours are, but you've got more ponies to support you through it than we did."

Trixie looked Rarity in her caring eyes. "…You really think so?"

Rarity gave a nod of agreement. "Yes…Trixie, you're a lot stronger than you think you are."

Trixie gave a small smile. "…Thank you, Rarity…Trixie needed that."

"Whatever else are friends for?" asked Rarity, smiling happily.

Trixie then frowned, clearly still having doubts.

"Trixie! Someone's at the door for you!" called Twilight, sounding happy.

Trixie blinked, then looked panic. "For Trixie?! Is it an angry mob?!"

"No, I think you'll like it."

Trixie walked up to the door, finding Dinky and Pipsqueak waiting for her, both with some beestings. With them was a gray, walleyed Pegasus mare with a yellow mane, her Cutie Mark bubbles. She had a pair of mailbags hanging off her, and a mail pony's hat on. "Hello, I'm Ditzy Doo…or Derpy Hooves, I don't really mind which," the mare said with a smile. "You already know my daughter Dinky and her friend Pip."

Trixie gasped. "Trixie is sorry! She didn't mean to get them stung by bees!"

"It's alright, I'm not mad, I know it was an accident," the Pegasus replied, good-naturedly. "They just wanted me to take them over on my way home from work."

Trixie blinked. "You mean…you don't hate me?"

Derpy frowned. "What? No! Why would I hate you?"

"But…the town…they booed Trixie off stage and pelted her with rotten tomatoes."

Derpy shook her head. "That was mean. I was in the front row. I heard you say you were sorry," she said. "And I forgive you. If everypony forgave me for accidentally destroying city hall, I can forgive you."

Trixie blinked. "Wait…what?" she asked in a flat voice with a raised eyebrow.

Derpy blushed in embarrassment. "Well…they said they wanted me to put a rain cloud next to city hall…but I ended up with a thunder cloud by mistake…And sometimes I don't know my own strength and I ended up accidentally destroying more of it with my flank…That happens sometimes…Like that one time with the Cyb-wait, the Doctor said not to tell anypony about that…"

"Oh…" said Trixie, still confused, but deciding to move on.

"I agree with momma," said Dinky, rather sweetly. "You're sorry and want to make up for what you did, so I forgive you too."

Pipsqueak gave a nod. "They're right! Princess Luna seemed big and scary when she came to Ponyville, but she turned out to be really nice! She's my favorite princess now!"

Trixie chuckled slightly at the child's excitement. "Trixie is sure that makes her happy…" she said, before giving a bewildered look at the three ponies. "You…you really do forgive me?"

All three nodded. Trixie's eyes teared up.

"T-thank you…Trixie doesn't know what to say," Trixie stated, smiling.

"I'm back and-" Pinkie shouted, hopping in and noticing the scene. She was also wearing a large gift package around her body, swim fins, and big sunglasses and carrying a large amount of balloons. "Aww, I missed cheering up Trixie!"

"Um…sorry?" said Trixie, completely confused and bewildered.

"Nah, it's fine, so long as you're happy!" said Pinkie, pulling off her costume as one solid piece and throwing it away. "So what do we do now? We still need plot resolution!"

"That…that's a good question…" said Twilight, thinking about it. "Trixie may be feeling better, and not everyone in town hates her, but there's still the matter of fixing her public image…"

Trixie sighed, looking down miserably. "And Trixie still failed at every attempt at it…And every attempt to get a job…"

Twilight nodded, the group looking thoughtful. "I know…this reminds me of what happened with me at…Winter Wrap Up!" Twilight exclaimed, a light bulb literally turning on above her head. She then looked behind her to find Spike on her back, replacing said light bulb.

"Sorry, the bulb was burned out," Spike replied, hopping down.

Twilight turned to Trixie. "Trixie, during the Winter Wrap Up, I failed catastrophically at literally everything I tried…"

"That sounds familiar…" said Trixie in a snaky, yet downtrodden tone.

"…until I tried something I was good at!"

"You mean magic?"

"Nope! Organization!"

Trixie blinked. "Ok…but what does this have to do with Trixie's predicament?"

"Trixie, you're failing because you're doing everything except your actual talent! We haven't once tried the things you're really good at!" Twilight exclaimed, ideas forming.

Trixie shook her head. "Wonderful idea, Twilight, but in case you haven't noticed, last time I put on a magic show in Ponyville was what started this whole mess…"

"I'm not talking about a magic show," the purple unicorn replied.

This got several confused looks. "Uh, Twi', ain't that her special talent?" asked Applejack, raising an eyebrow.

"No, stage magic is her special talent," said Twilight. "And there's other things you can use it for, things she has used it for!"

Trixie blinked. "Trixie doesn't follow."

"Listen," said Twilight, seriously. "What part of your original act that earned your mark did the best?"

Trixie looked thoughtful, then gasped. "The story about the Timber Wolves!"

"And you were amazing when you told me about your grandmother's trick, and when you told me and the Crusaders about your Cutie Mark story!" Twilight replied.

"So you sayin' you think Trixie should tell a story to fix things?" asked Applejack, looking somewhat confused.

"Not just any story, be the narrator for a play!" said Twilight.

"That's a brilliant idea!" said Rarity. "You could charge admission and all the profits can go to the ponies who were hurt by the Ursa!"

Trixie looked cautious. "Well…Trixie is decent at telling stories…but Trixie was told those doing public service were forbidden to use magic while doing so…"

Applejack blinked, then looked sympathetic. "Sugercube, sorry to say, but Ah think somepony was pullin' your leg."

"What?"

"Trixie, I've practically memorized Ponyville's law book, and that law doesn't exist," Twilight replied, looking equally confused.

"Yeah, the only time unicorns can't use their magic in Ponyville is durin' Winter Wrap Up, and that's tradition more than anythin'. Looks like somepony with a grudge on yah fed yah some horseapples."

Trixie sighed. "Why is Trixie not surprised," she replied in a snaky tone. "Ok, that's settled, what about the story itself?"

"That's a good question…" said Twilight, thinking about it and looking at the wall of books. "It should be one you know well…"

"What about that old pony's tale about the ponies who stopped that evil centaur Tirak?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking excited. "My mom used to read that to me all the time while I was a kid!"

"Mine too!" Twilight replied, remembering it fondly.

"My Granny Pie taught me how to make oatmeal!" Pinkie exclaimed, getting strange looks. "Oh! And she also told me that story."

"Yeah…mah mom told meh to…" said Applejack, looking rather sad for some reason. The others all nodded in agreement. They'd all heard it.

"As did Trixie's grandmother," Trixie added. "It'd certainly be a fan favorite, and it has action, adventure, and an interesting story…but even if Trixie does the narrations and special effects, we still need actors."

Twilight smiled. "You've got six right here."

"Make that seven," Spike added, smiling.

"Eight!" Derpy added, reminding everypony she was there, Dinky and Pipsqueak.

Trixie smiled, tears in her eyes. "T-thank you…But what's stopping Trixie from being chased offstage before she can even begin?…Again?"

"Trixie, the only thing that can stop that is you, darling," Rarity replied, seriously. "A bully can only get to you if you let them." Fluttershy and Rainbow both nodded as well.

Trixie looked thoughtfully about it…then nodded. "Alright…let's do it…"

Rainbow Dash stepped forwards. "Alright, so we're all agreed…Twilight, can you, Fluttershy, and Rarity bring the Cutie Mark Crusaders to my house later tonight? Before the show? It's kind of important."

The three mares blinked, looking at one another. "Um…sure, I guess…"

"Alright, Rainbow Dash, what seems to be the matter?" asked Rarity, she, Twilight, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle standing in Rainbow's living room thanks to Twilight's cloud walking spell, and Fluttershy flew Scootaloo in and they both joined in.

Rainbow Dash cautiously looked out her windows, making sure no one was there. She then motioned for the others to follow her and lead the way up to her roof. "Alright…" she said, looking around again. It was a cloudy night, but no one in sight. "Me and the girls think someone is trying to ruin Trixie on purpose."

"What?" asked Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy, all looking at each other in shock.

"Show 'em," said Rainbow Dash to the three fillies.

Applebloom handed the pictures to Twilight, who looked over it, then gave a gasp. "That beehive…There's no connection to another branch!"

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Exactly."

"But couldn't the picture have just caught it mid-fall?" asked Rarity, skeptical.

"Don't you think it's weird that everything Trixie tried today failed? And that she fell off a ladder for no reason at all? She's not that clumsy and the ladder wasn't going anywhere," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "It's probably one of the townsponies with a grudge on her."

"Alright, let's assume you're right," said Twilight, serious. The thought someone was intentionally hurting Trixie made her furious, but she was still rational. "What do you think is going to happen next?"

"I think they'll try to ruin Trixie's performance tonight," the loyal Pegasus said. "And we're going to stop them."

The three mares looked at each other, then to Rainbow Dash. "And how do you propose we do that?" asked Rarity.

"Alright, here's the plan…"

Spot brought Checker a flyer as she waited outside the library to see where Trixie was going next, Helping Hoof holding an umbrella over her as it rained. Checker looked it over quickly. "'Charity Performance at Nine PM tonight. Presenting 'Rescue At Midnight Castle', a classic pony tale performed by local ponies. All proceeds go to those who were harmed by the Ursa Minor attack on Ponyville'," Checker read, then gave a cold chuckle. "So that's her plan. Ok boys, we've got a play to ruin."

Chapter 9 Part 2: Making Amends

Trixie was practically hyperventilating. "Alright, lets see. We've got a stage…" she said, looking at the one Miss Cheerilee and the school had loaned her for the show. "We've got actors…Oh! Who's playing Megan?!"

"A local unicorn, Lyra Heartstrings," reported Twilight, Spike on her back going over the checklist. "She likes to walk like a human anyway…" she said, finding the green mare's interest in a mythological species rather strange, but understood how interesting such things could be.

"Ok…Tirak?"

"That's a surprise," said Twilight, giving a rather sly smirk.

"Alright…" said Trixie, trusting her, but wondering just what her friends had managed, considering how well connected they were. "Backdrops?"

"Finished!" chimed in Rarity, concentrating and using a spell to create a rather impressive backdrop of a beautiful valley.

Trixie's jaw dropped. "It's…it's amazing…"

Rarity smiled proudly. "Thank you, darling, I picked up the skill for use in fashion shows, it's come in handy before."

Twilight gave a nod. "She used it for a fashion show we put on for Hoity Toity."

"And it has the advantage of being useful for changing scenes faster," Rarity explained, flipping the backdrop off and on twice to demonstrate.

Trixie nodded appreciatively. "Trixie is grateful…background music?"

"All set!" yelled Pinkie, over at a turn table. She suddenly pulled DJ PON-3 out of nowhere who waved her hoof to signal she was ready.

Trixie's jaw dropped. "You…you got….How…"

"She's my cousin's roommate!" Pinkie cheerfully added, her and the DJ putting on their headphones.

Trixie shook off her surprise and turned to look out the curtains. The growing crowd was under a tarp. "Why did they have to schedule a storm today?"

"Hey, the Pegasi didn't schedule this storm, that tropical storm they made to wash away the damage from Discord is starting to give us rain," said Rainbow Dash. "But it's actually got a few advantages," she said, flying up and kicking a hole in the clouds to let moonlight through as a natural spotlight on the stage, moving around clouds let it be controlled.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash," said Trixie, appreciative as the Pegasus handed off responsibility for that to Derpy.

Trixie blinked, hearing a noise and looking up to see Applejack messing with the pulleys. "Applejack, what are you doing?"

"Just oilin' these pulleys," Applejack replied, testing them slightly, they now made almost no sound at all. "There we go."

Trixie gave a sigh as she came down. "Trixie…Trixie can't thank you all enough for all you're doing…" She seemed a little conflicted as well.

Rainbow Dash put a hoof on her back. "What are friends for?"

Trixie returned the Pegasus' smile. "True…"

"So, where are our costumes?" Rainbow asked, looking around. "I'm sure I'll make a great Firefly, but I don't look anything like her…and I'm not dying my fur pink!"

"No need," said Trixie. "Twilight, did you look up that spell I told you about?"

Twilight nodded, showing her the book. "You never learned it? It's stage magic after all."

"Trixie never wanted to disguise herself before," the mare replied. "But she knew a colt that learned it at a theatre near her home," she continued. After reading it, she nodded to Twilight. "Let's try it."

Trixie concentrated on Twilight while Twilight concentrated on Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash's fur turned pink while her mane and tail turned blue, and Twilight's fur, mane, and tail changed to match her mother's. "It worked!"

Rainbow looked herself over. "What is this?"

"It's a disguise spell used in theatre, it creates a thin magical costume around whoever its used on. It doesn't change body shape or physical features that much, so it won't fool someone for long close up, but on stage you're far enough it won't matter," Trixie explained. "And it's rather fragile, so don't go crashing into too many things or the spell will be broken."

Twilight then applied a sticker matching her character's over her Cutie Mark, giving one to Rainbow Dash as well, hers being two blue lightning bolts. "And celebrities use these to disguise themselves all the time."

"This is awesome!" said Rainbow, though a little annoyed she was pink, she had to admit it was cool.

Twilight simply handed Applejack a sticker of six apples for a Cutie Mark and changed her mane style, putting a blue bow on her tail. "Your character looks like you anyway."

"Yeah…" said Applejack, putting the sticker on and taking her hat off, gently putting it in a safe place. She looked herself over and appeared somewhat sad.

"Speaking of costume changes…Before we give the other actors their costumes," said Rarity with a smile, taking out a gift wrapped box. "Our master of ceremonies needs hers."

Trixie's eyes went wide. "F-for Trixie?" she asked, slowly taking it and opening it to find a new hat and cape, perfectly folded. They resembled her old ones, but the color was now a deep blue, the stars golden, and golden trim at the edges, the interior was still purple, however. "It's…it's beautiful…Rarity…Trixie…I don't…"

"Don't say anything dear, it's a gift," Rarity replied, giving a smile.

"And one last touch," said Twilight, floating Trixie's gem up and putting it with the rest of the costume. "Your grandmother said it was a good luck charm, right?"

Trixie gave a small smile and nodded, tears in her eyes for the third time today. "…Thank you…"

"Group hug!" yelled Pinkie, one following instantly.

"Now, go get dressed, and put the costumes on the others, we've got a show to do," Twilight said, smiling.

Trixie nodded and headed off to do just that. Rainbow looked to Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight, as well as the CMC as they snuck up. "Everything ready?" she whispered, seriously.

Twilight nodded. "Ready."

"My animals are in position…" Fluttershy whispered, giving a serious look. Her friend needed her, and everypony knew what that brought out in the timid Pegasus. She pointed up, showing some birds in the rafters saluting.

"None shall pass!" Rarity added in an overly dramatic whisper. "Without a backstage pass."

"We set the booby-traps," the CMC added, smirking together.

"Alright, and lets keep Trixie in the dark if we can, the last thing she needs right now is this stressing her out more than she is," said Twilight, getting nods.

"Let's go," said Rainbow, smirking.

"YEAH! CUTIE MARK CRU-"

The three were shushed and then all three blushed.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Bodyguards, yay!" said the three in a hushed voice, the group high hoofing.

Checker stood in the crowd with her cloak on, watching events unfold with an umbrella at her side. "Oh Trixie, won't you ever learn?" she asked, smirking as she hid the rotten tomatoes she'd brought.

A small fireworks explosion went off on stage, Trixie appearing in her new outfit. Checker's eyes widened for a second when she saw the gem around her sister's neck. "That gem Helena decided I didn't deserve? I thought she'd lost it…" she growled, thinly veiled jealousy in her tone.

"Hello, Ponyvile! The Gre-…Trixie, asks, are you ready to hear a story?!" she announced, in a fittingly hammy fashion. She heard some booing come from somewhere in the audience, but did her best to ignore it. "And Trixie knows it shall surprise many of you, but the story is not about Trixie at all," Trixie announced, right over the boos

"What?" asked Checker, blinking in surprise, both at Trixie not giving any heed at all to the booing and at Trixie's cheerful announcement that the performance had nothing to do about her.

"Nor is Trixie going to challenge ponies onstage and publicly humiliate them, she no longer does that," the show mare explained. "And apologizes for ever doing so."

"Get off the stage!" Checker yelled, using the high pitched voice she'd used before to hide herself. Several joined her.

Trixie just ignored the insults, even if it hurt to hear. "Instead, Trixie shall dazzle you! Dazzle you with an amazing! Tale! Of! Adventure!" she shouted, fireworks going off.

Checker growled and launched a rotten tomato at her sister, only, to her surprise, to find it caught telekinetically in midair by the mare. Checker cringed, expecting it to be launched right back at her, but Trixie merely set it down where it wouldn't be in the way as if nothing had happened. The insidious mare could only watch dumbfounded. "She…she doesn't care? That's impossible…I broke her…She was a complete wreck…how can she not care?!" Checker muttered, fury rising in her eyes.

"And do remember, all proceeds go to the victims of the Ursa minor attacks," Trixie announced, then became solemn. "Before we begin…Trixie would like to say what she wanted to yesterday…"

Checker snorted hot air out of her nose. "No…" she whispered, picking up more tomatoes. "Like I'll let you…" she growled.

Checker threw all the tomatoes at her sister that her telekinesis could manage.

Twilight, who was waiting behind the curtain, saw the incoming tomatoes and concentrated, a pink energy field forming in front of Trixie, blocking them.

Trixie looked over and gave a kind smile in Twilight's direction, before turning back to the audience, taking off her hat and holding it to her chest. "Trixie…Trixie is honestly and sincerely sorry…She lied…and because she lied, a disaster befell your town…Trixie knows apologizing doesn't make things right but…I apologize…I'm sorry and I hope someday you'll be able to forgive me…"

This got gasps of surprise from the crowd, and looks of guilt from some…and absolute fury from one mare.

Checker snarled, stomping off.

Trixie put the hat back on as Twilight lowered the barrier. "Now, Trixie is proud to present for your viewing pleasure; Rescue From Midnight Castle!" she announced, causing several fireworks to go off.

She walked over to the side of the stage, out of the way of the performance, then looked over to the stage proper, using her magic to present an image of a valley with a rainbow over it. "Long ago, before the Princesses ruled, before Discord, before Equestria was ever founded, it was known as Dream Valley. In this beautiful, magical place, ponies frolicked and played together. It was a time of peace."

The curtain opened silently (thanks to Applejack's oiling) to reveal Rarity's carefully created illusionary backdrop as Trixie's faded perfectly into it, 'Firefly' and another Pegasus, simply a background actor, riding a rainbow down into a pond.

Checker took her hood off, her mane messed up even more now, as she walked up to the Diamond Dogs, holding her umbrella over her. "Get backstage."

"What?" asked Rover, confused.

"Get backstage and do…do something to ruin that play," stated the mare, her normal icy tone slipping and showing a hint of anger.

"What pony want us-"

"Anything!" yelled the mare suddenly, sending the Diamond Dogs running off full speed to follow her orders.

Helping Hoof was shocked to see Checker losing her cool. He'd never imagined she'd see something like this out of her, even after her outburst earlier. He looked aside in thought, not caring he was soaked…Until he noticed something on his flank and gasped. He slowly snuck off.

"And all was good in Dream Valley," Trixie announced, after several minutes of nothing more than ponies frolicking to show what Dream Valley was like. "That is until an evil set his sights upon this wonderful place," she said, taking out some green dust and throwing it into the air, where it took the shape of a flock of roaring dragon-like monsters, getting screams from the crowd. "The evil Centaur Tirak sent his monsters, called Stratodons, to kidnap the ponies for his nefarious purposes!" Trixie announced, in the most ominous fashion she could manage as Derpy covered the natural spotlight, and the lights were dimmed by the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders Tech Crew' to add to the scene.

The Diamond Dogs came back to Checker, who was simply setting under her umbrella waiting. "Well?"

"Whining Pony guarding back door!" Spot said, clearly afraid of Rarity.

Checker sighed, taking out three sets of ear plugs. "Here, these will protect you from the mean pony, now go," she ordered, practically shoving them in their ears before sending them running off again.

Rarity was standing where she could see the stage and change her illusions if prompted, but also see the back entrance to the stage. As she peeked back at the stage, she heard footsteps and looked to see Rover standing not far away from her, flanked by his pack mates. "You?! You're the ones trying to ruin Trixie?!"

"If pony no make pictures, show no work," said Rover, smirking. "We stop pony from making pictures!"

Rarity chuckled. "I know exactly how to handle you three," she said, smirking. "Oh! What will we do?! You're going to ruin the show and make Trixie a laughingstock! You're so mean!" whined Rarity in the most annoying, high-pitched fashion she possibly could.

"That no work this time, pony," stated Fido, grabbing her by the hoof. "Pony come with us." Fido's eyes widened in response to the glare the mare shot him.

"HIYA!" yelled Rarity, Fido suddenly found himself flipped by the arm and sent crashing into a row of boxes. The other two just stared at the mare as she flipped her hair. "Unfortunately for you three, I'm no one trick pony," she said, then glared and took a martial arts type pose. "Now get out of here, before I make you get out! And never bother Trixie again!"

"Girly pony no take all three of us," said Rover as Fido got back up.

"Girly?! I am not girly! I am ladylike!" Rarity announced in anger. "It. Is. On."

Martial arts yells and the sounds of crashing and hits rang out, thankfully during a fight scene with Tirak's Stratodons.

The Diamond Dogs were sent yelping out of the back of the theatre, Rarity following after them a second later. "And don't you dare bother Trixie ever again!" she yelled, shaking a hoof. She turned her nose up in a snooty manner and slammed the door as she returned to her post.

"You got beaten down by a fashionista?!" yelled Checker in disbelief, tearing the ear plugs out of the Diamond Dog's ears.

"But she tough!" replied Rover, putting a bag of ice over his black eye.

Checker snarled, looking at her chessboard. "Fine! Then go under the stage and pull the actors down! Or…Or destroy the stage supports! Or something! Anything you fools!" she yelled, sending them running off. She looked around. "Where is that worthless Helping Hoof anyway?!"

Rainbow Dash looked out as 'Tirak' fired off his 'rainbow of darkness' (actually just some black and grey streamers manipulated via telekinesis) to transform captured ponies into dragons, which was accomplished by Trixie letting off explosions to cover them switching out and throwing her dust to make dragon-like creatures appear. Rainbow Dash then turned to Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo (Apple Bloom was onstage), and Fluttershy. "Ok, so did you and Fluttershy set up something under the stage?"

"Yep!" exclaimed Scootaloo. Fluttershy nodded as well.

"Good," said Rainbow Dash, giving a smirk. "If those Diamond Dogs try to stop the show from under the stage, then they're in for a big surprise."

"Ugh!" groaned Checker, covering her nose and coughing as the tree sap and feather covered Diamond Dogs returned, having apparently also been sprayed by a skunk. "What…how?! How did you even manage for this to happen to you?!" she yelled, an unhinged look in her eyes as her mane and tail were nearly completely disordered.

"They had booby-traps…" said Spot, stepping forwards to reveal mousetraps on his hind paws. Spot had two on his ears and Rover was practically covered in them.

Checker snarled in rage, barely any of her normal composed persona remaining. "I am surrounded by idiots! Helping Hoof!" she yelled, looking for him. "Helping Hoof come here right now!" she screamed, then realized he wasn't there.

She looked back to the stage, snarling furiously.

"Oh! This is my favorite part!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, sitting next to DJ PON-3 backstage as they managed the background music. She took a deep breath and lipped 'Tirak's' next line.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" yelled 'Tirak' as the 'Rainbow of Light' (once more a group of ribbons carefully manipulated via telekinesis) surrounded him and his chariot. He roared in fury as he was hidden from sight.

Trixie waited, rather curious as to where the chariot had come from, but once she saw the glow of the actor teleporting away, she set off the biggest multicolored fireworks display she possibly could to signal 'Tirak's demise'.

Checker was suddenly calm and collected again as the crowd applauded the display, but hate was plain as day in her still somewhat unhinged eyes. "Enjoy your victory now, Trixie," she said, coldly and meticulously. "Because tonight, I tear you to shreds…" she said, stomping off.

The Diamond Dogs looked at each other in surprise, then did their best to follow her, considering the mouse traps.

"And with Tirak defeated, and his victims restored, peace returned to Ponyland! And all was as it should be!" Trixie announced. "Thanks to the brave Megan and her friends!"

Applause rang out, not boos (ok, a few), not yells of hate, but applause. Trixie could only watch in amazement as her friends came forwards to take a bow. Twilight urged her to do the same and she did. She then watched 'Tirak' step forwards and bow, before 'he' lit up white and slowly changed into a form Trixie did NOT see coming.

"P-Pr-Princess L-Luna?!" asked Trixie, completely dumbfounded as her jaw dropped almost to the ground, before remembering to bow. "W-what are you doing here?!"

Luna smiled. "Twilight Sparkle invited my sister and I to the play. Celestia sadly could not make it, but I hath always enjoyed theatre, and offered to play Tirak. It hath been centuries since I hath played a part in a play, and I must say, that was quite fun," she stated, in a manner not unlike Twilight describing anything science and/or book related. "Thou must be Trixie, I hath seen your last letter to my sister."

Pip ran up to Luna, who seemed very happy to see him.

"T-Trixie needs to lay down now…" muttered Trixie, doing an overly dramatic faint. Rarity provided a couch for her to land on.

"Dear Princess Celestia;

Tonight I learned a valuable lesson. Alone, it's easy to give up on yourself. When things look down, and no pony is there to support you, you'll crumble under what life puts on top of you…But when you have friends, they're holding it up right there with you…

Trixie Lulamoon Midsummer."

"Your middle name is Lulamoon?" asked Spike, blinking.

"Yes," said Trixie, nodding. "Trixie has gone by Lulamoon, or Trixie Lulamoon as stage names, but it is her middle name."

Trixie then looked conflicted. "Twilight…Trixie had a wonderful time at the play…It made her so happy to be able to make the crowd applause, and to give back to those she hurt before…But…"

"Yes, Trixie?" asked Twilight, looking up at her.

"…Nothing…nothing…" said Trixie, then smiled. "And we even earned enough money for all those ponies the Ursa hurt! You all were excellent," she said. "You are born actors."

"Thanks," Twilight replied, smiling. "We played in the Canterlot Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant," she explained. "Glad we could he-I mean glad we could play in the show."

Trixie frowned a little, but nodded. "Yes…Trixie is glad you were there…" she said, looking even more conflicted. She then yawned. "Well, Trixie has a job at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow, so we'd best get some sleep."

Twilight nodded, noticing the conflicted look, but deciding that should be a bridge to be crossed when it came to it. "Alright…good night Trixie."

"Goodnight Twilight, goodnight Spike…"

Checker approached the library, ruined mane hangin in front of her face, her hoof steps methodical as she continued on. The Diamond Dogs, having washed off, followed her cautiously, holding her umbrella over her.

Checker's eyes looked up at the window and she cast the spell.

Trixie looked around slowly, finding herself on her old stage, in front of the entire crowd. "This is…"

"Trixie is glad you remember it," said a voice, HER voice.

Trixie's eyes widened as she turned to see herself. Complete with all her old stage gear. The other her sneered at her with a smirk…but it was the eyes that scared her. Not because they reminded her so much of her sister's eyes…but because she saw them on her body.

"Do you have what it takes to take on the Great and Powerful Trixie?!" the other Trixie announced dramatically, fireworks going off.

Trixie backed up in fear. "This has to be a dream…it has to be…" she muttered, trying to concentrate and alter it…and nothing happened. "Why isn't it working?!"

Checker smirked behind the mask of her sister's old self. Normally they'd be evenly matched, but with Trixie's mental state as it was, Checker was stronger.

"Because Trixie is Trixie too, or did you forget that you weak little foal?" asked Checker, approaching Trixie.

"Get away…get away from me!" Trixie yelled, trying to use an explosion of fireworks to escape.

Checker's horn lit up, but was hidden under her hat. The smoke, instead of going outwards, surged back into Trixie's face. Trixie coughed and hacked, sinking to her knees until Checker let the smoke dissipate.

"Did you forget? Anything you can do, Trixie can do better!" Checker stated, smirking. "Not that it's hard to do it better than a weakling like you."

The crowd laughed.

"Trixie…T-Trixie isn't weak!" Trixie yelled, getting to her hooves.

Checker laughed. "Really? What about all the help you've accepted recently?"

Trixie shook her head desperately. "N-no! T-Trixie hasn't accepted any help!"

"Oh really? Being taken in by Twilight Sparkle?"

"T-Trixie was just letting a f-favor be repaid!"

"And letting them give you jobs?"

"T-Trixie…T-Trixie needed work!"

"And what about letting them help you in that play you put on?"

"T-Trixie…Trixie….I don't know!"

Checker got in Trixie's face. "Face it, you've done nothing but accept help from others. You're nothing but a little foal who needs somepony to hold her hoof to do anything right."

Trixie backed up, tears streaming down her face. "Stop…I'm not…I don't…"

"When you were the Great and Powerful Trixie, you didn't need any help at all. Now that you've gone soft, you can't do anything without help," Checker continued, Trixie sinking to her knees, looking up into her face. "You're a failure! You can't even pick up garbage by yourself."

"Failure! Failure! Failure!" chanted the crowd, over and over.

"N-no…N-no! I'm not a failure!" Trixie yelled, curling into a ball and covering her ears with her hooves, crying her eyes out, reverting back to a filly as she did so.

"You're a disgrace to the Monarch name! The Great and Powerful Trixie was so much better than you!" Checker stated. "You should have listened to your sister, then you wouldn't have become the worthless waste you are now! You're weak, you'll always be weak!"

"I'm not weak…I'm not…" sobbed Trixie, wanting to be anywhere but here, ANYWHERE! But nothing happened, nothing changed! Trixie's colors began to dull more…

"Just like your weak, pathetic grandmother."

Trixie gasped. "…You're…you're right…"

"Of course the Great and Powerful Trixie was, was there ever any doubt?"

Trixie rose back to her hooves, growing back to her adult self, colors returning. Realization gleamed in her eyes. "Trixie is like her grandmother! But neither of us are weak!"

"What?!" asked Checker, staggering back.

Trixie's new costume manifested on her. She ripped the gem off the Great and Powerful Trixie's cape and put it on her own. "Anything Trixie can do the Great and Powerful Trixie can do better? Well how about this? Trixie is going to tell you a story."

"Stop it! You're not supposed to…"

Trixie glared her mirror in the eye. "There once was a little filly. She loved her grandmother very much. But her father's beliefs were different than her grandmothers, and her sister filled her head with ideas. Ideas that painted her beloved grandmother as a weak fool. And the filly was foolish enough to believe it. Foolish enough to listen to somepony who always wanted to hurt her. And foolish enough to disown the one pony she loved more than anything else. That filly grew up into a selfish, narcissistic mare who's only joy came from humiliating others."

Checker staggered back again, but Trixie didn't give her any breathing room.

"Then that mare lost everything due to her own lies. And her family turned their backs on her…But then she found friendship. She found ponies who would help her through thick and thin. A unicorn who gave her a home when she needed it."

Twilight suddenly appeared next to Trixie, smiling to her friend, Checker gasped. "But how…You shouldn't be able to-"

"A unicorn and an Earth Pony who gave her forgiveness. A Pegasus who's kindness tore away the lies that had blinded her for so long." Trixie continued, being flanked by Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy. "Three little fillies who gave her friendship Who gave her something she could fight for," the Cutie Mark Crusaders appeared at Trixie's hooves. "An Earth Pony who made her laugh when she was hurt. A Pegasus who finally forgave her. And comforted her when she was at her lowest. And a baby dragon who opened his heart to her when he realized how alike they were," Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike now joined the group. Derpy, Ditzy, and Pip appeared as well.

"This can't be happening! You can't be doing this!" yelled Checker in complete disbelief. "You can't overpower ME! Not here! I NEVER lose here!" But it was true. As much as Checker tried to will the friends away…they just wouldn't vanish. Checker couldn't do anything. She was…powerless. A nightmare had become a dream, and a dream had become a nightmare.

"And that mare finally managed to grow! To break free of the thing she'd let herself be molded into!" Trixie yelled, glaring Checker in the face and driving her back further, her friends by her side. "Yes, she accepted help! Yes, she became a kinder pony! But she was ANYTHING but weak! And finally saw that her grandmother was as well!"

Helena Midsummer manifested behind Trixie, a gentle hoof on her back. "No…not you…" Checker muttered, looking in shock. The insidious mare swore their grandmother was looking at her in sad disappointment.

"Trixie is Trixie! Trixie is her own mare! Not her father's! Not her sister's! And is most definitely not YOU!" the unicorn shouted, Checker driven to the edge of the stage with a gasp.

"Trixie isn't you anymore! Trixie will NEVER be you again! And she will NOT be her sister! She may have headed that way once, but not now! And never again! So the Great and Powerful Trixie?" Trixie asked, giving a smirk. "Farewell!"

Checker screamed as she finally lost her balance and fell backwards off the stage, and kept falling, plummeting into a black abyss.

And Trixie turned into the embrace of her friends and grandmother.

Trixie rolled over in her sleep, a smile on her face and a joyful tear running down her cheek. Where her fur had dulled earlier regained its color.

Checker gasped, launching out of her nightmare in a cold sweat and panting. Her own personal nightmare. "It's…it's not possible…She…she beat me?" Checker asked, head down in disbelief. "Trixie…beat me? She beat me…in the world of dreams? This can't…this can't be happening…"

She slowly walked back to the hill top and set down, looking over the town, Rover holding her umbrella.

Helping Hoof ran up. "I'm so sorry, I had to tend to something, and you were gone when I got back," he pleaded…then noticed Checker's state.

"Trixie…beat…me…She beat me…" Checker repeated, Helping Hoof and the dogs couldn't see her face.

"Miss…Miss Monarch?" asked Helping Hoof. He slowly approached and put a hoof on her shoulder.

Checker snapped around, looking him the eyes…and at that moment, he saw something snap in those eyes as lightning flashed.

Helping Hoof staggered back in terror, as did the Diamond Dogs, the umbrella flying away in the wind. "Well well well, what have we here?" Checker asked, her eyes completely unhinged, her mane and tail hanging limp and frazzled. She moved more like a wild animal than a civilized pony. "Where have you been, Helping Hoof?" she asked, keeping a calm monotone.

"I-I just had to replace my…you know…" said Helping Hoof, looking horrified by this change, the Dogs were cowering.

"Well guess what?" Checker said, snorting hot air out of her nose. "You're not leaving my sight again until Trixie is ruined! Do you hear me?!" the mare yelled, losing the monotone, instead her voice alternating between her normal speech and the high pitched tone.

Helping Hoof nodded desperately. "Miss Monarch…I think you might be suffering from a slight case of…of Cutie Mark Failure Ins-"

"Of what?!" yelled Checker, putting her horn to his throat. "I'm NOT a failure! I didn't FAIL at anything! And don't you EVER say that again!" she yelled, her voice still alternating erratically as she screamed.

Checker turned, letting Helping Hoof fall on his flank in terror. The mare turned back to the town, looking it over with an almost predatory look. Her eyes settled on Canterlot in the distance, then back to Ponyville, staring through her wet, ruined mane. "A town in Canterlot's shadow…" she muttered, once more in the calm monotone. She then got a maniac smirk on her face. Slowly, she started to chuckle. Not her normal, cold chuckle, but a completely unhinged chuckle.

The red on her Cutie Mark began to run off as rain continued pouring, revealing a black heart in place of a red one.

Rover looked over Helping Hoof's shoulder, cowering in fear. "What happened to Pony?"

Helping Hoof looked at Rover. "I…I don't think anything happened to her…I think this is her true face…"

Chapter 10: Checkmate Part 1- Endgame

“I am not finished yet
On that much you can bet.
Not even close.
Now I know what to do.
To get to you
I will go through those you love most.”

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“Well, Rainbow Dash…” Spitfire said, as the young Pegasus ended her audition for the Wonderbolts.

“Yes?!” asked Rainbow Dash, with baited breath. Still…she swore something was off about Spitfire’s eyes…something seemed wrong…missing. But who cared! It was the moment she’d waited for her entire life!

“You did not make the cut, not even close.”

Rainbow Dash’s face fell. “W-what?”

Spitfire actually snickered. “Yep, worst tryout we have ever seen.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes teared up. “B-but…”

“In fact, it was so horrible, we will likely reject all future applications from you, sorry!”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Trixie, you think you’ve won?
You think I am so easily undone?
Did you forget I am master of your fate?
You are about to see.
How little you know of me.
As I prepare for checkmate.”
---------
“And here is my greatest design!” said Rarity, proudly, showing Fancypants an amazingly beautiful dress. The dress of her dreams.

Fancypants looked it over carefully. “Hmm…”

“Yes?” asked Rarity, craving his opinion. He was the one who’s word could make or break her designs with his sway in Canterlot, and he was her friend after all. Still…his eyes just seemed off…something was wrong about them.

“Well…I do not love it…”

Rarity’s face fell. “You…you don’t like it?”

“I would not say I hate it…but it just seems amateurish and…not good. Not good at all.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I will admit it may come at a price.
I will know what to be precise,
When you have nothing left at all!
What it takes to close my snare,
Is something I no longer care!
So long as you take the fall!”
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“What…what do you mean?” asked Fluttershy, watching her animals be taken away from her home by animal control.

“Sorry, miss, but we have decided that you are a very poor caretaker,” said the animal control officer. Her eyes…they made Fluttershy feel scared. “These animals would be better off with someone who can take care of them properly.”

“No…don’t take them away!” Fluttershy screamed, tears in her eyes as she held desperately onto Angel’s cage. “I’d never neglect my friends! Give me another chance!”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Yes, I’ve realized now!
It doesn’t matter how,
I reduce you to that state!
It’s all I want, my pet!
And what I want, I get!
So long as I can say checkmate!”
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“What…what do you mean foreclosed?!” asked Applejack, in complete shock.

“Sorry, lady, I do not make the laws, I just carry them out,” said the official looking pony. Applejack shivered when she looked in her eyes. “You didn’t pay up, so Sweet Apple Acres is being foreclosed on, simple as that.”

Applejack sunk to her flanks, tears in her eyes. “No…this…this can’t be happenin‘…”

“Oh, and we’ve already got two bidders, they said their names are the Flim Flam Brothers,” said another official pony with the first. He didn’t have the same eyes…
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“No matter who must be hurt!
No matter how much force I must exert!
So long as it ends with me in control,
It will be worth it in the end!
Victory is just around the bend!
I can feel it in my soul!”
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“N-no…” said Pinkie, hair straight as an arrow as she watched the Cakes put closed signs up on Sugar Cube Corner, both crying. Pumpkin and Pound hung off her crying their eyes out.

“How could this happen?” asked Pinkie, tears running down her face.

“Sorry, Pinkie…we just could not keep up with that new business that moved in…” said Mrs. Cake…Pinkie didn’t like how her eyes looked.

“Looks like you’ll have to move back to the rock farm with Ma and Pa Pie,” Mr. Cake said with a sigh…his eyes looked normal.

“No…I…I don’t want to leave my friends!”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight watched all of this, helpless to stop any of it.

Checker gave a demented chuckle to herself, leaving Twilight’s dream and turning around. “That is the last dream for tonight,” she said, giving a maniac smile. “The best way to make someone’s worst nightmare come true is to bring their worst fear to life, then let their minds do the rest,” she stated, then looked to her followers. “Come, Helping Hoof, Diamond Dogs,” she said in that deranged monotone. “I think tomorrow, this town gets to meet Checker Monarch in the flesh.”

“Tomorrow I make my final play…
Yes, tomorrow is the day…
I have set the date…
All the pieces fall into place…
And when it ends with your disgrace…

It will be. Check. And. Mate…” Checker sung slowly as she trotted off, Helping Hoof and the Diamond Dogs following behind.

Wait. “This isn’t real,” said Twilight, noticing something. “Spitfire is a friend of Rainbow Dash, and I know her, there’s no way she’d be that cruel. Animal control wouldn’t take all of Fluttershy’s animals, she’s a licensed animal care specialist and respected by the local vets, she‘s done nothing wrong. Fancypants isn’t a fashion critic, and he found that simple dress Rarity made me charming. Sweet Apple Acres doesn’t even owe a mortgage. It was given to the Apples by Princess Celestia herself. Not to mention she and Fluttershy would’ve both gotten warnings first. And competition in Ponyville isn’t heavy enough for Sugar Cube Corner to be run out of business, there is no new business in town. This is a dream,” she stated, everything freezing and becoming a perfectly normal day as she took control over it.

Twilight stood in the kitchen, cooking up breakfast. She normally just made something quick, but she felt after the day she’d had yesterday, Trixie deserved a big breakfast. She was proud of her friend, the showmare had certainly came a long way since it all started.

“Good morning, Twilight Sparkle,” said Trixie, in a rather pleasant tone.

Twilight smiled, turning to see Trixie, who looked rather happy. “Morning Trixie, making breakfast.”

Trixie nodded, then gave a blink. “Wait…this place has a kitchen?” she asked, having not actually noticed before now.

“And a lab,” Spike said, eating some gems for breakfast.

“A laboratory?” asked Trixie, blinking again, then giving Twilight a look.

“Yeah, in the basement,” Twilight stated cheerily as she flipped a pancake.

Trixie shook it off. “Trixie understands…So, to Sugar Cube Corner today?”

Twilight nodded. “With Pinkie Pie. But that’s not for an hour or so….” she said, then looked thoughtful. “Hey Trixie…could you maybe teach me that firework spell you know?”

Trixie blinked in shock. “You…you want Trixie to teach you?”

Twilight nodded with a smile. “Most of what I can do is stuff I’ve learned. All having Magic as my special talent means is I’ve got larger magic reserves and can learn more spells and more powerful spells than most unicorns, it doesn’t mean I instantly know every spell. And half my training with Celestia was conditioning my horn to be able to handle my magic, which took a lot longer than it would for most.”

Trixie nodded slowly. She knew unicorns typically had more magic reserves than they could safely use. It was the same principle as how muscles were typically far stronger than they typically appeared because they could damage themselves otherwise. Put too much stress on the horn with a powerful spell for too long of a period and it could crack, or even break. Thankfully, as with muscles, most had built in limitations to prevent this. Still, many unicorns neglected that part of training and hurt themselves.

“Alright…Trixie shall teach you…”

“My, that was a wonderful vacation,” said an elderly unicorn mare as she arrived at her home in Hoofington. She was dark blue in color with a long white mane and tail, having vibrant purple eyes. Her Cutie Mark was of comedy and tragedy theater masks, comedy overlapping tragedy. She wasn’t nearly as old as Granny Smith, but still her age showed somewhat. She still seemed to be in very good physical condition and took good care of herself. She had various Zebra trinkets on her, as well as two suitcases.

“Zebrafica is always lovely this time of year, the locals are so inviting,” she remarked, smiling widely as she unlocked the door. Walking in, she found a scroll laying on the floor. “Hmm, what’s this?” she asked, lifting it up with a cheery yellow aura and opening it. She then gasped reading it, slowly tears of joy forming in her eyes. “Trixie…”

“M-Miss Monarch?” asked Helping Hoof, trembling before the demented mare.

“Yes, Helping Hoof?” asked Checker, getting her mane and tail back in order, but keeping the same monotone she’d had since the night before. She was also wearing business pants that matched the rest of her outfit, to look more professional.

“T-The board of directors replied to your letter,” the stallion replied, floating the letter over to her.

“’Dear Miss Monarch;

We have examined your proposal and find your idea another stroke of brilliance. We will be in Ponyville tomorrow for your presentation, but we’re sure you’ve chosen wisely.

Monarch Incorporated Board of Directors,’” Checker read, giving another deranged smirk. “Perfect…” she stated, turning around and looking in a mirror held up by Rover. She seemed to focus, managing to give what appeared for all intents to be a genuine smile. “How do I look?” she asked, her voice sounding almost perfectly normal, but still with a coldness if one listened closely.

“P-perfect, Miss Monarch…” Helping Hoof replied, giving a shudder. If there was one thing that had always scared him about Checker was how she could hide her true nature under a façade when she wanted to, naturally a manipulator wouldn’t be a manipulator if she couldn’t. Even now while unhinged as she was, she could do it and it disturbed him. “T-The meeting with Mayor Mare is all set up.”

Twilight concentrated, setting off a few small scale fireworks around her. “Good job, Twilight, not perfect, but good for a first try,” Trixie said, giving a genuine smile. “Now, watch Trixie!” she announced, in her normal dramatic fashion, which she was using a bit more frequently now. Twilight didn’t think she was hiding anything anymore, it felt like Trixie seemed to enjoy being dramatic now instead of just using it as a shell.

“The key to good fireworks is letting the spell grow in one spot, then letting out all at once!” Trixie announced, setting off several. When they settled, she gave a dramatic bow. The two were outside of Ponyville, so as not to disturb anyone. Thankfully the rain had let up for now.

Twilight nodded, concentrating and getting a fairly good sized firework blast.

Trixie gave some applause and motioned for Twilight to bow. “Masterfully done, Twilight Sparkle, you’re a natural.”

“Thanks…you’re a good teacher,” the purple unicorn replied, giving a theater like bow. “I mean it.”

“You flatter Trixie,” Trixie replied, feigning shyness, but clearly appreciative.

Twilight smiled. It felt good to see Trixie genuinely happy.

“I think I’ve seen quite enough, Miss Monarch,” said Mayor Mare, looking over the diagrams the businessmare had supplied. “It’s just like your letter said, this would bring a lot of money to Ponyville,” she stated, putting a stamp of approval on the papers for the presentation the next day. It’d already been set up, all this meeting was to do was finalize it.

Checker had Helping Hoof pack up. “A pleasure doing business with you, Mayor Mare,” she said, giving a small bow and shaking the Mayor‘s hoof. “I am sure this will be wonderful for Ponyville.” Checker then left with her assistant.

Mayor Mare noticed something a little off in the mare’s voice, but didn’t find anything particularly wrong with her otherwise. Though she wondered why the mare wore sunglasses on a cloudy day.

Trixie and Twilight walked through town towards Sugar Cube Corner, Spike now riding on Twilight‘s back. A few ponies still glared at the unicorn, but some complimented her on the show and most were civil. “Well, Trixie still has work to do, but she’s pleased to see she’s made progress with the townsfolk,” she stated, having a spring in her step that was missing before.

“Well, you most certainly earned it, Trixie,” Twilight replied with a bright smile.

Trixie nodded. “Trixie knows…It was not easy…and Trixie couldn’t have done it alone…Thank you…” she said, looking genuinely timid as she said it, though awkward would be a better term. She was clearly not used to showing her emotions genuinely.

Spike smiled, looking over at the mare. “Hey, what are friends for?”

Trixie nodded. “Trixie knows that well now. She just sincerely wishes it hadn‘t taken so long to get it through her thick skull.”

Twilight looked up, seeing a rainbow haired Pegasus practicing some stunts. “Hey there Rainbow!”

Rainbow Dash looked down and saluted to them. “Hey girls,” she said, flying down and landing next to them. Twilight noticed bags under Rainbow’s eyes, and she looked a little uncertain. That worried Twilight a little.

Checker watched from an ally, her demented eyes watching events. She gave a crazed smirk and carefully moved a small disk underneath Rainbow Dash with telekinesis.

“…Is something wrong, Rainbow Dash?” asked Trixie, with a rather concerned expression.

“Nah…everything’s fine, just fine…” said Rainbow, avoiding eye contact. “Hey…Do you think my stunts are good? I mean of course I know they’re awesome, but I want a second opinion.”

Twilight frowned, her dream from the night before coming to her mind. “You’re amazing, Rainbow Dash. You won the Best Young Fliers Competition, can clear the sky in ten seconds flat, and saved three of the Wonderbolts and Rarity from falling to their doom by performing a supposedly impossible Sonic Rainboom. I can’t think of a lot of other pegasi who can say that.”

“Why do you even ask, Rainbow?” Trixie asked in a concerned tone. She honestly wasn’t surprised that Rainbow had done all of that anymore. “Was there ever any doubt?” she stated, her tone praising and a friendly smile on her face.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Oh, no reason,” the Pegasus replied, seeming a bit reassured and in better spirits.

Trixie smiled lightly, glad Rainbow had been given a confidence boost. It felt good to help a friend, and she wasn‘t afraid to admit it anymore. She then looked up and saw lightning flash once or twice in the clouds. Something seemed strange…

“I was just practicing-”

“Look out!” Trixie suddenly yelled, tackling Rainbow Dash out of the way of a lightning bolt.

Rainbow Dash stared wide-eyed at the scorched ground she had been standing on just a few seconds ago, panting from surprise.

“Rainbow Dash, are you alright?!” asked Twilight, running over, looking absolutely panicked. That wasn’t the kind of lightning Trixie had struck her with before or the shock Derpy had gotten from that lightning cloud; this was lightning like the kind that had blasted a tree in half at her slumber party. Sure, Rainbow Dash was a Pegasus, so she was resistant to lightning, but a direct hit…

Trixie looked at Rainbow Dash in concern. “Yes, are you alright?”

Rainbow Dash got up and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks to Trixie…” she said, but looked suspiciously at the place the lightning had hit.

“Rainbow Dash…Trixie would recommend not practicing right now,” said Trixie, looking concerned at the Pegasus.

Twilight nodded, worriedly. “She’s right. The rain may have let up, but the storm is still dangerous. You‘d better get indoors.”

Rainbow Dash nodded cautiously. “Yeah, good idea…Well, see you girls later, and thanks for the save, Trix. I owe you big time!”

Trixie chuckled at the nickname. “What ever else are friends for?”

Trixie then looked to Twilight once Rainbow Dash had flown safely back to her home. “Twilight…was Rainbow Dash…not confident?”

Twilight nodded. “I think so…but that’s actually not as hard to believe as it sounds. Rainbow Dash may be a proud pony, but it wouldn’t be the first time she’s needed some reassurance about her flying abilities.” Still, Twilight couldn’t help feeling uneasy. And seeing her friend nearly hit by lightning had put her on edge.

Checker gave a maniacal chuckle, taking out a small metal disk like the one she‘d slipped under Rainbow Dash, before putting it away. “All according to plan…” she said in monotone, then snarled. “That’s what you get for not following orders before, you stupid pawn!” she growled in an alternating voice. She then slowly turned and walking back to the alley were Helping Hoof and the Diamond Dogs were waiting. “We have got work to do,” she stated in a monotone. The four hadn’t seen the act she’d just committed, but had an uneasy feeling.

“Hello, Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight, as the group walked into Sugar Cube Corner. “How are you today?”

Trixie blinked, watching Pinkie walk over, Pumpkin and Pound climbing on her like she was a jungle gym, but the pink pony didn’t seem to mind it that much, except for making sure they didn’t get hurt. “Hello…Pinkie Pie…”

“Hey girls!” said Pinkie Pie, excitably. But Twilight couldn’t help thinking something was…off. She seemed a bit darker colored, her mane a tiny bit straighter. And her enthusiasm seemed slightly more forced than usual.

Pinkie Pie then looked to Trixie. “See?! It’s just like I said! I told you you’d end up getting a job here!”

Trixie nodded, giving a confused look. “Yes…you did…so these are the foals?” she asked, looking at the twins.

“Yep! This Pound Cake and his sister Pumpkin Cake!”

“Trixie sees…and you don’t mind that Pumpkin Cake is presently sucking on your tail?” Trixie replied, tilting her head with a raised eyebrow.

Pinkie blinked, looking back at the foal presently sucking cutely on her tail.

“Nom nom nom!”

“Now Pumpkin, Mr. and Mrs. Cake told you not to do that anymore,” Pinkie admonished, rather sternly, well for Pinkie Pie. Pumpkin stopped sucking on her tail and nodded. “It’s ok, I know my tail looks like cotton candy, and tasted like it that one time,” Pinkie replied, then nuzzled the foal and set both down on a rug and gave them some building blocks to play with. “There you go! Now play nice while Pinkie is talking with her friends!”

Trixie’s jaw dropped at the sight. “Pinkie Pie is actually…responsible?”

Twilight gave a nod with a smile. “Pinkie might be out there some times, but she really is responsible when it comes to those two.”

Trixie nodded slowly. “Once more, Trixie has underestimated your ability to surprise her,” she replied, then looked to Pinkie. “Are they your baby siblings?”

Pinkie giggled, then shook her head. “Nope! My family lives far away! On a rock farm! Except for my cousin Octavia, she lives in Canterlot with her roommate! I just got really, REALLY bored on mom and dad’s farm! So they decided I might do better here! The Cakes are old family friends! So it was perfect!”

Trixie nodded slowly. “Trixie understands…she did something similar…So, what job will Trixie be doing? Making cupcakes?”

“Nope! I don’t make those when the audience can see me anymore…” Pinkie muttered, actually getting a little angry. She then muttered something involving wanting to sue someone for defamation of character.

Trixie blinked. “Yes, that makes perfect sense…” she replied, her tone deadpan. “So what shall Trixie be making then?”

Pinkie giggled. “Apple Pie!” she announced. She then took a deep breath and music began to play.

“Trixie knows how to make apple pie, no instructional musical number is needed,” Trixie replied quickly.

“Aww! Alright, fellas, no musical number this time!” Pinkie called, causing the music to suddenly cut out.

Trixie cocked her head. “Who were you…never mind, Trixie does not want to know…Lead Trixie to the kitchen!”

Trixie looked over the stove, seeming rather confused.

“Uh oh…” said Spike. “Here we go again…”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” she asked, looking at her assistant.

“Where she doesn’t know how to do something, someone asks if she needs help, she says ‘Trixie does not need assistance!’ then something goes horribly wrong,” whispered Spike. “I’ve seen it before.”

“Pinkie Pie?” Trixie asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Yes, Trixie?” the party pony asked, hopping over.

“Trixie doesn’t know this particular model of oven, could you…maybe give her some assistance?” asked Trixie, in a friendly, but awkward fashion.

Two mares and a baby dragon’s jaws dropped simultaneously.

“T-Trixie?” asked Twilight, dumbfounded.

“Yes?”

“Did…did you just-”

“Ask for help?” Trixie replied, giving a rather content smile. “Yes, Trixie did. Twilight. Trixie had an epiphany. She no longer cares if someone considers her weak when she’s asking for help, or being kind; Trixie merely wants to be a new mare and start her new life. On top of that, she does not desire her attempts at jobs to go horribly wrong because she refused help…again.”

Twilight smiled. Then noticed Pinkie’s jaw was still dropped and pushed it back into place.

“So will you help Trixie?”

Pinkie Pie nodded, giving a wide smile. “Of course! And don‘t worry! There‘s no way you can get skunked here! Or stung by bees! Or your mane get caught in a sewing machine or-”

Twilight covered Pinkie’s mouth as the pink mare continued listing off things behind it.

Mrs. Cake walked over. “You’re Trixie, right?” the mare asked.

Trixie nodded, turning to the mare. “Yes, Trixie, at your service.”

“Glad to meet you,” the mare replied. “Could you come tell the twins a story before they go to bed? We’d normally do it ourselves, but we’ve got a storyteller working with us for the day, we thought we’d take advantage of that. If it’s not too much to ask.”

Trixie gave a genuine smile. “Of course, Trixie would love to,” she replied with a dramatic bow. “Pinkie, can you handle things here until Trixie is finished?”

Pinkie nodded excitably. “Okey dokey lokey!”

Trixie walked over to the foals. “Hello, Pumpkin Cake, Pound Cake. Are you ready for a story from Trixie?!” Trixie announced, using VERY tiny controlled fireworks.

The two giggled and clapped their hooves.

“This is the tale of how the ponies of Dream Valley defeated the evil sorcerer, Grogar! Enjoy!”

“Pinkie?” asked Twilight, sounding a little concerned. “Is everything…ok?”

Pinkie looked over her shoulder as she was preparing to make the first batch of apple pies. She looked a little nervous. “Sure, Twilight, why not?”

“Pinkie, Rainbow didn’t tell us everything, but she did tell us that if your fur gets darker and your mane goes straight, something is wrong,” Twilight replied, seriously. She put a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Now what’s wrong?”

Pinkie gave a sigh. “…I just had a really, really, REALLY nasty nightmare last night…”

“Nightmare?” asked Twilight, blinking. Memories of her own entered her mind. “What…what kind of nightmare?”

“…The Cakes lost Sugar Cube Corner…another store ran them out…and I had to go back to the rock farm, away from all of you,” said Pinkie Pie, looking genuinely hurt by the nightmare. “I love my family…but I’d really miss everyone here if that happened…giggling at the ghosties didn‘t make me feel any better…”

Twilight gasped as she noticed the similarity. She then put her hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Pinkie, there’s nothing for you to worry about,” she replied. “There’s no competition for Sugar Cube Corner in all of Ponyville, and besides, even if that did happen, I doubt they’d send you home to your parents! You’re an adult Pinkie, they can’t do that! And none of us would let you guys go homeless. If I took in Trixie when I didn’t even know her that well, don’t you think I’d do that for a best friend and her loved ones if it came to it?”

Pinkie Pie looked thoughtful, then smiled widely, her mane popping back out and fur returning to its true color. “Yeah! You would! Thanks Twilight, I needed that!”

Twilight chuckled, giving her friend a hug. “It’s fine, Pinkie, what kind of friend would I be if I didn‘t help?”

Pinkie Pie nodded, then looked over to Trixie, who was getting close to the end of the story. Pinkie smiled at the sight and turned on the stove, humming her unsung song to herself.

“And with the ring of the bell, the evil Grogar was banished back to his dark realm and Dream Valley was safe once more!” Trixie announced, the illusionary projection she used showing events as she spoke. The foals clapped, giggling, then yawned.

“Thank you, Trixie,” said Mrs. Cake, her and Mr. Cake picking up the foals. “You were a big help.”

Trixie gave a theatrical bow. “It was a pleasure, if you ever have need Trixie’s services again, do not hesitate to ask.”

Trixie then headed back to the kitchen. “Trixie is ready to make apple pie!”

Rainbow Dash slowly snuck back to the crater left from the lightning, keeping her eyes out for anything suspicious. She looked in the crater, which looked like lightning had struck it a few more times. Her eyes widened and she pulled out a metal disk. “…Alright, something smells fishy around here…” she said, heading off, being careful to stay under cover, just in case.

Helena sighed. “What do you mean there’s no airships to Ponyville?” she asked, slightly annoyed.

The Pegasus stallion shook his head. “Sorry, madam, the storm has all public air ships grounded. We’ve got a chariot you could take, but it’d be a rough ride, and you wouldn‘t get there until tomorrow…”

“I’ll take it,” Helena replied with a smile, levitating the stallion some bits. “Can’t be any rougher than the vacation I just got back from.”

“Yes, commercial air travel can be hectic sometimes.”

“No, the vacation itself. My guide got separated from me and well, trekking 10 miles through a Zebrafrican rainforest was pretty rough going, fun though,” Helena replied, taking her ticket. “Put that jaw back where it belongs, don’t want your face to stick that way.”

“Trixie thanks you for coming to Sugar Cube Corner today! She hopes you enjoy yourself!” announced Trixie as she floated the apple pies the group had ordered to them, who were all sitting at the table, with a flourish. She gave a bow. She was covered in flour, but looked extremely proud of herself.

“Wow, this is pretty good, Trixie,” Applejack replied after taking a bite, the others nodding in agreement. “So this is what yah wanted the apples for, Pinkie?”

Pinkie nodded. “Yep! That and to juggle!” she announced, pulling some apples out of nowhere and juggling them, getting laughs from the group.

Twilight noticed, with the exception of Rainbow and Pinkie Pie, her friends all looked a little down. And even those two had been that way earlier when she’d seen them. She shook it off, she didn’t want to ruin Trixie’s moment.

“Thank you, thank you,” Trixie said, bowing again. “And good one, Pinkie,” she said with a chuckle, no long caring the spotlight had been taken from her. She then looked rather awkward, swinging her front leg a little bit. “Um…Everypony…Trixie…Trixie would like to say, from the bottom of her heart…thank you all for all the…help you’ve given her. Trixie would still be a hobo in the streets of Canterlot without you…thank you all…Oh come on! Is it really that shocking?!” she asked, seeing all but Twilight and Spike’s jaws drop.

Twilight blinked, looking to Pinkie Pie. “Why are you surprised? You already knew that.”

Pinkie Pie giggled, putting her jaw back up with her hoof. “It was funny!”

Trixie sighed. “Seriously, was Trixie really that bad?”

“Um…no…” Applejack replied, but simultaneously having the world‘s worst poker face.

“Well, Trixie has had an epiphany. She sees now that the things she once believed made her weak, make her strong,” Trixie explained. “And Trixie honestly could not be happier…She‘s just somewhat…awkward at expressing it.”

“Well we’re happy for you, darling,” Rarity replied with a warm smile.

Trixie smiled. “Trixie is just happy she got through a job without anything going horribly…”

Without warning, thunder roared as lightning illuminated a figure standing at the door, her shadow overshadowing the now wide-eyed showpony. Checker Monarch slowly walked in, Helping Hoof holding an umbrella over her head.

The mare lowered her sunglasses, staring right at Trixie, who froze up like a deer in the headlights.

Rarity gave a gasp, remembering how Trixie had reacted to Checker’s name previously.

“Trixie? My what are the odds?” asked Checker in a completely polite tone. But everyone at the table could sense something…missing from her voice. And they didn’t like it.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. “Just who are you?”

Trixie shook off her shock and glared daggers. “Checkmate…it has been awhile…not long enough.”

“Trixie…who is this?” asked Applejack, not liking the mood this mare had brought with her one bit.

“My name is-”

“Checkmate Monarch,” Trixie interrupted, earning a subtle glare from her sister, but averted her eyes as to not look into her sister‘s. “Trixie‘s older sister.”

“Sister?!” Rarity exclaimed in shock. “But if your sister is one of the richest ponies in Manehatten, why-”

Trixie narrowed her eyes at Checker. “Because Trixie did go to her family for help when she needed it the most…and was denied. That is why she said her last name was Midsummer, not Monarch.”

Checker feigned regret. “Dear sister, I am…sorry. That was most unkind of me. I swear, I have seen the error of my ways,” she replied, though it was painfully transparent to all in the room.

“What are you really doing here, Checkmate?” Trixie asked, bitterly, snorting hot air through her nose.

“Oh, just a few things,” Checker said, looking at the group. “I am actually planning a project right here in Ponyville. I just got back from meeting with Filthy Rich about making it a joint venture.”

“Trixie bets you and his daughter got along splendidly,” Trixie replied with a heavy doss of sarcasm. The CMC had told her of Diamond Tiara’s bullying.

“Yes, wonderful little filly, reminds me of myself at that age,” Checker replied, giving a smirk that didn’t look cold or unhinged…just unnatural. “But you most certainly hold a grudge, little sister. What would father say if he were here?”

“The same thing he said when Trixie came begging for your help! ‘A pony who accepts help is weak! A pony who doesn’t make something of themselves is a nopony!’ Well Trixie is sick of it!” Trixie screamed, glaring daggers at her sibling, while everyone stared wide eyed. “Checkmate, Trixie would most enjoy it if you’d get the hay out of her life and stay out!” she yelled, getting to her hooves and staring down her sister.

“My my, temper temper,” Checker replied, doing her best to look hurt. To her surprise nopony was fooled. “And after all the time I spent searching for you to offer you a job because I felt bad about throwing you out,” she replied, but Trixie didn’t look convinced one bit. Checker floated a business card over to Trixie. “Call me if you’re still interested.”

Trixie blew up the card with a miniature fireworks style explosion. Checker snarled and glared, causing Trixie to take a step back in fear and begin sweating.

Twilight and the others stood in front of Trixie, Fluttershy standing right in front of Trixie and looking right back into her eyes with a stern look on her face. “I would suggest you get out of here, Miss Monarch,” Fluttershy said, glaring daggers at the mare.

Checker glared back as intensely as she could manage. Fluttershy didn’t budge an inch and returned her glare with equal intensity.

Trixie felt like she was watching a scene out of a wizard’s duel as the two glared into each others eyes, and swore the storm intensified as it happened. She’d never seen someone stare down Checker like this.

Checker finally turned and walked out in a huff, seeming surprised her intimidation tactic had failed against the Pegasus. She actually seemed a little shaken herself.

Trixie gave a relieved sigh. “Thank you all…”

That’s when Trixie finally noticed the pony standing at the door. “Hired Hoof?” she asked, blinking in surprise. “Is that you?” She walked up to him with an awkward smile.

Helping Hoof shrunk at her gaze. “Actually…I-it’s Helping Hoof now, I got my Cute Mark,” he said, turning his flank to show it. It was tradition to permit foals to change their name when they earned their Cutie Mark, not everypony got a special talent that matched their name after all.

Trixie examined the Cutie Mark. She looked…uncertain. “My…that’s an…interesting Cutie Mark…”

“It’s alright…Not like I was allowed to choose my Cutie Mark…” Helping Hoof said, sounding as if it was painful for him to say.

“Trixie knows…So…how is Iron Hoof doing?” asked Trixie, trying to sound friendly.

“Same as always…” Helping Hoof replied, a bitter tone to his voice.

Trixie sighed sympathetically. “Trixie knows the feeling…So…you are working for Checker now?”

“Yes…it’s about as pleasant as you’d expect…” Helping Hoof replied, looking like a beaten dog.

“Helping Hoof! Come along! Now!” yelled Checker from outside.

Trixie frowned. “Traded one tyrant for another…Well…it was nice to see you again…”

Helping Hoof nodded, giving a small smile. “…It was…” he said, heading out after his boss.

Trixie looked back at her friends, noting their confused expressions. “That was Helping Hoof. He was a colt that lived in the same neighborhood as Checker and Trixie growing up,” she explained, thinking back to her youth. “He was always so submissive, timid. Of course Checker called it weak…We didn’t see each other except when our father’s talked about business…we weren‘t friends, the closest we came to each other was talking about how our lives were going…but if things had been different, maybe we could have been…”

“What do yah mean?” Applejack asked, looking curious.

“It was his father and Trixie’s sister that really kept us from being friends, us listening to them anyway. His father, Iron Hoof was…very strict. He forbid Helping Hoof from doing anything except continue the family’s business history. His father worked in big business, and so did his father, and his…Helping Hoof once snuck out to theater classes…it continued for a year until Iron Hoof figured it out and forced Helping Hoof, then named Hired Hoof, to quit and continue being raised in the manner his father desired,” the mare explained, sorrow in her tone.

Rainbow Dash shuddered. “Stallion’s name suits him…” she muttered.

Trixie nodded. “Very much so. Compared to Iron Hoof, Trixie’s father was Princess Cadence…The saddest part is Trixie believes he genuinely thought he was doing the right thing for his son…” Trixie replied, with a sad look. “Helping Hoof died a little inside when his father made him do that…while he was studying theater, he was the happiest Trixie had ever seen him…Trixie thinks his father forcing that destiny on him was why when Trixie left as a teenager, Helping Hoof was still a blank flank….He still seemed so miserable even today…”

Twilight nodded sadly. It was true; a foal who was forced to do something they didn’t want to typically took longer to earn their Cutie Mark than one who was allowed to follow their dreams. “And your sister?”

Trixie growled, looking furious. “Trixie’s sister is nothing but a bully,” she explained. “Always has been always will be…She told Trixie being kind, forming bonds with others…that they made a pony weak…and Trixie believed her until you six showed Trixie the light. Because of that, Trixie never sought a bond with Helping Hoof…Maybe if Trixie had, we could‘ve helped one another more…”

“She scared me…” Fluttershy stated lowly. “No offense…but…something was just…missing.” The others nodded in agreement.

“So you felt it too?” asked the showpony. Though she didn’t think Fluttershy had looked too scared. “Checker…she is just missing compassion, empathy. She can fool other ponies, but Trixie knows her too well. Trixie thinks perhaps you six notice it more than an ordinary pony would, probably due to the amount of empathy you have for one another…But she’s fooled ponies all her life, and when she lets the real her shine through those eyes, she can strike such fear into a pony…It’s best you just forget you ever saw her and not associate with her if you can…”

Twilight nodded slowly. “…She came into the library a few days ago to look at a book…I had no idea she was your sister.”

“…She’s hardly Trixie’s sister anymore, she and father disowned Trixie,” Trixie replied, a few tears in her eyes, but also anger. “And Trixie doesn’t give a flying feather what they think about her anymore, Trixie is her own mare and she will continue to be such.”

The group all covered their mouths in shock at the mare’s foul language, but then nodded. “Understood…” Rarity said, coming over and hugging her. The rest of the group came and did the same, Trixie hugging them back without hesitation.

Checker looked at her chessboard, which had Trixie’s king nearly in checkmate. “Time for me to make my coup de grace,” she said, her face becoming unhinged as she smirked. “Helping Hoof?” she asked, looking back, her voice monotone.

Helping Hoof slowly approached. “Y-yes? Miss Monarch?”

“You are the bait,” Checker replied, looking Helping Hoof over with demented eyes, like a predator looking at prey. “It is about all you’re good for after all.”

Helping Hoof looked crushed at that. “…”

“Is that a problem?! You worthless bla-”

“No…Miss Monarch…I’ll do it…”

“So you left home to escape Checker?” asked Twilight, looking concerned after the rest of the group left. It was now after dark.

Trixie nodded sadly, even as she counted the bits she‘d been paid by the cakes. “Yes…Trixie felt like she was just Checker’s toy, her puppet…Every good thing that happened in her life; Checker found a way to twist it into something awful…Trixie finally realized she could only be her own mare by leaving home, so she did…Becoming a traveling showpony just came naturally…”

Twilight nodded slowly, sitting down next to her. Pinkie, who was cleaning tables, came over and hugged Trixie when she heard that, giving her a sympathetic smile that Trixie returned, then went back to her work. “It must have been painful to finally go home and have them treat you that way…”

Trixie nodded, a tear going down her cheek. “Trixie used to be terrified of Checker…she still is scared of her, but has grown up a bit…Twilight…Trixie…Trixie thinks…Sorry, Trixie is not good at this…Trixie…I think you have been more of a sister to me than Checker ever has…”

Twilight gave her kind smile. “I’m glad I could be there for you…And I understand how you feel…I may have had an awesome big brother…but I‘ve always wanted a sister my age.”

Trixie gave a smile back, then yawned. “This day has been rather exhausting…Trixie thinks she’ll go back and go to bed, if that‘s alright…”

Twilight nodded, giving a smile. “Alright, me and Spike will be there in a little bit, we’re going to help Pinkie close up.”

Trixie trotted home, an umbrella held overhead with telekinesis as it rained, but it was presently a soft drizzle. She still was uncertain about how she felt. Seeing her sister had been a shock, an unpleasant one, though seeing Helping Hoof had been a pleasant surprise. Maybe, if he was staying in Ponyville a little bit, they could be the friends they should‘ve been when they were foals…

“Trixie!” called a voice.

Trixie blinked, looking over and seeing Helping Hoof standing under a tree with an umbrella of his own. “Oh! Hello Helping Hoof!” she called. She trotted over. “What are you doing out here?”

Helping Hoof looked nervous, a bit on edge, but gave a smile. “Oh, I’m just on break, decided to look around. Didn’t expect to run into you.”

Trixie smiled back. “Well, it’s good to run into you…Helping Hoof…look, Trixie…Trixie is sorry she was so distant to you as foals…She wishes she hadn‘t…maybe we could‘ve been friends…”

Helping Hoof looked away to hide his face. It hurt to hear that… “Oh…that’s fine…” he said, looking back at her. “Water under the bridge…”

“So you’re Checker’s personal assistant?” asked Trixie, curiously after playing catch up for about ten minutes, though most of it had been Trixie’s adventures at Helping Hoof’s insistence. Still…it felt good. Even if Helping Hoof seemed preoccupied.

“Personal assistant isn’t quite the word, but yes…” said Helping Hoof. He then looked over and saw Checker standing in the rain nearby with a deranged smirk. Helping Hoof sighed sadly, looking down at the ground. “Trixie…”

“Yes, Helping Hoof?”

“…I’m…I’m sorry…”

“What?” asked Trixie, before the Diamond Dogs’ arms burst out of the ground and grabbed her legs, covering her mouth before she could scream. Helping Hoof just stared at the ground, looking defeated.

“Hey Twilight!” called Rainbow Dash, entering Sugar Cube Corner and walking over as Twilight cleaned a table, Spike helping Pinkie wash dishes in the other room.

“Yes, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, looking back at her.

“I have something here, can you tell me what you think?” Rainbow Dash asked, taking out the metal piece she’d found in the hole and put it down on the table.

Twilight picked it up with telekinesis and looked it over. “Hmm…” she produced glasses and put them on, then scanned the object with a spell as she examined it. “…I think it’s a magic lightning rod,” she explained, looking it over. “It’s a piece of metal with a special spell put on it that attracts lightning when it‘s magic is triggered by being embedded into something, like the ground or a roof. One is protecting the library, you can by full sized ones from a pony in Canterlot I know. Though one like this would’ve melted by the time this storm is over, it’s not durable enough to survive lightning strikes for long periods.”

Rainbow Dash looked dead serious. “I found that in the crater that lightning that almost hit me caused.”

Twilight gasped, looking at it. “What? You…you don‘t think…”

“Someone put it there on purpose?” asked Rainbow. She knew the idea wasn’t likely, the idea of somepony trying to intentionally hit another with lightning (of the dangerous type) was unheard of, but sometimes it paid to be careful. “I’m not paranoid, but it doesn’t make sense for it to be in the middle of the road like that…I’m not saying someone was trying to get me struck by lightning, but I think something fishy is going on around here.”

Twilight looked back at it, nodding slowly, feeling a chill down her spine. “…Yeah…”

Trixie was thrown to the ground rather hard, she feared she may have bruised a rib. “…What…what happened?” she asked, shaking her head and getting up with a groan. She looked around the rocky cave, a glowing gem in the rock ceiling lighting the section of the cave up. She could tell she was underground, but not where. “H-hello?” she asked, trembling slightly from fear. “Has Trixie been kidnapped by crazed fancolts again?”

“Hello, Trixie,” said a voice. “Glad you could make it.”

Checker stepped out of the darkness, still looking perfectly normal. “I told my employees to pick you up, I suppose to a Diamond Dog that means ‘kidnap you‘, my sincere apologies, little sister.”

Trixie growled, horn glowing as she snorted air through her nostrils. “Checker! What’s going on?!”

Checker sighed, shaking her head. “I am very sorry for the inconvenience, but this was the only way I could get you to come talk to me…you seemed so angry…” she said, acting genuinely hurt.

Trixie snarled. ”About what?!” she said, not taking her guard down. She didn’t fall for it, she knew Checker’s tricks.

“Oh, just a little…proposal, I had,” said Checker, floating over a scale model of Ponyville, but now it included a large mall on it’s outskirts. Trixie didn’t particularly recognize the location of the large building, but something about it seemed familiar. “This is the Ponyville Mall, my newest project. Ponyville is in the shadow of Canterlot, and a lot closer than the nearest mall in Manehatten, making it the perfect place for such a project. It will bring a massive amount of business to Ponyville, as well as perhaps change the perspective of some of the elite about the town.”

“And earn you a lot of money?” asked Trixie, glaring as she looked at the model. What was her sister’s game? Sure, money, Checker loved money, but that couldn’t be the only thing.

“Yes, that is naturally the most important part,” said Checker, giving a cold chuckle. “But you see, there is a small problem…several, actually.”

Trixie narrowed her eyes. “And what are they?” A chill went down her spine.

“Well, that is where it applies to you, dear sister,” said Checker, before her face and voice suddenly got completely emotionless. “There is the matter of competition in the area.”

Trixie’s eyes widened and she took a trot back at the sudden change in her sister. She’d seen Checker without the mask of pleasantries she wore in public, but this was different. “C-competition?”

“Over here we have Sweet Apple Acres,” stated Checker, looking at the model of the farm. “Largest supplier of apples in Equestria, and regular seller of apple-based food to Ponyville. Cannot have them taking money from my grocery stores, so it has to go,” she stated, picking up that section of the map and shattering it to bits without a second thought.

Trixie’s face fell in horror as she watched her friend’s farm be crushed.

“And Sugar Cube Corner, local restaurant,” Checker continued, giving a small, unhinged smirk. “My mall will have tons of restaurants and a food court, I cannot have rivals in the area, can I?” she asked, ripping the model of Sugar Cube Corner out and throwing it to the ground with enough force to smash it to bits. Her hair began to be messed up.

“Library, the mall has plenty of bookstores. Why would ponies pay money when they can check out the same book for free? That has to go.” The library was thrown to the ground and crushed under Checker’s hoof.

“Fluttershy’s cabin? We have pet stores, can’t have someone just outside of Ponyville giving pets away, little weakling’s got to go!” And Fluttershy’s cabin was sent sailing across the room and smashed to bits against the wall.

“Carousal Boutique?! Can’t have a dress shop owned by a generous pony when we’ll be selling all the clothing ponies could want! Bye Rarity! Never liked your designs anyway!” And Rarity’s Boutique was hurled inches from Trixie‘s head and smashed against the wall behind her.

Trixie staggered back, tears streaming down her face as she realized what she was really seeing. “No…please no…”

“And Rainbow Dash’s cloud castle?!” asked Checker, snapping to look at Trixie, her sunglasses flying off to reveal her completely deranged eyes beneath, a completely demented smirk plain to see, ruined mane in her face. She then gave a dark chuckle. “…I shall think of something,” she said, returning to her uniform tone as Rainbow Dash’s house practically imploded in her telekinetic grasp. “It will all be simple, sure, most of it will be under hoofed, but that’s the dog-eat-dog world.”

Trixie staggered up against the wall, staring at her sister with terrified eyes.

“And that’s only the start of things,” Checker stated, walking around Trixie at a distance like a predator stalking its prey. “Trixie, do you remember the accident Rainbow Dash had today?”

Trixie gasped, remembering how close Rainbow Dash had come to being struck by lightning. She looked up at her sibling in shock. “Y-you…y-you did that?”

Checker gave a slow chuckle. “It was simple, only took me two seconds to arrange with the right item. And I can hurt any of your friends just as easily any time I want to, but you might not be there to save them next time. Especially once they have lost their homes.”

Trixie snarled in fury and leapt at her sister in a rage, only to find herself grabbed by her sister’s telekinesis, being painfully forced down to the ground, resisting as much as possible. Checker gave an animalistic snarl at her sister’s resistance and her horn glowed brighter as she forced Trixie to bow down before her with her telekinesis, but clearly struggled to do so. “Rover! Fido! Spot! Hold her down!” The Diamond Dogs rushed in and held the mare down, receiving a bag of gems in return. Checker staggered back, panting and holding a hoof to her head. She then looked back to Trixie with a sinister chuckle. “That‘s better,” Checker spat, a slight bit of venom in her tone.

Trixie struggled heavily, looking up at her sister with furious eyes. She tried to use her telekinesis and throw the Diamond Dogs away, but Checker simply overpowered her with her own telekinesis. “H-how did-”

Checker staggered a bit, once more holding her head and panting this time. “Now now, do not talk while big sister is speaking,” Checker continued with no emotion at all as she glared into Trixie‘s eyes, causing her sister to begin sweating and trembling in fear at her gaze. She finally looked away after about five minutes of letting her sister sweat, allowing Trixie to catch her breath. “Here is my proposal; you leave Ponyville, never to return, never to even look this way again, spend the rest of your life living off of scraps in the middle of nowhere, and I do not ruin your friends lives,” she stated. “Or, option b, you tell the Royal Guard about my little scheme, while I play the poor little wounded gazelle…and I sue the cutie mark off of you, and anyone else who supports you, for libel! Sure, your friends have connections, but without evidence, they can’t help you one bit! And you know if you tell the authorities, your friends will support you, and play right into my hooves! I did it all the time when we were foals, Trixie! I can do it again!…How does that sound?”

Trixie was sunk to the ground, ceasing her resistance of the Diamond Dogs. It was true…Checker knew how to cause trouble and make herself appear the victim, it was a favorite trick of hers as a foal. And she had lawyers, it came with being a owner of a company. “No…” she said, trying to find anyway out, ANY way…but nothing came! Everything was hitting her so fast she just couldn’t think!

“And then there is the last option, little sister,” Checker said, getting in Trixie’s face with a maniacal smirk on her own. “You continue being the hard worker, getting bits…then when I destroy their homes, their lives, you cut town, and start again somewhere else, abandoning your so called friends to rot. Sure, they‘ll lose everything, but you can have whatever life you want, isn‘t that what you wanted?! Survival of the fittest, right?!”

Trixie glared at her sister suddenly. “That’s the choice you would take, right Checkmate?”

Checker smirked dementedly. “As a matter of fact, I would strongly recommend that option.”

Trixie looked down in disbelief, in despair. What options did she have? What could she do?…What could she do? She tried to think, but nothing came. No matter what she tried to think of, she couldn’t come up with a way out. If she tried to tell anyone, Checker would just make her, and her friends, pay for it. She did nothing, her friends would pay the price. And she’d become no different than Checker. What else could she do? Wasn’t there a better option? She felt…helpless…

Checker circled Trixie like a shark. “You see, Trixie, that’s the problem with being ‘nice’, nice ponies give a flying feather what happens to someone else. A problem I don’t have! That’s why I’ll always win!” Checker screamed, voice alternating once more and she looked circled Trixie like a shark who smelled blood in the water. “So what will it be? Betray those you love the most?! Ruin your lives and theirs?! Or be the sweet little mare who sacrifices everything for somepony else?!…Your choice, sister.”

Trixie looked up at her sister, finally making the only choice she dared to make…the only right choice to make “…Don’t hurt them…Take me away from here, take everything I have…just don’t hurt my friends…” she muttered, doing her best not to cry, not to let her sister see her cry and give her the satisfaction of that.

Checker gave a deranged laugh. She floated a quill and scroll over to Trixie. “Write them a note saying you took my gracious offer and are leaving town.”

Trixie looked up with a snarl and took the quill in her telekinesis.

‘Dear friends;
Trixie has reconsidered her sister’s gracious offer. Unfortunately, she has to leave tonight, the job offer is limited…Trixie is sorry she can‘t say farewell in person…Trixie can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for her. She’ll write you again someday…Thank you…Goodbye…
Trixie Lulamoon Midsummer.’

Trixie glared at her sister. “There…” she said, rolling up what bits she had on hoof in it. “They won’t believe Trixie just up and left without repaying them.”

Checker handed the message over to Rover to take to the library. “Now, sister, come, you have got a chariot to catch.”

Trixie was grabbed by Spot and Fido, but didn’t resist one bit. As she was lead off, Checker following her, Trixie looked to Helping Hoof, who couldn’t bare to look at her. “…You too, Helping Hoof?” she asked, sorrow heavy in her voice as she looked at him betrayal plain on her face as he did his best the avoid her gaze.

Trixie was thrown face first into a mud puddle by Fido, Checker looking down at her. “Here we are, Trixie. Your new home. I hope you enjoy it,” she said, ignoring the pouring rain.

Trixie looked around. It was hard to tell at night, under the rain…but it looked like a desert, nothing in sight by sand and cacti. “I will,” she replied defiantly, not wanting to give her demented sister any satisfaction whatsoever.

Checker narrowed her eyes. “I believe this shall be the last time we see each other. Farewell, little sister,” she spat coldly, slowly turning and walking away, giving a crazed smirk as she did.

Helping Hoof looked down at Trixie with shame on his face. “Trixie…I…”

Trixie looked up at him, hurt clear in her face. “Helping Hoof…from Checker…but from you? Why?” she pleaded, betrayal in her eyes. “We may not have been friends, but…I thought maybe we could be.”

Helping Hoof cringed. He slowly turned and showed his Cutie Mark. “This Cutie Mark…” he muttered, then tore it off, revealing it to be nothing more than a sticker covering blank fur. “Is fake…I never earned my Cutie Mark…” he said, shame clear in his eyes as Trixie gave a gasp. “…I…My father was so ashamed of me…called me worthless, made me feel worthless…Then Checker…she…she said she could help me…she bought me these fake Cutie Marks and gave me a job, helped convince everypony I‘d earned both…helped me make my father proud…but…let’s face it, he was right…what worth does a full grown stallion without a Cutie Mark have? No one else would hire me…And if I betray her, she’ll ruin me…”

Trixie looked up at him with a serious look. “And that makes it right to help her ruin others?”

Helping Hoof snapped around. “What choice do I have?! What good would it do?! You see what Checker is capable of! I can’t do anything to stop her! So why should I ruin myself when it won’t do anypony any good?!…At least this way my father is proud of me…”

Trixie growled. “If that‘s all that matters to you…then maybe Checker was right…maybe you are weak…” she said, genuine hurt in her voice.

Helping Hoof lowered his head in shame, looking like a broken stallion. “…Goodbye Trixie…I…I’ve made the deal with the draconequus, now I have to pay the price…I don’t deserve anything else but what Checker puts me through…I’m so sorry…”

Helping Hoof slowly walked away, leaving Trixie alone in the rain as she watched him in a mix of betrayal and pity.

Trixie watched the chariot fly away into the storm…and finally broke down crying when she was sure her sister couldn‘t see…

Checker fixed her hair and opened her chessboard. “Well that was a successful venture,” she said. “Now I can concentrate on the mall.”

Helping Hoof looked up from applying a new sticker. “What? You’re still going through with it?” he asked, shock in his face.

“Of course, why not? I have already set everything up,” Checker replied coldly, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

“But…but you told Trixie-”

“I told Trixie I would not ruin her friends if she did this, and I will not. But I was not lying about them being in the way. It is just good business to crush the competition, even if you have to be under hoofed to do so. After that, what they do is their own business,” Checker replied, in a cold, emotionless, logical tone. She glared into his eyes, making him shrink back “Is that a problem? You worthless blank flank?”

Helping Hoof could tell from the look in her eyes business was half of it. He could tell it was spite, spite that they’d helped her sister when she didn’t want them too. Spite that they’d dared defy her…and maybe spite to Trixie too, for not following the ideas Checker had forced into her mind…He trembled at her gaze. “…N-no, Miss Monarch…”

Checker smirked, turning back to her chessboard.
“Now I have won.
Trixie has been undone.
Reduced to a sorry state.
She is how she should be.
And as for me?
I say…” Checker sung, giving a still demented smirk.
“Checkmate!” she finished, crushing Trixie’s piece under her own.
Helping Hoof turned and looked out the window of the chariot, a tear running down his cheek, guilt clear in his eyes as the impact of what had just happened hit him in full. He could only think of one thing, one thought ran through his mind;

‘What have I done?’

Chapter 10: Checkmate Part 2- Critical Move

Helping Hoof walked slowly through Ponyville’s streets, head to the ground. He didn’t care about the rain…he barely cared about anything. Checker was in the lair she’d made with the Diamond Dogs, temporary as it may have been…With Trixie effectively ruined, she had bigger plans…plans Helping Hoof knew he’d simply help with like the good little worthless blank flank he was. And he hated himself for it.

“What have I done?
Where did it all go wrong?
How has the bad guy won?
Why is it to this world I belong?
Where do I begin?

This isn’t the world I wanted to be in…” he sung, sorrowfully as he looked at the ladder he‘d knocked Trixie off of.

Trixie telekinetically moved a large rock up against another one, using several other small rocks to support it to ensure neither would fall. She then crawled inside and looked up at the cloudy sky, the wind growing strong. She gave a shiver, the temperature was dropping.

“What else could I have done?
Was my choice wrong?
The bad guy has won.
Why is it to this world I belong?
Did it really matter then?

This isn’t the world I wanted to be in…” she sung, her voice echoing hauntingly across the desert as tears streamed down her face as she looked at the chariot tracks leading away, disappearing where it took off.

Checker looked across her map, the Diamond Dogs standing nearby.

“Look at what I’ve done.
How can this be wrong?
The better mare has won,
This is the world to which I belong!
The one where the strongest will win!

That’s the world I want to be in!” she sung, her voice calm and collected at the beginning, but switching to maniac and emotional the next as she put her hooves on the map to get a closer look.

“With all the wrong I’ve done…
Am I beyond redemption?
Should I be banished to the sun?
Or should I be an exemption?
I don’t deserve the light…

It’s because of me she lost the fight,” sung Helping Hoof, continuing his lonely walk down the streets of Ponyville, passing by where Trixie had been captured by the Diamond Dogs, looking over with guilt clear in his face. He lowered his head, looking at his distorted reflection in a puddle.

“After all the wrong I had done.
At least I found redemption.
I felt like I could touch the sun.
I’ve earned their affection.
Now I’ve been cast out of the light…

But in a way I won the fight…” Trixie sang, looking up as Luna’s moon struggled to pierce the storm, failing to shine one beam of light on her. Only on an owl sitting on a cactus. She lowered her head at memories, looking at her ruined appearance in a pool of rain water, a few tears falling.

“Who cares what I have done?
Who cares about ‘redemption‘?
It should always be my moment in the sun!
I deserve perfection!
I’ve taken back my spotlight!
I have won the fight!” Checker sang, clapping her hooves and being brought some apple cider by Rover. “A toast to me,” she announced in a calm voice as she looked at her reflection in the drink.

“To you…” the three Dogs muttered, joining the toast half heartedly.

Trixie curled up in her make shift shelter, doing her best to stay out of the rain.

“I can only think of the good I’ve done.
The things I’ve done right.
If my friends are safe I’ve won.
Who cares about my state?” she sung, but her voice was bittersweet at best.

“At least I’ve atoned for my sin.”

“I can only think of the great things I’ve done!
My accumulated power and might!
The victories that I’ve gladly won!
Oh I love my present state!” Checker sung, throwing the Diamond Dogs several large gems in exchange for parading her around the room like a queen.

“Who cares about a silly thing like ‘sin‘?”

“I can’t stop thinking of the awful things I’ve done.
Of myself, I’m sickened at the sight…” sung Helping Hoof, looking at his miserable reflection in a window.

He looked past his reflection and through the window itself, seeing Twilight, now with the rest of the group, talking about the letter from Trixie, all of them seeming extremely upset…hurt.

Helping hoof turned away…then looked thoughtful before looking back…he finally gave a somewhat determined look.

“Maybe there’s one victory to be won
One wrong that I can make right.
Maybe I can atone for one sin…”
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“Even if this isn’t….”
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“This is…”
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“That’s…”
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“The world I want to be in…”

“Twi’ it just don’t make a lick of sense,” Applejack said, looking concerned.

“She’s right, something smells real rotten about this,” Rainbow Dash added, looking at the letter suspiciously.

“I know…” Twilight replied, pacing back and forth worriedly. “You’re right, it doesn’t make sense for Trixie to just up and leave without saying goodbye in person…”

Rarity gave a nod. “Quite, I may not be impossible to fool, but I like to think I’m decent at reading emotions. And that compassion she showed us just can’t be faked.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “She’s right. There’s no way that Trixie would leave us so suddenly.”

“And that Checker was like the meanest kind of mean meanie-pants there is to Trixie!” Pinkie chimed in, seeming a little genuinely angry.

“Exactly…” Celestia’s faithful student replied. “I’d understand it if they made up, but to suddenly go from complete fury at someone, to accepting a job from them? Possible, but unlikely. And Trixie even used Midsummer, not Monarch as her last name like she probably would have if she and Checker HAD made up. It makes no sense.”

“And Trixie left her costume behind, along with the gem she got from her grandmother,” Spike pointed out. “That thing means the world to her.”

“I bet Checker had something to do with this,” said Rainbow Dash, looking very suspicious. “And not just offering her a job.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “I don’t know Checker that well…but what I know about her doesn’t sound very good, and from what Trixie has said, Checker always hated her.”

“Twi’…Ah’m worried Trixie might be in some kind of trouble, Ah can just feel it in mah bones,” Applejack added, feeling more and more concerned about her every second.

“Yeah I can too!…Oh wait, that’s just my Pinkie Sense,” Pinkie announced, her bones feeling weird. “That one normally means you‘re about to get a letter.”

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Twilight blinked and slowly walked over to it. She opened the door to find a letter taped to the side of the door. “What’s this…” she said, taking it and opening it.

Helping Hoof hid behind a tree, watching over his shoulder. “I’m sorry Trixie…this is all I can do for you…”

Trixie hid behind her rock shelter as powerful winds blasted it, rain stinging her face. The cold didn’t help either. Deserts were hot during the day, but at night their temperatures could be very low due to various reasons. Combine that with the rain, and Trixie realized she was in more trouble than she originally thought.

“Checker…you knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?” she muttered, not putting it past her devious sister for a minute. She knew now what was happening; the area she was right the path of the tropical storm sent to clean up after Discord.

She gave a scream as her shelter suddenly collapsed, forcing her to jump out of hiding to avoid being crushed. She grunted against the wind, trying not to be thrown back, but ultimately failing and being thrown hard into a rock.

Trixie groaned, struggling to her hooves. She looked around and saw a nearby cave, galloping towards it as fast as her legs could carry her, but having to force herself forwards when the wind turned against her.

Panting, she collapsed on the cave floor, shivering heavily and dripping wet. It was even colder in the cave, but it was out of the wind and rain.

After catching her breath, she looked out into the storm. “C-Checker,” she stuttered. “H-how c-could you d-do this?” she continued, looking down in shock. “I knew you were a b-bully…B-but I d-didn’t t-th-think you’d d-do something like t-this…” she continued, shivering violently. How could someone do this to their own sister? And…

“Helping Hoof…” she muttered as she laid down and curled into a ball, trying to find some warmth. She was so cold…

“Twi’, did we have at take this old wooden chariot?!” asked Applejack over the wind, the group riding in a wooden chariot with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Ditzy pulling, Rainbow Dash in front with the other two mares behind her. Thankfully the chariot at least had a covering to protect them from the rain and all three pegasi pulling the chariot were used to high winds and rain from working on the weather team.

The CMC were also present, having absolutely refused to be left behind when it came to their friend’s safety. Then when they had been forbidden from coming and left behind, they’d just snuck aboard and hadn’t been found until they were too far out to turn back.

“Yes! This storm would tear the balloon apart! And a metal chariot risks being struck by lightning!” Twilight replied, looking down at the ground below. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Ditzy!”

“Trixie’s my friend too!” replied Ditzy with a smile, but visibly breathing heavily, as was Fluttershy. “If she needs me, I’ll help!”

“Well how are we going to find Trixie down there?!” Rarity called back, looking down at the ground below.

“I don’t know…” Twilight muttered, they’d been searching for several hours now and nothing. She knew the pegasi were getting tired, Rainbow was just doing her best to avoid showing it. Twilight was beginning to wonder if that note was even telling the truth. “Just keep calling for her! I‘ll think of something!”

“Let us try!” Scootaloo stated, in a serious tone as she and the other two came up to the sides, Twilight telekinetically holding onto them.

Everypony instinctively covered their ears.

Trixie had tears running down her cheeks as her shivering got worse. Was she going to make it through this? She could either freeze waterlogged in a cave, or take her chances out in the high winds and rain where it was a little warmer, either of which could mean game over for the showmare, and she knew it.

“Well…at l-least if t-this is how it ends, I saved my f-friends…” Trixie said, with a small smile.

“TRIXIE!!!”

Trixie yelped and jumped almost to the ceiling. “What the-”

“TRIXIE!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!” the voices yelled again, desperately.

“What? B-but how…” Trixie asked, heading out to the front of the cave at a stumbling pace as the calls continued.

“Twilight, assuming Trixie hears us, how is she supposed to let us know she does?” asked Rarity, uncovering her ears briefly as the CMC caught their breath.

Twilight blinked. “That’s…that’s a good question…” she said, trying to think of what to do. Then it hit her. She went up front and concentrating setting off some fireworks.

“T-They…T-they came for me?” Trixie asked, dumbfounded. “B-but…how?” she asked, confused. “…T-they d-don’t know I’m out here so h-how?…B-but if t-they k-know I’m out here, that has to mean…”

Her thoughts were disrupted by a fireworks display. “T-the firework s-spell…” the showmare muttered, thinking about the situation she was in. Would them finding her really make things worse? They already knew she was out here, therefore they probably knew too much for Checker’s tastes as it was.

Trixie stood up, concentrating, but her magic fizzled out. “I’m s-so cold…” she stuttered, still shivering. Even moving was beginning to be difficult. She shook it off and concentrated again, the spell sputtering out a second time. She growled and tried a third time, putting all of her remaining energy into the spell, setting off several large fireworks outside the cave. She panted, holding a hoof to her head, her head and horn throbbing.

“There she is!” yelled Twilight, seeing Trixie’s fireworks, relief flowing through her as she saw them.

Rainbow Dash nodded and descended down towards Trixie’s location.

Trixie slowly stepped out from cover into the wind and rain, shaking heavily and obviously worn out.. “Y-you…you c-came for Trix-” before she could finish, two Earth Ponies, two Unicorns, three fillies, and a baby dragon had hug tackled her, the three pegasi only delayed by getting out of their harnesses. Trixie’s eyes filled with tears as she returned the embrace, the heat of it warming her freezing body. After a few moments, she’d recovered enough (both from the cold and the shock) to reply properly.

“You…how did you-”

“It‘s a long story, I‘m just glad we found you!” Twilight replied, giving Trixie a relieved smile and putting up a barrier spell to give them some protection from the storm. “We’ll explain later! We need to get back, the storm is getting worse!” she called over the roaring wind. She could also tell Trixie was freezing, she might even be in early stages of hypothermia, they had to get her warmed up, and quick.

“But Checker told Trixie that-”

“Checker lied!”

“What?!”

“I don’t know! The note said you‘d know what that meant!”

Trixie gasped, then looked rather guilty. “But Trixie thought…please take Trixie home…Trixie just wants to go home…”

Trixie and the group were in Fluttershy’s cottage, which seemed the best place to hide Trixie, as it was the most remote. After making sure Trixie was ok, Derpy had headed home to Dinky, but promised to help if she was needed. The CMC had wanted to stay up, but being fillies, exhaustion had gotten the better of them and they were asleep in Fluttershy’s bed upstairs. Zecora was also present, examining Trixie. They didn’t want to take Trixie into Ponyville and risk letting Checker know they knew she was there, so Zecora was the closest thing to doctor they could get at present.

Angel, Winona, Owlowiscious, and several of Fluttershy’s animals were presently outside (though under cover to protect them from the rain), secretly keeping watch to make sure no one was spying. It was harder to escape an animal’s notice than a pony’s.

“Trixie…Trixie doesn’t know what to say…” Trixie said, tears in her eyes as she snuggled into the warm blanket she was bundled in next to the roaring fire. She gently sipped a cup of hot coco that she held in her hooves, being she was still too weak to use magic at the moment. She’d probably have mostly recovered by morning, but for now she was just happy to be alive. “You braved a tropical storm to save Trixie?”

Applejack put a hoof on the mare’s shoulder with a friendly smile. “Trixie, yer our friend, and we ain’t ever leavin’ a friend when we think they’re in danger…Ah know that better than a lot of ponies…” she said, blushing a bit remembering the incident with the rodeo. How had she ever thought Ponyville would be ashamed of her for not coming in first?

“Yes, though I wish somepony had remembered to come back on that adventure,” Rarity said, glaring at Rainbow Dash.

“I said I was sorry! And you magically locked me in a different frilly dress every day for a week!”

“Open wide, Trixie…if you don‘t mind…” said Fluttershy in a motherly tone, coming over and giving Trixie a spoonful of medicine when the unicorn accepted it.

Trixie turned a little green in the face and swallowed it with a gag. “Um…thank you…”

“You’re welcome…I’m sorry it tasted nasty, but with what you’ve been through we have to be careful,” Fluttershy replied, giving Trixie a warm smile.

Trixie nodded, returning the smile. “Trixie understands…thank you.”

Zecora gave a nod. “Trixie, that was a close call, but you shouldn’t have any problems at all. A little rest, I believe would be best. By the time Luna sets the moon, you should be good as new.”

“Thank you, Zecora,” the showmare replied with a smile. “Kwaheri, Zecora.”

“Zwaheri, Trixie,” Zecora replied with a smile, packing up and leaving.

Trixie then looked at the note that had been delivered to the group after her kidnapping.

‘Dear friends of Trixie;
Trixie is in grave, grave danger in the desert to the west of Ponyville. She is in desperate need of your help. Please…save her.
A friend.
P.S. Tell Trixie that Checker lied, she’ll know what it means.
P.S.S. Tell Trixie…I’m sorry…’

“What does it mean, Trixie?” asked Twilight, concerned. All they knew was Checker was up to something bad and it connected with Trixie being abandoned in the middle of nowhere.

Trixie gave a small smile. “It means a friend was stronger than Trixie believed he was.”

“When pony pay?” asked Rover, eager to just end their association with the insidious mare. While as greedy, selfish beings themselves, the Diamond Dogs didn’t exactly disapprove of harming others in the quest for wealth, they had a reason when they hurt ponies, at least a good one (in their minds). Checker choosing to ruin ponies out of anger that they’d decided to be someone’s friend was something even the Dogs considered sinister.

“Well we are not quite done yet,” said Checker, as she looked at her chessboard. “Tomorrow is my presentation, the key to my plan. I need you three to be my bodyguards, just in case Trixie decides not to hold up her end of the bargain. When the presentation is over, I shall hand over the gems I owe you and you will never see me again.”

Rover nodded slowly, but didn’t particularly trust her. Something just felt off…He could tell something was wrong. And he began to fear for himself and his pack.

“Miss Monarch,” Helping Hoof said, coming down with a box held in his magic. “I retrieved your dress, just like you asked.”

Checker smirked, taking the box and opening it to find the dress Rarity had made her. Checker looked Helping Hoof in the eyes, making him sweat before giving a smile and turning away. “Good, perhaps you are not so worthless after all, Helping Hoof.”

Helping Hoof cringed at the remark, but hoped it wasn’t as correct as he’d once thought.

“So what yah are sayin’ is that no good sister of yers kidnapped yah, blackmailed yah by sayin‘ she‘s gonna destroy our lives, and tricked yah into lettin’ her dump yah in the middle of nowhere about to be hit with a tropical storm?” Applejack asked, giving a growl. “And was the one who tried to get Rainbow hit with lightnin’?”

Trixie snarled. “Yes, that’s exactly what she did. Then lied about the outcome and still intends to destroy your lives anyway. Trixie really should have seen that coming…she can‘t believe she fell for that…” she said, looking genuinely upset with herself. “Trixie would’ve let all of you lose everything thinking she’d done the right thing…”

“That no good, lowdown polecat!” Applejack yelled, then blinked. “Um…no offense, Sally…” she said to the skunk, who shrugged and went about her own business.

“How could she do that?!” Fluttershy yelled, looking the maddest Trixie had ever seen her. She looked about ready to fly off and give Checker a good talking too.

“Fluttershy, I know Checker is a big meanie, but right now Trixie needs help!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, looking genuinely angry, but a bit calmer. She may have been weird sometimes, but even she could see Trixie’s well being was the most important thing right now.

Fluttershy calmed down a little. “You’re right…sorry…”

“Then let me at her! I’ll turn her into a pony pretzel!” Rainbow Dash yelled, trying to fly off to do just that but Applejack caught her by the tail with her mouth and pulled her back.

“Now just hang on, sugar cube, we all want ta make Checker get what’s comin’ to her, but we can’t just run off and beat her up,” Applejack said once she got Rainbow Dash to stop trying to rush off. “If we do, we’ll play right into her hooves.”

“Quite right, we need something smart, now is no time for violence…there shall be plenty of time for that later,” Rarity growled.

“That don’t sound very ladylike,” Applejack replied.

“It shall be ladylike violence!”

“They’re right, we need to think this over before we do not do something stupid…or Twilight bursts into flames…” Trixie added, watching smoke rise off the furious Twilight’s mane and tail.

Spike blasted Twilight with a fire extinguisher, much to her annoyance.

“Alright,” said Spike, looking equally as mad. “So what do we do? Send a letter to Princess Celestia to have her arrested?”

Trixie shook her head. “No, even she can’t arrest Checker without evidence, her detractors give her enough grief for the punishments she justifiably hoofed out to Nightmare Moon and Discord…that’s our primary obstacle; we have no evidence. So long as she has that card in her hooves, we can’t touch her without giving her the opening to sue us for libel…” she said, trotting over to the window and looking out carefully so as not to be seen herself, getting an all clear from Owlowiscious.

“She’s right,” said Rarity, irritated by that. “Checker isn’t like Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Queen Chrysalis, she’s got protection we can’t just fight our way through.”

“Right now, Checker doesn’t know Trixie has returned…That gives us an advantage…she also likely doesn‘t know you seven know of her plan,” Trixie said, looking back. “So she doesn’t hold all the cards.”

“So we have the element of surprise,” said Twilight, shaking off the extinguisher foam. “How can we use it?”

Trixie sighed. “Trixie doesn’t know…Trixie has never been able to defeat Checker at much of anything…”

“Wait, didn’t yah tell Applebloom yah beat her at a game once?” asked Applejack, scratching her head with her hoof.

Trixie nodded. “Yes…chess.”

“Oh great, how is that going to help us?” asked Rainbow Dash, frustrated at how this was going.

“Wait, Trixie, how did you beat her?” asked Twilight, serious.

Trixie thought about it seriously. “It was rather simple…she merely positioned her pieces in such a way that Checker was…” Trixie’s eyes widened. “Tricked into defeating herself! That‘s it!”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “What? We’re going to beat her at chess?”

Trixie shook her head. “No! Think! What is Checker’s true strongest weapon?”

“That we can’t touch her without getting sued, we knew that already!”

Trixie smirked. “Correct, and the only way to stop that, is to show too many witnesses for her to cover up who she really is! And the only one who can do that, is Checker!”

Twilight gasped, giving a smile. “We trick Checker into defeating herself! That’s brilliant!”

“One problem,” Rainbow interrupted. “How do we do that?”

Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment, then got a smirk and looked to Spike seriously. “Spike, take a letter, I’ve got an idea.”

Trixie laid down on the couch, the others felt she should get some much needed rest while they ironed out their individual parts of the plan (and their backup plans). Trixie knew hers, and was about as ready as she could be. But still, something was bothering her…

“Hey, Trixie,” Applejack said, trotting over.

Trixie jumped, then looked embarrassed. “Hello, Applejack…Trixie is sorry, she thought you were talking with the others,” she replied, settling down.

“Nah, Ah got the easy part, the others are all gettin’ everything in order,” said Applejack, she then looked serious. “Trixie…yah sure you’re ready for this?”

Trixie nodded. “Yes…Trixie just wants this nightmare to be over…”

Applejack nodded, giving her a comforting smile. “Ah know, Trixie. What that mare has done to yah, no pony should ever have to live through…”

Trixie gave the orange Earth Pony a grateful smile. “Thank you, Applejack…you‘re a good friend…” she replied, then looked a little guilty.

Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder. “Yer still feelin’ guilty over takin’ Checker’s choice, ain‘t yah?”

Trixie nodded slowly. “…Trixie thought she was protecting you all…all she did was make you seven more vulnerable than ever…And she should’ve known better, half the demons you seven helped her exercise were caused by Checker’s lying. How could Trixie have not seen it coming?”

“Sugar Cube, what kind of situation where yah in at the time?” the Earth Pony asked, sympathy in her tone.

“…Trixie was suddenly alone in a dark cave…faced with the fact her sister was a madmare out to destroy her and/or all her friends and one of the few ponies she considered close to a friend as a filly was working for her…” Trixie explained, giving a shudder at the memory.

“So yah were alone in a scary place, came face to face with a nasty thing yah didn’t want to face, and then after all that given a choice yah didn’t want to make and couldn‘t come up with a way out?”

Trixie nodded with a sigh. “Yes…that’s exactly it…”

“Trixie, we all know what that’s like…well, except for Rarity and Fluttershy kinda, but they got their own baggage out of it,” Applejack replied, giving an understanding smile.

Trixie blinked. “What?”

“Discord did the same thing to us. Lured us into a maze after spookin’ the horseapples out of us, then separated us. We were all alone in a spooky hedge maze, and he made each of us face something we didn’t want to face, and ended up trickin’ us into thinkin’ things that were far from the truth…” Applejack replied, a bit of pain making its way onto her face. “‘When all the truth does is make yer heart ache, sometimes a lie is easier to take’…”

Trixie blinked, a little unnerved seeing strong willed Applejack clearly hurting. She knew what Discord had done to her, but it was just a little shocking to see someone so strong willed still carrying scars.

“He made meh think our friendship was gonna fall apart, and that tellin’ lies were kinder than tellin’ the truth. That it‘d be the right thing to do to lie to mah friends about what Ah saw, and Ah believed him. Because Ah was alone, scared, and just got hit with something it really hurt to face. If Ah hadn’t listened and told Twilight, maybe we’d have figured out his game.

“Ah made the wrong choice, and well…he brainwashed meh, but even before that Ah started to buy into the poison apples he was peddlin’,” AJ admitted, giving a shudder at the memory. “The point is, varmints like Discord and Checker put their victims in situations like that so they’ll make the wrong choice because they’re scared, hurt, and confused. They set it up so yah can‘t see the right choice even if its starin‘ yah in the face. Ah never even thought the ‘vision‘ Discord showed meh was a big fat lie, and because of that Ah ended up makin‘ it the truth. ”

Trixie blinked, thinking it over. “But…that doesn’t change the fact Trixie made the wrong choice…”

“Yah took her bait, but that don’t change how much it hurt to get the hook in the jaw. Trixie, what Ah’m tryin’ to say is this; don’t beat yerself up over makin’ the best choice yah thought yah could make. Yah were in a position where no pony alive can blame yah for making it,” the farmer said with a serious expression. She then softened. “And Trixie, yah thought sacrificin’ yourself to save your friends was the best choice yah could make. It wasn’t the right one, but it says a lot about yah that that was yer choice.”

Trixie gave it thought…then slowly nodded, giving a smile. “Thank you, Applejack, Trixie needed that…you’re a good friend.”

Applejack smiled. “Any of the others woulda done the same thing.”
Trixie nodded. “Yes, and Trixie hopes she would too if it came to it…” she said, before once more looking a little uneasy. “Applejack, Trixie has been wondering something…Was Trixie…was Trixie really as bad as she thinks she was?”

Applejack blinked. “Why are yah askin’ meh that?”

Trixie looked at her seriously. “Because you are horrible at lying and if the others were here, they might lie to make Trixie feel better. Trixie wants the honest truth.”

Applejack rubbed her head. “Ah get it…Yah really want to know?”

Trixie nodded. “Yes…”

“Well…yah weren’t bad, just…kind of a jerk. It wasn’t yah puttin’ on a show, it was how yah rubbed how ‘great and powerful’ yah were in everypony’s face and got a kick out of humiliatin’ ‘em…Ah get defendin‘ yerself against the crowd sometimes, but then there‘s humiliatin‘ ponies for just askin‘ yah to back up yer claims. That went too far”

“And now?”

“Now yer a completely different mare. The old Trixie would never have laughed with Pinkie when she took the spotlight from her, and she wouldn’t have sacrificed her new life for her friends. And earlier today, yah actually seemed happy for the first time since Ah saw yah. Not pretendin’ yer happy, but really happy…When Ah saw yah like that, it was like Ah was in a completely different universe…again. Yah’ve changed just that much, for the better Ah’d say.”

Trixie smiled. “Thank you, Applejack, that means a lot…wait, again?”

Applejack sighed. “Long story short, Twilight messed up a spell and we all ended up in a gender flipped universe and met ourselves as stallions.”

Trixie blinked. “Trixie sees…you seven have strange lives…”

“Tell meh about it…”

Trixie then looked thoughtful, thinking about the things that had been said. “Say, Applejack…by chance would you be having nightmares about what Discord did to you?”

Applejack blinked. “Um…no, why would Ah have nightmares? Hehe…” Trixie narrowed her eyes in response to the mare’s horrible poker face. “Alright, yeah, Ah do, Ah think we all do.”

Trixie smiled. “Well Trixie has something she thinks will help you all, Twilight can vouch for that…”

“Alright, you girls know our part of the plan?” Spike whispered as he and the CMC walked into the growing crowd around the stage the next morning.

The trio nodded. “Yep, we got it,” Sweetie whispered back.

“Well well, look what the cat dragged in.”

“Oh great, just what we needed,” Scootaloo groaned.

Diamond Tiara trotted up with her typical air of arrogance. “The three little blank flanks hanging out with the dragon, just when I thought you three couldn’t get any crazier.”

Spike snarled, but Applebloom put a hoof on his shoulder and shook her head.

“Better watch out, he might turn on you in the blink of an eye,” Diamond added, getting Spike to growl and smoke to come out his nose. “Oh well, at least you’re finally hanging out with someone else who will never get a Cutie Mark. Well, I’ve got to go meet my parents, we’re going to watch Checker make us even richer,” she said with a cackle.

“Settle down, Spike,” Applebloom said, holding the baby dragon back. “She ain’t worth it.”

“Yeah, she’s just a bully-wait,” said Scootaloo, blinking. “Parents? Diamond Tiara has a mom?”

Diamond walked away, running right into Checker, now wearing the dress Rarity had crafted for her. “Oh, hello Miss Monarch,” she said, giving a smile.

“I saw what you did back there,” Checker said, causing Diamond to look a little nervous, until the mare gave an approving grin. “Good job, you really are a lot like I was when I was a kid. Keep up the good work. Some day you might be just like me.”

Diamond Tiara smirked back. “Thank you, Miss Monarch, I will!” she said, looking up to her with a bit of admiration.

“Alright, try again, Trixie,” Twilight said, sitting next to an open book in Fluttershy’s living room as Trixie concentrated. The showmare’s horn lit up and she disappeared in a flash of purple light, appearing above the table, upside down, before landing on it with a grunt and sending paper flying in all directions.

Trixie gave a sigh. “Well that went fabulously,” she said in a completely deadpan voice as Spike laughed a little. “Why are you teaching Trixie teleportation again?”

“So if the plan doesn’t go right, you can teleport out of harms way,” the purple unicorn replied. “That and it could come in handy during a magic act,” she stated, then gave a smile. “That wasn‘t bad for a beginner, you just need to remember to properly align yourself when you arrive.”

Trixie sighed. “Well Trixie didn’t even know she could learn how to teleport in the first place…”

“It counts as stage magic, so it’s no surprise,” Twilight replied, looking down at Trixie. “And you taught me the firework spell, I thought I‘d return the favor.”

“Well…thank you,” said Trixie, looking grateful. She really was, her nerves were just affecting her. After all, they were preparing for the finale showdown with Checker, it was little wonder she was on edge.

She then rolled her eyes up to look at the book her head had landed on. She got up and looked at it. “‘A Reference Guide To Dreams‘? Why are you looking that up?”

“Because me and Pinkie Pie had a shared dream the night before last…and I think the others did too, but I’m not sure,” Twilight explained, looking a little concerned. “I looked up how that was possible and found out that two unicorns occasionally share dreams when their magic signatures aligns just right. The alignment creates a link between their subconscious minds, causing them to share the same dream.”

Trixie blinked. “Right…But Pinkie Pie is an Earth Pony, an exceptionally strange one, but still an Earth Pony…And most of the others aren‘t unicorns either.”

“Exactly, that’s the strange part. Maybe our Elements of Harmony and the link we have through them may have had something to do with it,” the unicorn replied, but didn‘t look too certain. “Still, that isn‘t the only way this can happen,” she continued, genuinely unnerved. “Listen to this; ‘There exists a spell in the field of psychology that allows one pony to begin sharing a dream with another pony at will. This dream infiltration spell works on the same principle as normal shared dreaming; linking the two subconscious minds, but can be used on any type of sentient being. If abused, this spell could be used for nefarious purposes. For this reason, even using it is outlawed without a psychiatrist’s license,” She read, sending a chill down Trixie’s spine.

“I can’t imagine how someone could abuse this spell, especially if they knew your grandmother’s trick. Normally, the pony using it is reduced to a dream-like state, and experiences it like their own dream. With that trick, they could take control of someone else’s dream.”

Truth be told, Twilight feared somepony might already be doing just that. She was observant enough to recognize that Checker’s eyes matched those she’d seen in her dream. Still, she had no proof, and Trixie was already nervous as it was. Plus, there was really no way they would be able to get Checker to confess to it regardless and most unicorns had a seal placed on their horns when arrested.

“Take control of someone else’s dream…” Trixie repeated, thinking. It was quite honestly a terrifying thought…

“Come on, we need to go get ready.”

Trixie jumped down and staggered a little bit. “Trixie guesses she’s still a little weak from her ordeal.”

“Then I’ll handle the teleporting, ok?” asked the purple mare, getting a smile from Trixie.

“Alright, all set,” said the stallion working the sound equipment inside a building near the stage.

“Excuse me.”

The stallion turned and saw Spike standing behind him. “Oh, hello there.”

Spike handed him a note. “Twilight Sparkle, the Princess’ envoy to Ponyville, said there‘s been a change of plans and you‘re no longer needed, sorry.”

The stallion raised an eyebrow after reading the note. “Do I still get paid?”

“Yep.”

“Fine by me,” he said and trotted out with a smile .

Spike rushed over and peaked out the door before closing and locking it. “Alright, come on out.”

Scootaloo pushed a vent open and climbed out. “That was easy.”

“Being Princess Celestia’s envoy has it’s advantages,” the baby dragon replied with a chuckle and a smile.

“Why are we doing this again? Ah mean not that Ah don’t want to help Trixie, but why did we get this job?” Applebloom asked, climbing out behind Scootaloo.

“Because we’re the only ones small enough to hide if someone comes poking around and the others all have their own jobs,” Spike replied, climbing up on a stool to look at the sound equipment, the others climbing up with him. “When someone’s microphone turns on, this light will turn on, then we push up the lever to hear what they’re saying. Then we press this button to make the sound come out of the speakers.” he explained, pointing to the various devices. “Any questions?”

“Yeah,” said Sweetie Belle, climbing out the vent and pulling a bucket of tree sap and a pillow with her. “Why did Scootaloo have us bring a bucket of tree sap and a feather pillow?”

“In case we need a booby trap. It came in handy last time!”

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and climbed up on her stool.

“Alright,” said Pinkie Pie, putting the microphone on Checker and turning it on. Several set on a table nearby, spares “You just talk and this little thingie will make sure everypony hears you, got it?”

“Yes, I am quite aware of how a microphone works,” Checker replied, rolling her eyes at the hyper pony.

“By the way, thank you for being super duper nice to Trixie and giving her a job! That was so nice of you!”

Checker chuckled. “Well, I am a nice pony, now run along…Pinkie Pie,” she said, watching the pony hop away and giving a demented chuckle to herself. “Hook, line, and sinker,” she commented at the apparent success of her deception the night before. She then turned to a full sized poster of herself with ‘Monarch Inc.’ printed on it in big bold letters. “Nicely done. Helping Hoof, who painted this?” she asked, looking it over with her analytic eyes.

“It says a ‘Paraderpy’, sir, he’s a good artist I hear,” Helping Hoof replied, trying not to look as scared as he really was in public. He knew if she found out about his betrayal, there was no telling what she’d do to him!…Or, for that matter, the ponies who now knew the truth. And…the pink pony…was she telling the truth? Had they believed the note? What if they hadn’t? The thought nearly crushed him.

“Hmm, I was smart to hire whoever hired him.”

Diamond Tiara stood next to her parents in the crowd. Her mother had a purple/pink coat and a purple mane with white stripes. Her Cutie Mark was a golden tiara, which matched one she was wearing. She generally looked pretty free spirited.

Diamond leaned against her mother. “Mom…I’m glad we get to spend the day together,” she said, giving an honest, genuine smile.

The mare looked down at her daughter with a warm smile and nuzzled her. “I am too, princess. I’m sorry we haven’t been able to spend time together like we used to. I just had a tiny…nervous breakdown is all…But everything is better now, I know not to overwork myself like that again.”

Diamond gladly returned her mother’s nuzzle, then looked back to the stage. She saw Silver Spoon standing nearby with her parents and waved.

Rarity, dressed in one of her custom dresses, sat down next to a female pony in business ware. “So you’re one of the investors?”

“Yes,” the mare replied in a rather snooty voice.

“Well I think that’s a wonderful decision, Ponyville needs the business,” said Rarity. “After all, what better place for a mall?”

“That’s the idea.”

“Such a brave move too. I mean sure there were the attacks by Nightmare Moon and Discord, dragons, we’re in the migration path by the way, Cerebus, and it nearly got eaten by parasprites. Oh, and the Ursa Minor attack. And of course it’s on the outskirts of a monster infested forest of death. But I’m sure it all evens out in the end.”

The investor looked positively shocked. “I…I didn’t know all of that.”

“Oh I’m sure it’ll be ok. After all, I work out of Ponyville and am a successful fashion designer…”

The investor gave a sigh of relief.

“I’ve only been emotionally broken by Discord, attacked by a Manticore, kidnapped by a giant rampaging dragon, had my shop eaten up by Parasprites, been kidnapped by Diamond Dogs, and had my diary printed in a newspaper by a bunch of fillies…this year,” the fashion designer explained.

The investor gulped. “I see…”

“Well, it is a scary place sometimes…” said Rarity, then a thought occurred to her. One that could make this more than just plan b. “But you know, that means it’d be a perfect place for a theatre perhaps. Would add a little atmosphere, you know? Scary plays are better in a scary place, and lots of adventures have happened here. Lots of atmosphere for stories to be told. We don’t have one unfortunately, ponies have to go all the way to Manehatten just to enjoy a play. Canterlot only has plays during holidays, and our auditorium is for important events only. A shame really. The play we had here the day before yesterday was very successful, paid off all the damage inflicted by the Ursa Minor attack.”

Applejack pulled on the rope of the curtains as a test, causing Checker and Helping Hoof to cover their ears at the loud squeaking of the pulleys. “What the hay was that-I mean…Those pulleys are certainly noisy…”

“Yep, they most certainly are,” Applejack added, completely truthfully.

“Miss Monarch!” called Pinkie Pie, hopping over. “Fluttershy wants to talk to you about the birds!”

Checker raised an annoyed eyebrow. “Coming,” she said, following the pink pony off stage, Helping Hoof in toe.

After she’d walked away, Applejack closed the curtains and climbed up on a ladder to oil the pulleys.

“Now, what is it about birds?” Checker asked, looking at Fluttershy from behind her sunglasses.

“I thought you might want to hear the birds…um, if that’s alright,” Fluttershy replied, timidly, hiding behind her mane.

“Show me.”

Fluttershy fluttered over to her birds and began leading them like an orchestra commander.

Applejack tested the curtains again, which now barely made any noise, and from where Pinkie Pie stood they couldn’t be heard at all over the birds when she stood nearby and gave a nod. She peaked out and looked up carefully, seeing Rainbow Dash and Derpy moving the presently calm storm clouds in such a way that light didn’t shine directly on the stage through the curtain when they were open. The three nodded subtly to one another and snuck off.

“Everything is ready, Twilight!” Pinkie reported to Twilight, who hid in a bush nearby with Trixie.

“The Diamond Dogs?” asked Trixie carefully, not poking her head out.

“Rarity is taking care of them as we speak,” Pinkie Pie continued.

Twilight nodded. “Alright, thank you Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie gave a salute and sunk into a bush, causing Twilight and Trixie to blink as they then peaked in and found her gone.

Twilight turned to Trixie. “You ready, Trixie?”

“As Trixie will ever be.”

“Twili’,” called a hushed voice.

A white stallion with a blue mane, with lighter blue stripes, walked over slowly, keeping an eye out.

“B.B.B.F.F.!” Twilight replied, keeping her voice hushed, but hugging the stallion.

Trixie blinked, raising an eyebrow. “B.B.B.F.F.?”

“Big Brother Best Friend Forever.”

“Oh…”

Twilight smiled, but kept an eye out for anyone who might throw a wrench in the works. “This is my big brother, Shining Armor. He’s the one I sent the letter to last night.”

Trixie nodded, though looked a little envious. “Trixie is glad to meet you, Shining Armor…”

Shining Armor gave a smile and a nod. “Same here. It’s good to meet another of Twili’s friends.”

Trixie nodded. “Trixie is pleased to be her friend, your little sister is one of the kindest mares she has ever met.”

The captain of the royal guard smiled and put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I know.”

Trixie once more looked a little jealous as Twilight smiled back, but shook it off. “Not to sound rude…but why exactly did you summon your elder brother, Twilight?”

Twilight smiled. “We needed someone high up in Equestria to see this in order for this to work, Shining Armor is the captain of the Royal Guard, and now officially a Prince since he married Princess Cadence. I‘d have called the Princesses, but they‘re all on a diplomatic visit to the Griffin Kingdom today.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped. “You called in the captain of the Royal Guard?!”

Twilight shushed Trixie and looked around, no one had noticed. She then gave a smile to Trixie. “When it comes to my friends being in trouble, I don’t mess around.”

“Alright, girls, lets get in positions,” Shining Armor said, seriously. He then smiled to his sister. “We’ll catch up later,” he said, trotting off carefully.

Trixie once more looked jealous, causing Twilight to frown. She didn’t need to guess to understand. “Trixie…for what its worth…I might not be your biological sister, but I’m proud you think of me as one.”

Trixie suddenly felt quite foolish. She didn’t say a word, merely hugged Twilight before they commenced the plan.

“Thanks for the ride boys,” said Helena, stepping out of the chariot and floating them a few bits. She then peaked over to the assembled crowd. “Hmm…what’s this…” She saw Checker’s chariot sitting nearby, Chauffeurs waiting to be needed. “Checker? Well, isn’t that a surprise,” she stated, taking a place in the crowd. “Both my granddaughters in one place…” she said, then looked a little sad. “I wonder if Checker is doing alright…” she muttered, knowing Checker had been headed down the wrong path last time they’d seen each other…

Checker was applying a little makeup in a mirror, giving a deranged smirk, letting her mask crack for a moment. “Almost showtime,” she stated, turning and walking over to the main backstage area, noticing everyone had cleared out but Helping Hoof, probably to go wait for the presentation to start. She peaked out from beside the curtain, seeing the board of directors watching. She smirked and trotted back to get ready.

“Checkmate!”

“Trixie?” Helping Hoof asked as he spun around in shock.

Checker blinked, turning and seeing Trixie standing not that far away, dripping wet and covered in mud, shivering and generally looking like she’d gone through hay. Her legs quaked and she panted heavily. Checker narrowed her eyes.

“Why hello there,” Checker replied, strangely unsurprised. “Let me just turn off this microphone so we can talk properly,” she said, her face becoming emotionless as she pulled the microphone off and shut it off, then crushed it underhoof, causing Trixie to give a gasp. “Oops, I can be so clumsy sometimes.”

Checker looked over at the microphones and made sure they were all shut off before walking over to Trixie. She telekinetically pulled Trixie’s mane and tail straight, revealing a similar microphone kept under her mane, which was shut off and crushed. “Seriously now, Trixie, did you really expect me not to see that coming?”

Trixie now looked genuinely scared, and she wasn’t acting. “How…how did you-”

“I may have dropped you in the middle of nowhere, did you honestly think I would not consider the possibility you would not stay there? Why do you think I kept the Diamond Dogs hired?” she asked, looking around and making sure no one was there but her and Helping Hoof. She then gave an unhinged smirk. “Such an obvious move, Trixie. Come here, steal a microphone, and get me to talk about my plan while it is broadcast to the world? Please, that’s so predictable!”

Helping Hoof slowly peaked over at the microphones on the table, then back to Trixie and Checker, a conflicted and guilt ridden look in his eye. What should he do?

“If that‘s all that matters to you…then maybe Checker was right…maybe you are weak…”

Helping Hoof looked back at his fake Cutie Mark, then back to the scene before him, the frightened look on Trixie’s face. After all that had happened to her…she still hadn’t given up. She’d come all this way to try and stop Checker…

A determined look formed on his face.

“You see, Trixie dear,” Checker said, taking out her chessboard. “Chess is about being three moves ahead of your opponent. You tried to be one move ahead of me and I was already two ahead of you, simple as that really.”

As Checker looked to her chessboard, Helping Hoof walked up and looked to Trixie, who met his gaze. He winked at her and carefully opened his vest to reveal a microphone hidden there, activation light on.

Trixie gave a hidden smirk as Helping Hoof covered the microphone before Checker saw it. She returned to acting terrified as her sister’s gaze returned to her. But still, she felt a tug in her heart.

“Checker…please, let’s just stop this. You leave me alone, I leave you alone…we’re sisters, isn’t that how it should be?” Trixie asked, actually being genuine. Truth be told, she did want to give her sister one last chance to turn back. She may have been a monster and had to be stopped…but they were still blood. “Please, let’s just end this and go our separate ways…”

Checker just laughed. “You are in no position to tell me that. Now, your options are simple. You can go with plan b. Go out there and…”

“…tell them how rotten your mean big sister is…”

“Here we go,” said Spike, Scootaloo nodding and pressing the correct button.

“Go out and tell the world about Checker Monarch’s big plan to ruin six perfectly innocent mare’s lives,” Checker’s voice said over the speakers outside. Pinkie shushed the crowd before they could exclaim their shock.

Shining Armor motioned some guards to come to his side and donned his purple Royal Guard armor.

“And then I act the part of the wounded mare who’s been accused of such horrible things on false grounds. Because guess what, Trixie? You don’t have any evidence! You’re one hundred percent right about me, but who’s going to believe a filthy homeless mare over the most powerful mare in Manehatten?!”

Diamond Tiara blinked as the words reached her ears. “Miss Monarch?” the filly asked. “What’s going on here?” she asked, though something about what Checker said…it made her feel…strange. Kind of sick.

“And guess what little sister? Your wonderful friends will vouch for you, of course, but I will just make sure they go down with you. I will still ruin them no matter what you do. Those who help the weak fall with them, that is just how the world works.”

“Little sister…” Diamond muttered, eyes shrinking to pinpricks. She looked up at her parents, then to Silver Spoon. The thought of doing something like that to them…it made her sick.

“Checker, how could you do this to your own sister?!” Trixie’s voice demanded, sounding rather hurt and broken.

Checker gave a demented chuckle. “My sister? Do you think that really matters? You don’t get it, do you?! The strong rule the weak! I can manipulate everypony else as easy as breathing! That means I’m the strongest! That makes you and everypony else the weak. And that means you are all just my pawns to do with as I please whenever I feel like it!”

“That still doesn’t explain why you’ve done this to me, Checker!”

“It is simple really. Ever sense you were born, the spotlight has been split between you and me. I have always had to share it with you. And guess what Trixie? I don’t share!”

Diamond listened, and suddenly felt like she was going to throw up. A bully? Yes, and proud of it…But she still loved her father, and her mother, even if she hadn‘t been there for her all that much recently. The thought of doing something like this to any of them, or even to Silver Spoon…Who could do that to their own family? And why did it make her feel so bad to hear?

“Good job, you really are a lot like I was when I was a kid. Keep up the good work. Some day you might be just like me.”

“Just…like…her…” Diamond muttered, fear filling her face as it sunk in.

Her mother noticed her daughter’s fear and gave her a comforting nuzzle.

Helena gasped as she heard the words, feeling like a knife to the heart. No…two of them. One for Trixie’s suffering, and one for Checker being the one that caused it. “Checker…I knew you weren‘t the nicest pony…but…” she muttered, a tear running down her face. “How…how could you do that to Trixie?”

She then heard something and looked to Checker’s chauffeurs, who seemed panicked. She crept over towards them suspiciously, listening closely.

“Oh this isn‘t good! Checker’s busted! We’ve got to get out of here!” yelled one of them, looking panicked.

“Relax, what did we do? Pretend you didn’t know anything,” another replied coolly.

“But they’re going to believe Trixie! We’re accessories to a kidnapping! And we don’t have the excuse of being her favorite pawn like Helping Hoof! They’re not going to let us off the hook!”

“He’s right!” yet another replied. “Lets bail! He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day!”

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Helena stated, trotting up to them, glaring straight through them.

“Stay out of this, old lady, this doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“I’m not an old lady,” Helena replied, giving them a glare rivaling the Stare in its intensity. “I’m a grandmother. And you just admitted to knowingly hurting my granddaughter.”

“And my friends?” Trixie asked, crocodile tears flowing, but convincing enough. “Why are you ruining them?”

“Because they didn’t like following my strategy! They decided they weren’t going to be good little pawns an go according to MY plan! No pony was EVER supposed to like you! That isn’t how I wanted it!” Checker yelled, taking off her glasses and glaring at Trixie, who did her best to avoid eye contact but was forced to look and struggled to remain composed. Checker looked away to check if anyone was watching. While she did that, Trixie subtly moved pieces on her board as she recovered. On Checker’s side, Trixie moved a pawn to d4, Trixie’s knight moving to f6. Sure, it wasn’t necessary, but Trixie liked the irony and drama of it.

“I don’t CARE what you want, Checker!” Trixie growled. “I WANT to have friends!”

Checker growled, glaring daggers at Trixie and making her heart skip a beat. “What YOU want doesn’t matter! So now, you know what?! Forget the options! Rover! Spot! Fido!” Checker called, the three Diamond Dogs dashing up and grabbing Trixie’s shoulders. Trixie struggled. But the moment Checker took her eyes off Trixie to do another check for anyone watching, Trixie moved the board again and the Diamond Dogs merely pretended not to see. Checker’s knight then moved to d2. Trixie replied with pawn to e5. Checker’s pawn took Trixie’s pawn.

“You don’t get a choice! You’re going to be dragged off to their mine and turned into their personal slave! I’ll come to pay them to let you see the sun! Just long enough to see your friends houses torn down!”

“After you brutally ruin their lives?” Trixie asked, glaring daggers at her sister. The birds started singing.

Checker gave an insane smile. “Exactly. And I will make sure to give you a status report on that frequently. It is just about showtime, so, little sister, any last words before I give the order?”

Trixie suddenly gave a smirk. “Just one,” the showmare said, motioning with her eyes to the chessboard as she moved her knight to g4. Checker’s pawn moved to h3 in response.

Checker looked at the chessboard and gasped as she saw the pieces positioning. Something seemed strangely familiar about it.

Trixie moved her knight to e3, seemingly attacking Checker’s queen. So one of Checker’s pawns took the knight in defense…leaving her open to Trixie’s queen moving to h4 for check. Checker’s side replied with the only move possible in response, pawn to g3. The queen took the pawn, leaving the king trapped. And then it hit Checker where she’d seen it before.

“So, going after my queen?” asked Checker with a chuckle, taking the knight.
Trixie smirked and moved her queen to h4. “Check.”
Checker’s eyes widened. She moved pawn to g3, looking on in disbelief.

Trixie’s queen took the pawn.

“Checkmate,” Trixie said with a smirk, her horn glowing and a magic costume peeling off, revealing her good as new underneath it, though still soaked.

Suddenly, a spotlight fell on Checker, causing her to turn and see a hole in the clouds created by Rainbow Dash letting a pillar of sunlight down on her, the audience staring at her in disgust and shock.

Checker could only watch the crowd in complete shock, eyes as big as dinner plates as boos were sent her way. The board of director rose up, looked at her in disgust before walking away.

Shining Armor stepped forwards, flanked by several royal guards, narrowing his eyes at her.

Checker took a few trots backwards in disbelief. “What?! No…”

Pinkie chuckled, walking up to the stage. “Oh! Here comes my favorite part,” she whispered to Rarity, who was watching with her. Pinkie then mouthed a big ‘NO!’

“NO!” Checker yelled, before being blinded by camera flashes, including those from Featherweight sitting in the front row. She looked at the Diamond Dogs, who released Trixie and stood glaring at her while Trixie shook the water from her coat. “What?! You‘re helping them?!”

“That’s the thing about hired guns, Miss Monarch,” Rarity said as she stepped up on the stage, taking off a pair of saddle bags and throwing them to Rover, who checked inside to find them full of valuable gems. “They’re loyal to the money, not to the client.”

“But…but how could you outbid me?!”

“The griffins have a saying, darling,” said the fashionista, giving a smirk. “Give a griffin a fish, feed him for a day, teach a griffin to fish, feed him for a lifetime. Or in this case, offer a Diamond Dog a single huge batch of gems, state him for a bit, offer them a long term mutually beneficial agreement, state him for a lifetime.”

“That, and Checker, they might not have been observant enough to see it on your model,” Trixie said, as Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash joined the group in backing up Trixie and stopping Checker from fleeing. “But Trixie finally realized why the location of your new mall seemed familiar once her friends pointed it out; it was right on top of their mine.”

“And Diamond Dogs no like mean pony!” Rover announced, glaring and snarling at Checker. “Diamond Dogs QUIT!”

Checker slowly opened her chessboard with wide eyes; desperately trying to figure out what went wrong. “But…but I destroyed the microphones! How did you broadcast me?!”

Twilight blinked in confusion. “I…actually don’t know…I didn‘t even know the microphones got destroyed.”

Helping Hoof stepped forwards, walking over to Trixie’s side and opening his vest to reveal his microphone.

Checker backpedaled in surprise, then snarled in fury. “But…You…I control you! You CAN’T betray me!”

“Correction; you used to control me! And I’m sick and tired of it!” Helping Hoof replied. “I’m sick of being under everypony’s hooves! I’m sick of helping you hurt innocent ponies! And you know what else?”

Checker snarled in feral manner. “YOU’RE FI-”

“No! I’m not fired! I! QUIT!” Helping Hoof interrupted, glaring at her. He tore off his fake Cutie Mark and threw it in her face. Helping Hoof panted, then smiled. “That actually felt good!”

Checker snarled and snorted in rage, leaping at Helping Hoof like a tiger going for the kill…only for Trixie to teleport the two of them out of her path, causing Checker to slam face first into a storage crate.

Twilight smiled as Trixie looked to Helping Hoof proudly once they got up from landing upside down off the teleport, though she could tell Trixie was still a bit out of it from the teleport.

“Royal Guards! Arrest that mare!” ordered Mayor Mare from the audience, looking quite furious off.

Shine Armor nodded and approached with the guards along side him. “Checker Monarch, you’re under arrest. Come quietly and make it easier for yourself.”

Checker got back to her hooves and looked at her chessboard, snarling in rage as she tried to figure out a plan, but it was her turn not to have one to save herself…but one with another outcome began to form. “No…not yet…this isn’t over yet…” she muttered to herself, her telekinetic grasp causing the small box the board was projected from to begin cracking.

“This isn’t over…” the madmare stated, her chessboard broke apart even further. Her voice lost all refinement, reverting solely to her more high pitched tone.

“THIS ISN’T OVER!” Checker yelled, shattering her chessboard completely. Her horn glowed brightly, more and more magic pouring into it.

Trixie gasped, staggering back. “Checker! What are you doing?!”

“I’m not losing! I refuse to lose!” Checker yelled, pouring more magic into it. A beam of magic shot off her horn, surrounding each of the group for a brief moment before she smirked and began powering up more.

Rainbow Dash shook her head a little disorientated. “Ugh, what was that…”

Twilight shook her head as well. “I don’t know, it felt like mind magic…” she muttered, then looked at the mare’s horn, the massive amount of power she was pouring into it and gasped as she realized what was happening. “Checker! You’re overstressing your horn! Stop it before you hurt yourself!”

Shining Armor gasped at the sight. “Twili’! Get out of there!” he yelled, galloping towards the stage. Trixie instinctively put herself in front of Helping Hoof. Twilight tried to raise a shield, but was too disorientated to do so.

“I don’t care! If we all lose, then I win!” Checker yelled, a completely deranged look on her face. “Here‘s where the nightmare really starts!” she screamed, giving an insane laugh before a massive flash of light went off and everything went black.

To Be Continued…
(Cue cheery ending theme)

Chapter 10: Checkmate Part 3- Nightmare's End

Twilight blinked. “Uh…What happened?” she asked, looking around, seeing Checker standing before her with a rather demented…and frighteningly familiar look on her face. “Checker! What did you do?!”

“Why do you not ask your friends?” the mare replied with a dark chuckle, causing Twilight’s eyes to widen in shock.

“She certainly didn’t do anything bad,” said Applejack’s voice. But something seemed…off.

“Applejack?” the mare asked, looking over to find the farmer’s fur grayed out. Her blood ran cold. “W-what happened?”

“Ah have absolutely no idea,” Applejack replied, not hiding her lie very well at all.

“Stay away from him!”

“R-Rarity?” Twilight asked, fear welling up in her.

Rarity was likewise grayed, standing between everypony around her and a giant bolder. “You all want Tom! But you can’t have him!”

“No…no…” Twilight stuttered, tears welling up in her eyes as she staggered back, right into someone who promptly kicked her off.

“Watch were you’re going!”

Twilight looked back to see a grayed Pinkie Pie glaring daggers at her.

Twilight‘s eyes went wide. “No…please…anything but this…”

“Hey, Twilight!”

A bucket of water was promptly dumped on her head, followed by the bucket itself. “Not you too…” Twilight begged, removing the bucket to see the grayed out Fluttershy laughing at her. “Rainbow?! Where’s Rainbow Dash?!”

Twilight turned and saw Rainbow Dash flying away, fur gray. Tears streamed down the unicorn’s face. “T-Trixie?!” she begged, snapping around to find the mare grayed and staring out into space. “Trixie?”

“No pony…notices me…I’m nothing…” Trixie muttered again and again.

“Trixie! I’m here! Listen to me!” the purple unicorn pleaded, standing right in front of her and not even being noticed. She leaned forward and used the memory spell…but nothing happened. Twilight staggered back, heart racing, shaking her head as she sobbed. “No…this can‘t be happening…not again…it doesn‘t make any sense, how can this be happening?” she asked, watching her friends fight, argue…all over again…

Chocolate rain began to fall and she heard a deranged laugh from behind her. She turned to Checker.

“Oh make sense? What fun is there in making sense?” asked Checker in a voice that wasn’t hers. Checker’s body lengthened, horns growing and fur changing color.

Twilight trotted backwards, staring up in absolute terror. “Discord…”

Discord let out a laugh as he stood above Twilight. “That is right, Twilight Sparkle, and you will find the ‘magic of friendship is not going to save you this time,” Discord said, giving a chuckle as he looked at her with a cruel smirk…

Goodbye to the rook who defended you so. One piece down, five more to go.

“Ugh…ouchy, my head hurts!” Pinkie exclaimed, standing up and looking around. Checker was nowhere to be found, but her friends were there, all glaring at her. “Oh, hello guys, are we having a staring contest?” she asked, giving a smile.

“Typical, you do not even remember, do you?” asked Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes. Pinkie couldn’t help feeling something was off with those eyes.

“Remember what?”

Twilight gave a growl. “Come on! You seriously don’t remember?!

Pinkie gave a whimper. “No…What happened?”

Trixie snarled, glaring at her. “Thanks to you, Checker escaped! She’s still out there and it’s all your fault! You never take anything seriously and now it‘s cost everypony!”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “What? No! I…I might mess up sometimes but…”

“Face it, Pinkie, you are a big screw up!” Rainbow Dash spat. “Why did I even hang out with you? Loser.” she stated, glaring.

Tears formed in Pinkie’s eyes. “N-no…W-we’re friends…”

“Friends?! Why should I be friends with someone who cares more about being funny than helping her friends?! You are nothing but a goof off!”

“Maybe you should go find Gilda, she’s probably a better friend,” Fluttershy added, looking to the rainbow maned Pegasus, but still glaring at Pinkie from the corner of her eyes.

“Maybe I will.”

“No! Dashie! Don’t go!” Pinkie cried, Rainbow Dash turning and flying away, Twilight walking off after her, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Trixie following suit, leaving Pinkie Pie absolutely alone on stage.

“No…Don’t leave me alone…” Pinkie said in a broken voice, hair going straight and colors darkening as tears flowed from her eyes. “I care about my friends…”

There goes one happy knight, now there are four more pieces to fight.

Rainbow Dash groaned, slowly getting to her hooves and finding herself in Cloudsdale.

“Well that was an impressive crash, but that was about the only impressive thing you did.”

Rainbow Dash looked over, seeing Spitfire glaring down at her with the other Wonderbolts. “Spitfire?” she asked, eyes wide.

“You are pathetic, there is no place on the Wonderbolts for you,” said Spitfire, but something seemed off…her eyes didn’t seem right. “And there never was. You always choke when it is time to put on the big show, do you not?”

“Not that we’d ever want someone like you on the Wonderbolts anyway,” Soarin snarled, though his eyes seemed normal. “Anyone who would abandon their team has no place with us!”

Rainbow Dash gasped. “What? N-no! I’ve never…” she started, but remembered a time that she had…a time that caused her nothing but shame.

“Really? I heard you abandoned them…” said the Wonderbolt captain, but she seemed a bit hesitant to continue.

“Yeah, one little choice and you left them to Discord’s mercy,” Soarin picked up, glaring.

Rainbow gasped, shaking her head, tears starting. “No…I mean yes, I did…but…You don’t understand…”

“Oh we understand, you are a traitor,” Spitfire growled, snarling. “Probably why your friends are not here! Why would they support a traitor like you!”

“Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!” the Wonderbolts chanted, Rainbow staggering back.

“No…I’m not a traitor…I’m not…” she muttered, covering her ears as tears streamed down her face. “I-I…I didn’t have a choice…I…”

And the loyal rook now falls, three more pieces and I win it all.

Fluttershy shook her head, getting back on her hooves. “Ugh…What happened?”

“Typical, Fluttershy passed out,” said Rarity, glaring at her, the others surrounding her with a snarl. Rarity’s eyes scared her.

“Probably got scared, AGAIN,” Rainbow Dash complained, rolling her eyes.

Fluttershy whimpered, the insult hitting deep. “I…I know I get scared some times…but…”

“You are always scared! You coward!” Rarity yelled, getting in her face. “Especially when we actually need your help! Well you know what? Forget it, we have better things to do than hang out with a frightened little foal who is afraid of her own shadow!”

Fluttershy whimpered and staggered back, tears forming in her eyes. “I…I’m sorry…I can’t help it…please…please don’t be angry.”

“Well we are angry! Because you are too much of a coward to stand up when we really need you too!” the fashionista growled, pushing Fluttershy on her back. “And we are done with you!”

Fluttershy began to cry. “No…No…I’m sorry…” she muttered as her friends turned and left. “Please…” she muttered, sinking to the ground and crying her eyes out.

The other knight is out of the game, two more spirits I need to tame.

“Oh mah achin’ head,” Applejack muttered, getting to her hooves and holding her head. She found herself back on Sweet Apple Acres. “What in tarnation happened?” she asked, shaking her head to clear it.

“I will tell you what happened, sis,” said Applebloom, staring straight at her with eyes that made the farmer pony feel uneasy. “You screwed up big time! That is what happened!”

Applejack gasped. “W-what? What do you mean?”

“She means yah messed up!” Big Macintosh growled, walking over, glaring daggers. “Didn’t yah know yah signed that contract with the bank?!”

Applejack shook her head, backing up. “W-what contract?! Ah didn’t sign anythin‘!”

“Then what do you call this?!” the little filly yelled, pulling out a contract with Applejack’s signature.

“But…Ah don’t remember…”

“Yah scatter brain!” Big Macintosh bellowed, getting in her face. “It said if we don’t repay a loan, then we lose the farm! And thanks to yah screwin’ up at the fair, we can’t pay it off!”

Applejack gasped, shaking her head. “But…but Ah’d never-”

“Well you did!” Applebloom yelled, bucking her sister in the face. “Maybe if you had stayed where you could learn something you would have known!”

Applejack took a trot back. “But…”

“If yah had stayed in Manehatten, maybe yah coulda learned a thing or two and we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Big Mac yelled.

Applejack shook her head in horror. “Ah…Ah only came back because Ah’m an Apple…Ah did it for yah all…”

“Well yah don’t deserve to call yourself an Apple! Yah are nothin’ but a failure!” the eldest Apple sibling yelled.

Applejack looked up at her siblings, tears in her eyes. “But…Ah…Ah didn’t mean to…Ah love mah family, Ah‘d never do that…”

The two siblings snarled and turned their back on Applejack, walking away. “Don’t leave! Ah’d never do that! Ah never let mah family down…”

Farwell to the bishop so strong, only one more soul to prove wrong.

Rarity gave a groan, waking up in her boutique. “What? But I wasn’t here before…”

Twilight kicked open the door. “There you are!”

“Twilight?” Rarity asked, rubbing her head. Something about Twilight’s eyes seemed…off. “What’s going on?”

“The plan to stop Checker failed! That is what happened!” the purple mare screamed, getting in her face. “Because you were too selfish to even show up!”

Rarity gasped. “Selfish? I…No! I’d never!”

“Of course you would! You only care about yourself! You are always so greedy!” the unicorn yelled.

Rarity staggered back, suddenly finding herself standing in a pile of jewels. “No…I..I might let my greed get the better of me from time to time, but…I always put my friends first!”

“Then why did you let Discord get to you with a stupid rock!” Spike yelled, poking out from behind Twilight’s back, growling.

“Spike?!” Rarity asked, eyes shrinking to pinpricks.

“Discord makes you see a giant diamond and you crumble like a house of cards! If that isn’t greedy, I don’t know what is!” Spike yelled. “Do you ever think about what someone else wants?!”

Twilight shook her head as Rarity teared up. “Always so selfish. I bet you got those jewels from Checker to bribe you off. Well you know what? Maybe I should go find a new friend,” she spat. “One who will not blow off something vitally important just to catch some beauty sleep or because she‘s thrown some jewels!”

Rarity put her hooves on Twilight’s shoulders. “Twilight! Please! Give me another chance! I’m…I’m not greedy! I’m not! I promise! Do you honestly think I‘d let myself be bribed into betraying you!”

Twilight threw her hooves off, turning and stomping away, Spike glaring at her.

“No…I’m not greedy…I’m not…”

And now that all the pieces are gone, it is time to bid the king so long.

Trixie looked around, finding herself and Checker in Ponyville on the stage, but no pony was around. She immediately narrowed her eyes. “You dragged us into a dream, didn’t you, Checkmate?”

Checker gave a completely demented laugh. “That’s right!” she exclaimed insanely, her voice retaining its high pitch and giving a crazed look at her sibling.

Trixie gave a gasp of recognition as the voice echoed in her ears. “You know, Trixie had forgotten your true voice, Checker. You’ve hid it under that false one for so long Trixie doubts even you remembered it.”

Checker gave a maniacal smirk. “I know, I’ve been hiding lots of things from myself! But no more!”

Trixie was disturbed by her sister’s change. “What…what happened to you?”

Checker laughed again. “Happened to me?! It’s simple! I’ve finally stopped hiding from myself! This is the real me! I’ve just been burying this deep, deep, deep down inside me! But not any more! I’ve finally embraced the beast I really am!” Checker stated, her gaze making Trixie feel like she was in a den of wolves. “And you’ll have lots of time to get to know the real me, because you’re going to be here for a very, very, very long time!” Trixie swore Checker’s teeth looked predatory, sharp.

Trixie snarled, getting in a precharge pose. “Trixie is getting back to her friends. She is just as strong here as you.”

Checker began laughing dementedly, reddish-black smoke surging off of and hiding her form in darkness, only glowing yellow eyes staring out showing she was there. “That’s what you think! But I know a few secrets, sister!” the smoke surged around her and light like a star exploded off of her. “Are you ready to face the beast I am, Trixie?! Game on!” Checker bellowed, her voice now a mix of her own and a monstrous growl as the smoke towered higher and higher, the eyes growing larger and larger.

Trixie staggered back as the smoke began to part, revealing what her sister had turned into. “No…not that…” she said, eyes wide and terror rushing through her, her heart racing. In both the dream and real life she began to break out in a cold sweat. She tried to will Checker’s transformation away, but she just couldn’t. So Trixie just went running as an Ursa Major’s claw smashed straight through the stage.

“You can run Trixie! But you can’t hide!” Checker bellowed, letting out a roar and tearing after her sister with a maniacal laugh.

“Twili! Wake up!” Shining Armor begged, nudging his sister with worry and panic clear in his eyes. The only thing keeping him at all composed was the fact he was the Captain of the Guard and he needed to control the situation, and that barely, barely overrode his protective instinct of his little sister.

“What’s going on?!” yelled Spike as he and the Crusaders ran over.

Helping Hoof looked down at Trixie, who was twisting and turning in a nightmare, as were the others, but in her case, it was different. She was in a cold sweat, heart racing, like she was scared for her life. She’d protected him…and the Diamond Dogs had simply cowered behind the group. “Checker’s used her trump card.”

“Trump card?” Scootaloo asked, rushing to Rainbow Dash’s side as Fluttershy’s birds surrounded her and a couple returned with Angel, Sweetie to Rarity, and Spike to Twilight’s.

“What’s going on?” asked Mrs. Cake, worry plastered on her face as she climbed out of the audience onto the stage, a crying Pumpkin in a baby carrier, Mr. Cake carrying Pound as he joined her. She looked down at Pinkie. “Pinkie…What’s going on?!”

“Checker…she knows a dream infiltration spell,” Helping Hoof reported, watching the seven ponies trapped in their worst nightmares.

Shining Armor gasped. “A dream infiltration spell? But that’s illegal!”

The stallion nodded. “Yes, and Checker knows that. But she’s been using it as her weapon of choice for some time now…I know it was wrong of me not to tell anyone…I accept any punishment that comes with it.”

Shining Armor looked dumbstruck. “But…But a dream infiltration spell should only work if they were already sleeping, how is she doing this?” he asked, keeping a hoof on Twilight’s back softly. He had to keep control, he was the figure of authority here. He knew about the spell, like he knew about most of the laws in Equestria, it was his job to know.

“It’s like Twilight said, Checker is overloading her horn to supercharge it, it’s the only logical explanation…” Helping Hoof replied, looking grim. “And, as you probably know, Shining Armor, the only way to escape the spell at this point is to force Checker out or if she lets them…And until then, they might as well be facing Discord.”

Shining Armor looked even more scared as he looked down at his little sister, who now he had no way at all of protecting, as did the others.

“Why is she doing this?” asked Scootaloo, not seeing the sense in it, even if she was a filly. “She’s already lost, why doesn’t she just give up?”

“Because…ever since I’ve known Checker, one thing has been clear about her,” Helping Hoof explained. “If she can’t win, she makes sure someone else loses. This isn’t her trying to win, this is her trying to take them down with her.”

A hush fell over the worried group, along with the crowd.

“Can’t we just wake her up?” asked Mrs. Cake, looking over at Checker, who was seemingly in a trance.

Shining Armor quickly shook his head. “No, forcibly breaking the connection could cause more harm than good, that‘s one of the reasons using the spell is so heavily monitored, but normally it‘d only hurt the user, but with it forced like this…it‘s too big of a risk…We’ll…w-we’ll just have to have faith in them to stop her…” he said, laying down next to his sister and putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Twili’…you’ve got to fight this…” he said, doing his best to keep tears out of his eyes and look strong for those around him.

Spike looked between Twilight and Rarity, looking like he had to decide which of his own hands to cut off. Who should he help?

The Cakes laid down next to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie…we know you can do this…” Mrs. Cake said, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

“Please! Twilight! Fluttershy! Anyone!” Pinkie called, trying desperately to get any of her friends attention, but they just kept going…leaving her alone.

Pinkie Pie’s head drooped, thinking about what happened as tears streamed down her face. “…How could this happen?” she muttered, looking down at her hooves as her colors began fading to grey.

Rainbow Dash looked back, giving a cold smirk. “Checkmate…”

“I…I thought Dashie would never…” Pinkie muttered.

“Pinkie…we know you can do this…”

Pinkie gave a gasp as she felt like someone was with her…someone familiar, comforting, calming her panicked mind enough to realize something. “Hey! Wait a minute!”

Rainbow Dash was suddenly pulled straight back to the stage, Pinkie remembering her eyes as she looked into them. “What?!”

“Rainbow Dash would never say ‘you do not even remember’, that’s WAY too formal for her!” Pinkie replied, her fur returning to it’s normal color and mane popping back to normal. “Oh, and Rainbow Dash would never abandon me! She was the one who went through all the trouble to bring me to my surprise birthday party! She believed me when Gilda was being a big meanie! Rainbow Dash wouldn’t abandon me for one little mess up! None of my friends would!” But Pinkie found herself still unable to completely take control.

‘Rainbow Dash’ staggered back, but glared at her. “Of course she would! I mean I would! Why wouldn’t I?! You‘re a screw up! You‘re a ditz!”

Pinkie growled, but felt a chill go down her spine. “No! I’m not! That‘s not true!”

‘Rainbow Dash’ suddenly started laughing. “Not true? I pulled it right from your own mind. How can it not be true when it comes from yourself? Face it, what I was saying was merely your shadow, I was just giving it a voice. You cannot deny it, these things are merely what you know is true about yourself! Nothing more!”

Pinkie trotted back as the stage came alive, trying to grab her, but she could do nothing to block it. The curtains rapped around her and lifted her into the air, helpless no matter how much she struggled.

“Go on! Keep Denying it! Keep thinking it isn’t true about yourself! It won’t change a thing! I’ll still win!” ’Rainbow Dash’ cackled, sharp boards rising up and pointing at Pinkie.

Pinkie looked down, thinking as she tried to think of what to do…then suddenly looked a bit serious. “You‘re right…I know I mess up sometimes…I know I don’t make sense to anyone but me sometimes…And I know I can be a ditz, but I’m proud to be cooky, friendly, party loving Pinkamena Diane Pie! And my real friends love who I am!” Pinkie replied. “Which means you’re not Dashie!”

Pinkie broke free of her bonds and grabbed ‘Rainbow Dash’s’ mane and pulled her head off like a Scooby Doo mask, revealing Checker Monarch underneath it.

“Checker! I should’ve known!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Yes! And I would have gotten away with it if it were not for you meddling pony! Wait…why did I even say that?!” Checker asked, blinking. Then her eyes widened as she realized the amount of control Pinkie suddenly had.

“Because you’re in my dream, silly!” Pinkie exclaimed with a chuckle. “Oh! Here’s the part were I do something awesome to break out of the dream! Now what to do…Ah! I know!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Hey Checker! Do you like cupcakes?!”

“Huh? What is that supposed to-AHH!”

“Huh…I thought I threw a cooled cupcake, not one fresh out of the oven…”

“Why you little!” Checker yelled, tearing off the hot cupcake. “You’ll pay for that!”

Pinkie gave a cheerful grin. “You’ll have to catch me first!” Pinkie yelled, jumping up and giving a Roadrunner honk and taking off, Checker in hot pursuit. After awhile, Pinkie stopped in her tracks and Checker kept running.

“Oh! You’re going to need this!” Pinkie called, handing her a wooden sign marked ‘Help!’ in black paint as she ran past.

Checker blinked, coming to a stop and looking at the sign. She then gulped and looked down, screaming as gravity suddenly sent her falling due to her having run straight off a cliff, making a cartoony cloud of dirt when she hit and the dream shattered.

Scootaloo put a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Rainbow…you’re the best! There’s no way some jerk is gonna beat you! So don’t you let her! I know you‘re gonna win!”

“Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!” chanted the Wonderbolts.

“No…I…I…” Rainbow Dash muttered, curling into a ball and holding her ears, tears streaming down her face, her colors beginning to gray. “I…I was just trying to save Cloudsdale…”

Spitfire smirked. “Checkmate…” she said under her breath, too quiet for Dash to hear.

“Rainbow…you’re the best! There’s no way some jerk is gonna beat you! So don’t you let her! I know you‘re gonna win!”

Rainbow suddenly gave a gasp. She could feel it…someone was there, she could see them but…she wasn’t alone. She looked at the Wonderbolts around her with a more careful eye before color returned. “Wait a minute!”

Rainbow Dash got up, glaring at Spitfire. It hit her…those eyes. “I may have made a bad choice, but the REAL Spitfire is my friend! She’s not mean like this!”

‘Spitfire’s’ eyes widened. “Well…maybe you did not know her, I mean me as well as you thought you did.”

“Unlikely! And the real Soarin’ is my friend too! And I know he’s nothing like this!” Rainbow Dash stated, looking to Soarin’, who suddenly softened. “The real Wonderbolts are all cool ponies! Not one of them would act like this in real life! And I know that because I’ve met them!”

‘Spitfire staggered back. “You…you actually know them?!” she asked, eyes wide.

Rainbow Dash nodded, pouncing on ’Spitfire’ and pinning her down. “I SAVED three of their lives! But you wouldn’t know that, would you, Checker?!“

‘Spitfire’ snarled, disguise dissolving into Checker’s true self, who kicked Rainbow Dash off her. Rainbow tried to alter things, but found herself unable to. “That doesn’t change the fact you’re a traitor!” Checker yelled, getting to her hooves. “You still betrayed all your friends to Discord!”

Rainbow Dash took a trot back. “You don’t understand…I’m not a traitor! None of what you said is true! It can‘t be!”

Checker gave a laugh. “Not true? I pulled it right from your own mind. How can it not be true when it comes from yourself? Face it, what I was saying was merely your shadow, I was just giving it a voice. You cannot deny it, these things are merely what you know is true about yourself! Nothing more!”

A tornado suddenly picked up and tossed Dash hard against a cloud building. No matter what she tried to do, she couldn’t will it away…

“Come on! Keep denying! Keep trying to say ‘that isn’t true!’ No matter how much you deny it, you know in your heart it’s the truth!” Checker yelled.

Rainbow Dash looked solemn, thoughtful…then looked at Checker. “…No…no it doesn’t change what I did, does it?…But you know what? I had to choose between my best friends and Cloudsdale, and I made a bad choice because there wasn’t a right one,” she stated, looking up as she got to her hooves. “I had to choose between two things I’m loyal to, two things that mean the world to me, and I had no choice. Discord won no matter what I did. And if I was in the position again, I’m not sure what I’d do…but I know if I have a choice, I’ll always try to save both! If not…I‘d just have to make the choice I think is right and hope it‘s the right one.” Rainbow Dash turned and bucked the tornado, scattering it and producing a clear sky. The Pegasus chuckled. “I think that’s my personal best for clearing the sky!”

Checker took a fighting pose. “Well you won’t beat me!”

Rainbow looked down at what they were standing on, then back at Checker. “Don’t have to,” she said, with a smirk, imagining simple physics taking over. “You’re not a Pegasus.”

Checker’s eyes widened. “…Not again…” she muttered, before screaming as she went plummeting through the clouds and the dream shattered.

Fluttershy’s birds landed on her and Angel set next to her, looking genuinely worried about her. He produced a brush and just gently started brushing her hair, like he did when she was heartbroken over the tornado.

“Coward!” the six ponies surrounding Fluttershy chanted over and over again.

“I know I get scared…” Fluttershy muttered, crying her eyes out and color slowly graying out. “But…please…please don’t leave me…I…I always do everything I can to help you…I really try…” she muttered, lowering her head.

Rarity gave a cold smirk. “Checkmate…” she said to herself with a cold chuckle.

Fluttershy sobbed…then gave a small gasp, feeling a tug on her hair. She felt like someone was brushing it…she felt like someone was there…someone who cared about her. Her animals? Angel? Whatever it was…it helped her think. “Wait…” she muttered, something occurring to her. She got back to her hooves with her fur returning to normal. “I always do my best! And you said that’s all that mattered!”

The others turned around and looked at her in shock. “What?”

“When I was weak during the tornado, it was Twilight and Rainbow Dash who kept saying it didn’t matter,” Fluttershy said, narrowing her eyes. “My friends accept me for who I am.”

“B-but you’re weak and helpless! A coward!”

“I know I’m a coward, I know I’m weak and helpless on my own, and so do they…“

Rarity took a couple trots back. “You…you mean you don’t deny it’s true?! You‘re not supposed to already accept it your flaws!”

“I don’t, but they and I both know that when I’m protecting them, I’m brave…” Fluttershy said, noticing Rarity’s eyes, recognizing them. She then gave ‘Rarity’ an intense glare. The Stare, causing ‘Rarity’ to freeze and stagger back. “You’re not Rarity!”

‘Rarity’ shed her disguise to reveal Checker, who glared back as intensely as possible, the two glares colliding. “You won’t beat me you little coward!”

“I may get scared easy, but right now, you’re hurting my friends too, aren’t you?!” Fluttershy yelled, narrowing her eyes further and intensifying her glare. “And I‘m more afraid of my friends being hurt than I am of you!”

Checker began to sweat and backpedaled. “This…this isn’t possible!” she shook her head and jumped at Fluttershy, who turned into a swarm of pink and yellow butterflies, reforming after dodging Checker.

“I’m warning you, let me go help my friends,” Fluttershy said, dead serious as she glared at Checker.

Checker snarled and leapt at her again, this time Fluttershy shrunk down, literally, and Checker came to a landing behind her as Fluttershy finished transforming.

“I warned you.”

Checker turned around to face her.

“Now get out of my way! You! Will! Not! Hurt! My! FRIENDS!” Fluttershy yelled at the top of her lungs, now a cream colored skunk with pink stripes that sprayed Checker right in the face, sending her staggering back coughing and gagging. Checker then gave a scream as she backed off the stage and fell, shattering the dream.

Applebloom hugged her sister, Big Mac climbing up on stage from the crowd, helping Granny Smith up and both rushing to Applejack’s side. “Come on, sis…you’re tougher than she is! You’re the toughest there is! No way you’re gonna let somepony like Checker beat yah!” Applebloom pleaded, tears in her eyes. “Right, Big Macintosh?”

The eldest Apple sibling put a hoof on AJ’s shoulder. “Eeyup.”

Applejack hung onto Big Macintosh’s leg, tears running down her face. “Please, Big Mac! Applebloom! Don’t! Ah…Ah can’t lose mah family! N-not again!” the mare yelled, before she was kicked in the face and knocked to the ground. She laid there, covering her face with her hat as her colors began to gray. “Ah…Ah can’t believe this is happenin’…it don’t make any sense…it…”

Applebloom looked back with an icy smirk. “Checkmate…”

Applejack began to gray more…
“Come on, sis…you’re tougher than she is! You’re the toughest there is! No way you’re gonna let somepony like Checker beat yah! Right, Big Macintosh?”

“Eeyup.”

…before she felt someone hugging her. She looked up at her ’family’ and felt nothing from them…but she still felt her family…just from a different place…. “Now wait a cotton pickin’ minute!”

Applejack got back to her hooves, color returning as she gave a smile. “This can’t happen! Yah know why? Because this almost happened before! We didn’t go disownin’ Granny Smith for gettin’ us in that mess with the Flim Flam Brothers!” she yelled, causing Big Macintosh and Applebloom to turn back at her in shock. “The Apple Family is tight knit! We ain’t splittin’ up!”

Applejack looked at Applebloom, lookin’ her in the eyes. But she still couldn’t influence her dream for some reason. “And them ain’t the eyes of mah little sister! Ah’m ashamed Ah didn’t see it before!”

‘Applebloom’ growled, transforming into Checker. “You still failed your family! You‘re still ignorant!”

Applejack staggered back. “No…Ah never let mah family down! And Ah ain’t dumb! That ain’t true!”

Checker gave a psychotic laugh. “Not true? I pulled it right from your own mind. How can it not be true when it comes from yourself? Face it, what I was saying was merely your shadow, I was just giving it a voice. You cannot deny it, these things are merely what you know is true about yourself! Nothing more!”

The apple trees around them morphed into ones similar to Nightmare Moon’s illusions and binded Applejack with vines and slammed her into a fence.

“Go on! You were saying?! That isn’t you?! Say that all you want! You know it’s true!”

Applejack looked down sadly…then gave a serious look. “…Yer right, Ah have failed ‘em. Ah haven’t always don’t what’s right, sometimes mah pride has gotten in the way…And Ah did leave Manehatten before Ah could learn book smarts like Aunt and Uncle Orange wanted me ta…But yah know what? Every single time, mah family has always had mah back! They’ve always cared about me more than the mess up! When Ah failed at the rodeo, all they wanted was meh home! So long as Ah try mah hardest, Ah ain‘t lettin’ ‘em down!” Applejack ripped herself free and got back to her hooves. “And yeah, Ah ain’t the smartest pony. Sometimes Ah really wish Ah was, but Ah can still learn some of that stuff…Ah just gotta be less stubborn and ask for help doin’ it.”

Checker gasped. “What?! All of you…it’s not possible!”

“Oh, it’s possible, yah old nag! Now get out of mah head! Ah got more important things to do!” Applejack yelled, glaring. “Now, Ah know Ah could do some big fancy thing, but Ah’m not an imaginative pony,” the farmer explained, before running up and bucking her right in the face, sending her flying. “So Ah’ll just do it the old fashion way,” Applejack said with a smirk, the dream shattering.

Shining Armor looked to the conflicted Spike, who was practically having a nervous breakdown trying to choose rather to help Rarity or Twilight. “…Spike…go help Rarity, I’ve got Twilight.”

Spike blinked, looking at Shining Armor. “You sure?”

Shining Armor nodded. “Yeah, go.”

Sweetie Belle hugged her sister. “Rarity! You have to win! You’re my big sister!…And I know sometimes I get on your nerves, but I love you, sis…I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Spike came over, putting a claw on Rarity’s shoulder. “Rarity, you can kick that witch’s tail! I know you can!”

“No…I’m not greedy…I’m…” Rarity muttered, shaking her head with tears in her eyes as her coat dulled. “Please…this doesn’t make any sense…my friends…why would they…” she muttered…

Twilight smirked coldly as she walked. “Checkmate…”

“Rarity! You have to win! You’re my big sister!…And I know sometimes I get on your nerves, but I love you, sis…I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Rarity, you can kick that witch’s tail! I know you can!”

Rarity felt someone hug her, and a claw on her shoulder. She couldn‘t see anyone…but she could tell they were there. Sweetie Belle…Spike…And that brought something else to her mind. “Wait…”

Rarity’s coat returned to it’s proper color. She grabbed Twilight with telekinesis and pulled her back. She’d tried to alter the dream to bring her to face her, but found herself unable too. “My real friends would never abandon me for being greedy! Twilight is the one who saw I was fit to hold Generosity!” she yelled, looking in Twilight’s eyes, recognizing them. “You’re not Twilight, are you?”

‘Twilight‘, growled, head butting Rarity and knocking her back. Her disguise shattered, revealing Checker underneath it. “Your friends may refuse to see it, but you’re still greedy! You still let temptation get the better of you!”

Rarity cringed and shook her head. “No…I’m not greedy! Discord…he brainwashed me! That isn’t the truth!”

Checker gave a laugh in response. “Not true? I pulled it right from your own mind. How can it not be true when it comes from yourself? Face it, what I was saying was merely your shadow, I was just giving it a voice. You cannot deny it, these things are merely what you know is true about yourself! Nothing more!”

The sewing machines came to life, sending fabric out to grab Rarity and slowly drag her towards the needles.

“Go ahead! Say you’re not greedy! Say it’s all a lie! Clearly a part of you thinks otherwise or I wouldn’t have dug it up at all!”

Rarity struggled, trying to escape…but she just couldn‘t alter anything…she then looked thoughtful. “…You’re right…I am greedy…I did crumble under Discord’s temptation…I want things, because when I was young, I had so little…But my friends know that! My little sister accepts that! They accept that I can be greedy sometimes! But they’re the ones who remind me that I can be generous! Even if it’s bit me in the flank, it makes me happy to help someone less fortunate than I am!” she exclaimed, breaking free of her bonds and glaring daggers at the mare. “But you wouldn’t know that, would you Checker? Because you care so little about everypony else you’d ruin your own sister just because you’re jealous of her!”

“That’s because everypony are just pawns for me to control!” Checker yelled, jumping at Rarity with a snarl.

“HIYA!” yelled Rarity, falling back and planting her hind legs into Checker’s gut and propelling her out the window. She’d been tempted to imagine a prince charming to do that, but had always hated being the damsel in distress.

“Twili…” Shining Armor muttered, seeing gray began to climb up his little sister, tears forming in his eyes. He finally hugged her. “Twili, you can beat her…please, I know you can…I believe in you…I always have…”

Twilight ran to each of her friends, desperately trying to use the Memory Spell, but it didn’t work, and Pinkie kicked her, knocking her on her back.

Twilight’s fur began to gray as she staggered away from her corrupted friends and Discord, shaking her head with tears streaming down her face. “No…this…this can’t be happening…” she muttered, feeling crushed by the weight. “Not again…please…anything but this…” she said, shaking her head.

“Face it, Twilight Sparkle, you are all alone. You have always been alone. But that is how it is when you rely on something as weak as friendship,” Discord taunted, laughing with a smirk. “Maybe you should just head back to magic kindergarten,” he said, putting a dunce cap on her head.

Twilight kept trotting backwards to the edge of the stage, looking around desperately, trying to figure what to do. The gray almost reached her head…

“Twili, you can beat her…please, I know you can…I believe in you…I always have…”

…when she felt something. She opened her eyes and briefly saw nothing…but felt something, someone‘s presence…Shining Armor?…and then it hit her.

“Wait a minute…” said Twilight, narrowing her eyes. “Where’s my brother?”

Discord blinked, blinking. “B-brother?”

Twilight’s fur returned to normal. “My brother was here when that flash went off, but now he’s not. And you know one thing I know Discord would do if he had the opportunity? Hurt my brother right in front of me. That’s the kind of game Discord would play. In fact, you know what? There’s no game here.”

“S-so?”

“Discord was ALL about his games! He wouldn’t just show up and brainwash all my friends! He’d make a game of it!” Twilight replied. “And the real Discord would know I had a brother, because he somehow knew everything about the six of us! But you wouldn’t know that, would you? Because you’re NOT Discord!”

Discord snarled, his head morphing into that of Checker, though retaining the horns. “Why aren’t any of you playing along?! You’re supposed to be crushed!”

Twilight smirked. “Because your sister taught us your grandmothers dream trick, all six of us.”

“B-but that shouldn’t matter! You shouldn’t be able to use it! Not with what I‘m hitting you with!”

“I can’t speak for the others, but me? Discord already did this to me once, Checker, and in the end all it took was a reminder of what my bonds meant to me to beat it. Just like all it took was remembering my bond with my brother to realize Discord would’ve used that against me.”

“Shut up!”

Twilight smirked. “Well guess what? We fought the real Discord, and you’re no Discord,” she said, suddenly in full wizard garb before blasting Checker with a powerful spell, shattering the dream.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Six Checkers were thrown into a black void, colliding and melding back into one.

“That’s better!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, flying down and smiling.

“Darn tootin’,” Applejack exclaimed, trotting up.

“Oh thank Celestia everypony is alright!” Fluttershy cried out, flying down to her friends.

“Quite right,” Rarity added, trotting up.

“Good, everypony made it past Checker’s games,” Twilight stated, trotting up with a relieved expression. She then blinked. “Wait…where’s Pinkie?”

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” yelled Pinkie, falling from the sky, imagining a bouncy house that she landed on and bounced out. “Hey everypony! You’re all here!”

The six all hugged each other. “Alright…so what the hay is going on here?” asked Rainbow, confused. “How is she doing this?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at Checker. “She’s using a dream infiltration spell on all of us. Aren’t you, Checker?”

Checker gasped. “How did you…”

“I suspected it when I read about it and recognized your eyes from my nightmare. Let me guess, that spell you used before you dragged us in here was to scan for our insecurities, our fears, the things that hurt us deepest. But you NEED our imaginations to fill in the blanks, don‘t you? It‘s probably a spell that came with your special talent, but like you‘re doing with this dream infiltration spell, you supercharged it so you could find out all of our insecurities at once,” Twilight replied, glaring at her. “You introduce our fears, but you can’t read our minds, you can only see the things that we’re afraid of, you needed our brains to do the rest. You couldn‘t make me see Shining Armor being Discorded because neither of us knew what Discord did to him.”

Applejack snarled. “Well it’s over, yah snake! We’re gettin’ out of here!”

“Like I will let you,” Checker stated, rising up, looking calm and collected. “You six do not understand, do you?” she asked, lumps forming on her back under her clothing. “In this world, I am not any mare. I am the queen here. I am invincible,” she stated, two huge wings erupting from her back as her proportions grew to that of an Alicorn and her mane turned into blood red energy. “I am the alicorn. And you are just the pitiful mortal ponies.”

Pinkie gave a yawn. “That‘s our final boss? Really?”

“What?”

Rarity smirked. “It’s hard to be intimidated by a fake Alicorn, when you’ve dealt with the real thing,” she said. “We’re the ones who beat Nightmare Moon and Discord. You didn‘t know that, did you?” she asked, Checker’s face saying that much.

“Oh come on!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, annoyed. “Why don’t ponies remember we saved the bucking world!…Twice!”

“Probably because we don’t wave it around like a flag,” said Rarity. “Most of Ponyville knows, they just respect our wishes for a normal life…I suppose the most arrogant of the elites don’t bother to keep track of things that don’t directly affect them.”

Twilight looked at Checker. “Facing our inner demons? It hurts, and it’s broken us before, it‘s hard to overcome them. But stopping people like you? That part is easy, so long as we have each other.”

They concentrated and six dots of light manifested above their heads, descending and transforming into their Elements of Harmony.

“Impossible!” Checker, taking a few trots backwards.

“That’s why people like you, Discord, and Chrysalis always try to split us up, isn’t it?” asked Rainbow Dash, her Element of Loyalty activating.

“Because you know how strong we really are!” Rarity announced, Element of Generosity lighting up.

“Because you know as long as we’re together…” Fluttershy continued, Element of Kindness likewise activating.

“We ain’t gonna lose!” Applejack chimed in as the Element of Honesty ignited.

“So you break us up because you’re afraid of us!” Pinkie Pie added, Laughter joining its fellows. “Which is silly, why don’t you try being our friends instead?”

“No! No!” Checker exclaimed, staggering back in shock. She then growled and opened fire on them with a beam from her horn, only for a dream manifestation of Shining Armor to block it with a magical shield. She suddenly had a whip wrap tight around her wings and chest, pinning them down. She looked to find the whip in the mouth of Daring Doo as dream versions of Big Macintosh and Applebloom throwing a rope around her and pulling it tight. A stallion fitting every depiction of a ‘Prince Charming’ character from stories joined them by throwing a rope around her horn and pulled it taunt, followed by a darker furred, straight haired version of Pinkie using party ribbons, Fluttershy‘s animals assisting her. Finally, Shining Armor put a barrier around her to hold her in place.

“Thanks Pinkamena!” Pinkie called, waving. The darker furred Pinkie waved back.

“You’re afraid of us, because you know what we do!” Twilight added, Magic finally joining the others as they floated into the air, magic forming around them. “Friendship is magic!”

With a colorful shockwave, a Rainbow burst forth from the six, flying through the air and arching down at Checker.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Checker yelled as the rainbow washed over her and the world vanished in a flash of light.

Shining Armor gasped, watching Twilight settle and her fur return to its normal color, as did the other six. “They must be winning!” he said, giving a smile.

Helping Hoof looked down at Trixie, who, while not graying, was in a cold sweat, twisting and turning in complete panic. He could feel her heart racing, her breathing becoming erratic. If she didn’t turn things around soon, she could have a heart attack.

“Trixie…” Helping Hoof started crying. “This is all my fault…if…if I’d just stopped Checker sooner, maybe none of this would have happened…”

“Stop blaming yourself for something you’re not responsible for.”

Helping Hoof gasped, looking over to see Helena heading up the stage. The guards tried to stop her. “Miss, please stay back, this is a dangerous sit-”

Helena shot the guard a glare only a parent, or grandparent, who’s child was in danger could manage. “Yes, and my granddaughters are in the thick of it. I kindly request you allow me through so I may help her,” she stated, not an ounce of malice in her voice.

The guards gulped. They looked to Shining Armor, who after a moment of thinking nodded. “Sorry miss, our mistake.”

Helena gave them a thanks and walked past, over to Trixie and Helping Hoof. “From the looks of things, you’re the only one who stopped Checker at all, so don’t go blaming yourself for her doing.”

“Helena…but…Checker is-”

Helena sighed sadly. “My granddaughter…and I still love her…but I’d be a blind mare not to see she’s gone too far and has to be stopped…I tried to protect them every way I could…but I couldn’t protect Checker from herself.”

Helena laid down next to Trixie. “Now come on, lets get Trixie through this, both of us.”

Helping Hoof nodded slowly and looked down at Trixie. “Trixie, I know you’re strong! Don’t let Checker rule you a minute longer! You’re stronger than she is!”

Helena nodded hugged her granddaughter, showing considerable strength just to restrain the panicked mare. “Trixie…Trixie, I’ve known you since you were a filly. You’re stronger than Checker, because you’re not afraid to listen to your heart. You’ve got your friends, you have me. We’re behind you all the way.”

Trixie panted, hiding behind a building, hearing the crashing and footfalls all around, trembling in absolute terror. She was having trouble breathing and was in a cold sweat. “I know it’s a dream…So why can’t I change anything?”

Checker let out a demented laugh, stomping through Sugar Cube Corner. “You want to know why?! Because you’re a weakling! A coward!” Checker yelled, losing any degree of restraint and refinement. “You’ve always been weak! Remember when we were kids?! All the times you got in trouble and didn’t know why?! All the times everything was going so right and it went wrong so suddenly?! That was all me! And you knew it, didn’t you?! But what happened every time you tried to stop me?! You failed! Those last two times were just flukes! You’re not strong enough to beat me! And you know why?! Because I’m strong and you’re weak! I’m big and you’re small! I’m right and you’re wrong! And that’s how it always will be!”

Trixie continued trembling, then covered her mouth to muffle a scream as a claw tore through the wall nearby. Checker, thankfully started searching elsewhere, giving her a moment to breathe. “She’s right…” she muttered. “I’m a coward…I’m…I’m afraid…I…I am weak…I can‘t beat her…”

“Trixie! Don’t give up! And don‘t ever call yourself weak!”

Trixie blinked. “Rainbow Dash?”

“Trixie! We know you can beat her! Don’t quit!” Twilight’s voice called.

“They’re right! Yah can kick that mare’s flank! Kick her out of yer head!” Applejack chimed in.

“You helped us conquer our nightmares, Trixie, we know you can do the same!” Rarity cheered.

“Trixie…oh…Um…go Trixie…I really do believe in you…I‘m just not good at cheering…”

“Go Trixie! Go Trixie! You can do it!” Pinkie’s excitable voice chanted, sounding like a cheerleader.

Trixie gasped. “Everypony…they’re cheering for me… I can hear them…”

“Actually, we’re right here,” said Twilight’s voice.

Trixie jumped slightly as she found her friends around her. “How…how did you…”

“Checker drug us into her dream world too, but we broke out of our nightmares,” Applejack explained, Pinkie Pie was in a cheerleader’s outfit with pompoms she somehow held in her hooves.

“But for some reason, our Elements aren’t showing up when I try to imagine them,” Rainbow Dash complained, concentrating hard.

“Because the Checker we’ve been fighting wasn’t the real one,” Twilight explained with a realization, sounding grim.

“Um…darling, please elaborate,” Rarity replied, cringing as Checker demolished another building, too close for comfort.

“Trixie! Where are you?! Come out come out wherever you are!” The raging beast called with a bout of insane laughter.

“Checker divided her attention between the seven of us, but it seems most of her attention was on Trixie. We beat a part of her, probably an important part, but the rest was here,” Twilight explained. “Now that we’re where Checker really is, she’s too experienced at manipulating dreams for us to overpower enough to take control…Trixie is the only one that can do that.”

“Trixie! Are you having fun?! I know I am!” Checker bellowed giving a ferocious roar that sent Trixie hiding under a piece of rubble.

“I c-can’t!” Trixie stuttered, trembling in fear.

“Trixie what-“ Twilight gasped as it hit her. “…You’re afraid of Ursas, aren’t you?”

“What?! No, Trixie isn’t…she isn’t afraid…” Trixie said, not sounding convinced.

“Trixie, the more you reject it, the stronger you’re going to make her. She gets more powerful the more your mental state is affected. Are you or are you not afraid of Ursas? Be honest with yourself!”

Trixie hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Y-yes…I’m afraid…”

“Trixie, you’re the only one here who’s as experienced with dream manipulation as Checker is. If you don’t stop her, there’s no telling what might happen if her horn breaks from the stress she’s putting on it and the spell is interrupted suddenly. We could be trapped in a dream forever, or worse,” Twilight replied, hating putting this pressure on her, but knowing there was no other choice. She put a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “Trixie…we’ve all got your back…We know you can stop her.”

“B-but…” Trixie started, letting out a shout as a crash founded closer. “I can’t! I’m too scared!” she exclaimed, practically cowering into a ball, hyperventilating.

Fluttershy put her hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “Trixie…being brave isn’t not being scared…its doing what you’re afraid to do…”

Trixie gasped, looking her friends over as they all stepped forwards and put a hoof on her shoulder or back in support.

“And Trixie, darling…we’re not the only ones behind you…our loved ones are all cheering us on…” Rarity added. “If you listen closely, maybe you can hear yours.”

Trixie blinked, then closed her eyes and concentrated.

“Trixie, I know you’re strong! Don’t let Checker rule you a minute longer! You’re stronger than she is!”

“Helping Hoof…” Trixie gasped, listening. She could feel him…like he was right there with her.

“Trixie…”

Trixie gasped. “G-grandmother?”

“Trixie, I’ve known you since you were a filly. You’re stronger than Checker, because you’re not afraid to listen to your heart. You’ve got your friends, you have me. We’re behind you all the way.”

Trixie gasped. “They’re here…you‘ll all here…”

“Darn tootin‘, now give that mare what for, got it?” asked Applejack, giving a smile, the others nodding…while Pinkie did a cheerleading routine.

Checker laughed, ripping the building off it’s foundations to reveal Trixie and her friends. “There you are Trixie! And your little friends too! What a wonderful surprise!” she screamed, giving a psychotic laugh. “I’ve enjoyed this little game of hide and seek, but now you’re mine!”

“No…” said Trixie, looking up at her. Trixie’s new costume manifested on her and she launched up, floating in the air and glaring daggers at her insane sister. “No! Trixie is not yours! Trixie is her own mare!”

Checker gasped, staggering back, crushing several houses as she did so. “What?! But you’re supposed to be afraid!”

Trixie smirked. “Trixie is afraid of Ursas, Checker. Trixie is terrified of Ursas. But Trixie is MORE afraid about seeing her loved ones suffer! She’s done being afraid of you! And she most certainly is done being ALONE! Trixie’s friends…our grandmother…They all believe in Trixie! And because of that, Trixie believes in herself!”

“Go get her Trix!” yelled Rainbow Dash as Twilight teleported the group to a safe distance to watch.

Checker snarled ferally, swinging her claw at Trixie, only to be nimbly evaded. “Hold still!”

Trixie got back to a safe distance. “Ever heard the story of how the evil Grogar was defeated, sister?” Trixie asked. “A magical bell’s ringing destroyed his power.”

A massive ancient bell manifested behind Trixie and she bucked it as hard as she could. Checker roared in pain, covering her ears tightly and staggering back. “You may not be Grogar, but an Ursa’s ears are sensitive.”

Checker roared, slashing and smashing the bell, but Trixie evaded. “Stop moving!”

Checker chased Trixie, biting and clawing at her, demolishing everything in her path but failing to catch her sister.

“Checker, would you say you hate Trixie?”

Checker snarled. “Yes! I hate you! Do you think I’d be doing this if I LIKED you!” she roared, slashing at Trixie, who evaded nimbly.

“Well, that’s quite unfortunate. Do you remember the Hearth’s Warming Eve story?” Trixie asked as Checker raised a massive paw to slash at her. A white spectral horse manifested and circled Checker, phasing through her claw and freezing it solid before she could swipe. “It speaks of winter spirits called Windigos which feed on hatred, trapping those in it’s grip in ice.”

Checker roared, ice forming around her body and trapping her in ice. However, her great strength began to break it. Cracks began to spread out across the dream world from the massive ice statue.

Twilight gasped. “Oh no! The dream world is breaking apart! Her horn must be close to breaking!”

Trixie teleported in front of the group. “Then shall we end this story?” Trixie asked, smiling to her friends.

“You should do the honors,” Rarity replied. “We’ll back you up.”

Trixie nodded, turning to face Checker, the others standing behind her and concentrating along with her.

“And of course, when the citizens of Dream Valley needed to vanquish the vile Tirek! Only one thing could defeat his dark power!” Trixie announced, a light appearing above the seven ponies and descending into Trixie‘s hooves. A red heart shaped locket manifested, hanging from its chain around her hoof. “The Rainbow of Light!”

Checker smashed her way free, roaring in rage, eyes completely animalistic.

The six put a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder or back in support and glared at Checker.

“Checker!” Trixie exclaimed as she opened the locket, releasing a tiny glowing rainbow.

“Game over!” yelled all seven as the rainbow grew into a massive one that twisted and wrapped around Checker before triggering a massive explosion of light. It twirled around and grasped her, pulling her high into the sky were another brilliant explosion caused the dream to vanish into white.

Checker let out a cry of pain, falling backwards to the ground as Trixie’s eyes opened. “It’s over, Checkmate.”

The others all awakened as well, hugging their worried families happily. They then saw Trixie and rushed over to her, giving her a hug as well. “You did it, Trixie!” Twilight cheered, smiling widely.

“That was some real good thinkin’ with the Rainbow of Light,” said Applejack, patting her on the back.

“You were awesome Trix!” Rainbow Dash chimed in.

“And you did it wearing the costume I made you, quite stylish,” Rarity said, giving the mare a smile.

Pinkie was somehow in her cheerleader uniform and doing cheers. “Trixie! Trixie! Go! Trixie!” The CMC quickly joined her, though didn’t have uniforms.

“Yay…” Fluttershy ‘cheered’, getting a few chuckles, including from her.

Trixie then turned to Helping Hoof, who was standing next to her. “Thank you, Helping Hoof…” she said, giving him a hug. “And…Trixie forgives you…”

Helping Hoof looked shocked, then gave a smile. “…Thank you, Trixie.”

Checker snarled, getting to her hooves and trying to power up her horn again, only for a small explosion of magic to go off in it, causing her to cry out in pain and stagger back, several cracks running through her horn that crackled with magic. She snarled like a wild animal and lowered her horn and charged Trixie and Helping Hoof head on. Trixie turned, seeing it coming, and she and Helping Hoof vanished in a fireworks explosion.

Checker ran through it and drove her horn deeply into a support beam, causing herself to become stuck.

Trixie staggered a little, still drained. She felt tired all over. She collapsed, but found herself supported by somepony. She looked up to find Helena smiling down at her.

“G-grandmother?” asked Trixie, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at her grandmother. She hugged her grandmother, and was hugged back. “Grandmother…what are you doing here? Trixie…I am so glad to see you! But why are you here?”

“I got your letter, sweetie,” said Helena, smiling down to the younger unicorn. “And I came to tell you my answer in person, getting caught up in the fight was just coincidence,” she explained, then looked down at Trixie and kissed her forehead. “And I forgive you…I’ll always love my granddaughter…” she answered, giving a smile and hugged Trixie again.

“Aww! That’s so sweet!” said Fluttershy, smiling. Even Rainbow Dash seemed to find it touching.

Helena then sighed, looking at Checker. “…Both of them…even if I can be very disappointed in them…”

Shining Armor and the guards helped pull Checker out of the beam. “Checker Monarch, you’re under arrest,” he replied, putting cuffs on her front legs.

Checker was loaded in to a chariot with a closed top and a barrier between the driver and the backseat to protect the driver. The mare kept her head lowered, snarling with rage but generally looking absolutely defeated.

Helping Hoof was walked up to the passengers side door with cuffs on him as well. Both had small devices on their horns to block magic, primarily in Checker’s case to keep her from hurting herself if she tried to use magic again.

Trixie looked to Helping Hoof, a conflicted expression on her face. “Helping Hoof…you don’t have to, you helped stop Checker, Trixie is sure the Princess would give you a pardon.”

Helping Hoof shook his head. “No…I’ve helped Checker do so many awful things…I need to pay for it as well…I will testify against her, but…I deserve to be punished.”

“No,” said Trixie, simply. “You deserve to atone for what you’ve done, Trixie understands…but atonement and punishment are not the same thing, don’t forget that.”

Helping Hoof gave a smile. “I’ll remember that…Thank you, Trixie…maybe we can be friends after-” Trixie hugged him.

“We are friends…”

Helping Hoof gave a smile. “Thank you Trixie…”

He then gasped. “Wait! The chauffeurs, what happened to them?! They knew everything Checker was doing! And had less compulsion than I did!”

“Don’t worry about them,” said Helena trotting up with a smile. “I took care of them.”

“You had to open your big mouth…” said one of them, the three now all tied up with their own flight harness, hanging upside down from a tree as the guards came to get them down.

“How was I supposed to know their grandmother was listening!” exclaimed another one.

“You don’t mess with someone’s grandkids,” said Helena with a smile…which then faded as she looked at the police chariot.

Helena walked over, looking at Checker with sad, disappointed eyes. “Checker…” she said with a sigh, the insidious mare merely snarling like an animal. “I love you, Checker. I always will…But this was the choice you made…I tried to help you…but every time someone offered you help, you turned them down…I can’t help you anymore…I’m sorry…” she said, and turned away, a tear running down her cheek.

Checker snarled. “Love is for the weak,” she stated with a glare. “I don’t need it.”

Trixie then walked up, giving her sister a glare. “Checker…a part of Trixie wants to say you’ve done nothing but hurt Trixie since the day she was born, tried to ruin her friends lives, and generally were the worst sister ever! And you‘ve made your bed, now lay in it you monster!” she yelled in a rather dramatic fashion, causing Checker to give a smirk. “But then Trixie would still be a slave to you…so instead, what Trixie is going to say is this; Trixie is done. She’s done hating you. She’s done letting you control her. She’s done…I forgive you, Checker, and this shall be the last we see of each other.”

Checker startled as Trixie walked away…then snarled. “Come back here! You’re not supposed to forgive me! You can’t be done with me! I made you! I’m the one who controls you! Come back here!”

Helping Hoof looked back from the front seat. “Checker, you do realize that you could’ve just made up a story to cover yourself to the audience and trapping them in a nightmare just incriminated you completely and revealed your highly illegal dream infiltration spell to the Royal Guards, correct?”

Checker miserably beat her head against the glass separating her from the front seat.

Helping Hoof simply chuckled.

Diamond Tiara watched with her parents from the dwindling crowd as all this transpired, looking genuinely scared. She looked up to her father, and mother. “Mom…daddy…” she said, getting them to look at her.

“Yes, princess?” asked her mother, looking down at her lovingly.

“…I just wanted to say I love you both…”

Dear Princess Celestia;

I’ve learned a valuable lesson…one of the most valuable I’ve ever learned.

Trixie lowered food down to Fluttershy’s animals telekinetically, Fluttershy offering help when the unicorn got confused. It was accepted.

It doesn’t make you weak to accept help when you need it, in fact, it makes you weaker if you don’t.

Trixie carefully sewed patches onto dresses in Rarity’s shop. Spike tapped her shoulder and pointed to her mane, which laid on the cloth. Trixie smiled and floated it back behind her head with telekinesis.

If you’re not willing to accept help, then when you encounter something that is too much for you to handle on your own, you’ll find yourself too weak to handle it. There’s no shame in asking your friends to help you.

Trixie accompanied Applejack to Canterlot, standing by her friend and subtly giving her tips on presenting her apples with an air of refinement.

Applejack won first. Even if halfway through she broke down and gave up her Manehatten accent entirely, that actually seemed to make her more popular.

And what’s more, friends are wonderful things…When you’re lost in darkness, a real friend will light the way…sometimes a friend has to say things that hurt, because they’re things you need to hear.

While still in Canterlot, Blueblood approached Applejack, a look of guilt on his face, seeming quite timid in contrast to his normal personality. He offered an apology for how he’d acted to her at the Gala…it wasn’t very prince-like of him. She accepted it.

Friendship is magic. It is the bond that holds ponies together. And all it can do is make you stronger. And it can defrost a cold heart…

The Diamond Dogs performed community service in Ponyville to make up for helping Checker…under threat of whining by Rarity if they refused.

Meanwhile, Trixie met Spike’s new pet Phoenix, obtained while she and Applejack were in Canterlot in an epic adventure Trixie was presently being told about. Snips and Snails slowly approached her and looked up at her remorsefully, not sure what to say. She looked down at them and smiled, giving a nod and being hugged.

But only if you let it…no pony can be saved unless they want to be…

Helping Hoof, in a prison wearing appropriate garb, finished writing a letter and sending it to Trixie, then went over to an inmate learning program, his class being in theater.

Rarity loaded a mine cart full of gems with Spike’s help while the Diamond Dogs took another mine cart with the exact same amount back down into their caves with a wave.

But I know I wanted to be saved, and I was.

Trixie baked apple pies at Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie helped her whenever needed.

And I know I wouldn’t trade my friends for anything.

Helping Hoof stepped off a carriage and was greeted by the whole group, Pinkie Pie having somehow set up a party for him in the minutes it took him to disembark.

Trixie trotted up, smiling to him. He smiled back, then turned, causing Trixie to gasp when she saw his flank, seeing a theater curtain Cutie Mark. She looked up at him in shock, then hugged him, followed by a group hug with the rest.

Trixie Lulamoon Midsummer.

Six Months Later

“Trixie cannot believe they opened a theater in Ponyville, whoever convinced them of that?” asked Trixie, sitting at a table at Sugar Cube Corner with the others, it decked out for a party in celebration, courtesy of Pinkie Pie. Derpy, Ditzy, Pipsqueak, Snips, Snails, and the CMC were all present as well, along with several friends Trixie had made in the intervening time, including a yellow furred, red maned pegasus with a game controller cutie mark.

Rarity adverted her eyes. “I wouldn’t know, darling,” she replied, looking left and right.

Helena chuckled, sitting next to her granddaughter. “Well, regardless, I think we can all thank the princesses they did.”

Helena didn’t live in Ponyville, she merely visited Trixie often. Unsurprisingly, she and Pinkie Pie got along excellently.

Trixie nodded. “Yes, very much so,” she replied. “Now Trixie and Helping…Trixie means Stage Hoof have stable jobs she enjoys,” she continued. “Soon Trixie will be able to afford a house here in Ponyville.”

Trixie still lived with Twilight, but a few months ago had bought her own bed so Twilight could have her own back. It certainly made things much more enjoyable. Stage Hoof, his new name after earning his Cutie Mark, lived in a small apartment in Ponyville at present, having been paid by Monarch Inc. not to press charges for Checker’s mistreatment of him. Wasn’t enough to buy a house, but enough to help him get back on his hooves.

The party was also to celebrate his new Cutie Mark.

“Glad you are finally doing something you love, both of you,” said Twilight, smiling.

“Me too…my father didn’t approve, but I don’t care anymore…I’m tired of being his slave or anyone else’s,” Stage Hoof replied, giving a bittersweet look.

Trixie nodded, then looked serious. She floated up a smoothie. “Trixie would like to propose a toast,” she said, everyone taking a glass in whatever manner their race could. “Without you girls…Trixie would still be a homeless mare in the streets of Canterlot, and under the hoof of her…psychotic sibling…” the showmare explained, her and Helena both looking a little sad as they thought about Checker. “…Trixie honestly wants to say…thank you, her friends, her grandmother, for all you‘ve done…A toast to you all!”

They toasted glasses and drank.

Twilight smiled and looked at Trixie, thinking about all that had happened. How much Trixie had changed through all of this…She was now someone they were all proud of, Trixie herself included. She was finally getting back on her hooves.

And Twilight was happy to consider her a sister.

Dear Princess Celestia;
In the past few months, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. I won’t say Trixie was an enemy, but she certainly wasn’t a friend, nor were the Diamond Dogs and Helping Hoof…oops, I mean Stage Hoof. But eventually, through circumstances, we’re now allies. It’s amazing how much things have changed between us.
The lesson I’ve learned is this; the best way to defeat an enemy…is to make them your friend.

Your Faithful Student; Twilight Sparkle.

The End.

(Cue Live Again by Metajoker and Fragmentd)

(Thanks to Metajoker and Fragmentd for permission to use their song)

Chapter 1: Unexpected Encounter.

Chapter 1

"Unexpected Encounter"

"Well, it’s nice to be back in Canterlot, so much is changed!" Twilight said as continued walking, excitement in her voice. Sure, she’d been here a few times since she’d moved to Ponyville, but this was really the first time she’d been there just to relax and reconnect with her roots, as opposed to a party or being called to save the world from an ancient evil that escaped it‘s prison. She remembered Rarity’s friendship report after Twilight’s birthday, don’t be ashamed of your roots. That’s what had compelled her to come do a little reconnecting with where she’d came from. "Isn‘t that right, Spike… Spike?" she asked, looking back at her assistant to see him falling quite far behind.

Spike panted, struggling to keep up. "Yeah, Twilight," he panted, stopping to catch his breath. "Can I... Can I please ride on your back?" he asked, unable to keep up with the excited Unicorn mare. "I know you're excited, but I can only move so fast."

Twilight stopped and turned around to fully face him, getting a slightly embarrassed look, realizing in her excitement she‘d forgotten Spike was just a baby dragon. "Sorry Spike, I‘ve just had a great day," Twilight said, horn lighting up with a pink glow, which surrounded Spike and floated him up, gently setting him on her back as she continued on. “What’s next on the checklist?”

Spike took a moment to catch his breath. "Thanks Twi," he said, taking out a checklist. He couldn’t help rolling his eyes, who made a checklist to plan out relaxing besides Twilight? "Lets see. Make checklist for day in Canterlot. Double and triple check the check list… Spend the early morning with Princess Luna..." he read, then gave Twilight a glare. "At 3 in the morning," he muttered, not liking getting up that early. "I know Luna’s nocturnal and all, but was getting up THAT early really necessary?" he asked, giving a yawn from lack of sleep.

"Yes, Spike. I don't think Princess Luna would have liked if we disturbed her in the morning while she‘s getting read for bed," Twilight said, walking around the road. A person nearly bumped into her, but changed his direction, in a hurry. Twilight looked back, he was long gone. Canterlot was so different than Ponyville, in Ponyville that probably would’ve resulted in a friendly conversation. Here everypony was in such a big rush they didn’t have time to even say hi. "What’s next?"

"Let's see..." said Spike, looking back at the list. "We ate breakfast with your parents, then we dropped off those deliveries for Rarity..." he swooned, saying Rarity’s name in a dreamy fashion. He caught himself as Twilight looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh... Sorry. Then we gave those apology letters to the animals in Canterlot castle garden for Fluttershy, got those tickets to the Wonderbolts air show for Rainbow... Stopped by Discord‘s statue so you could double and triple check the spell keeping him there."

Twilight looked down. “It’s just… I had to be sure he was still there, locked up tight…”

“I know, Twi,” said Spike, giving a kind smile. “I was there when he turned Ponyville into a madhouse and made the others bully you, I can’t blame you for having nightmares.”

Twilight shuddered. Spike wasn’t kidding, Discord’s “games” had given her nightmares, bad ones. She’d had to take a look at his stony mug and make SURE he wasn’t getting out to give her a little piece of mind. She hoped that’d make the nightmares go away a bit. “Is that why you decided to sneak passed the guards and write “Discord drools” on his face in permanent marker?” she asked, giving him a look over her shoulder.

Spike gave a laugh. “Yeah,” he replied, looking over to her. “You have to admit, it was really funny!”

Twilight chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it was… Until you got caught and we were arrested by the guards.”

Spike gave a nervous smile. “Yeah, sorry bout that… But at least the Princess got a good laugh out of it we she came to bail us out.”

Twilight nodded sheepishly, getting an embarrassed blush. “Yeah… I guess she did…” she replied, remembering how needlessly worked up she’d gotten waiting for Celestia to get there. She wasn’t sure why, considering she should’ve known Celestia wouldn’t imprison her, banish her, or imprison her in the place she banished her to. She just wished she’d realized that before made a foal of herself begging Celestia not to when she showed up to pardon them.

“After that we had lunch with Princess Celestia and talked with her for an hour…” said Spike, running through about half a dozen more items before looking back. “And lastly, ask Spike to recheck the checklist to make sure we got everything,” he read, then blinked in confusion. “Uh… Check,” he said, checking that item off.

"Great! Its still an hour till we planned to head back to Ponyville, what should we do in the meantime?" Twilight asked, dodging the oncoming traffic of ponies. Why were Canterlot ponies always in such a rush?

"Well... could I throw a stink bomb into Prince Blueblood's room to pay him back for how he treated Rarity at the Gala?" asked Spike, producing one out of nowhere. "Rainbow Dash gave it to me."

"No, Spike! We‘d get arrested… Again!" said Twilight, imagining Celestia's face if that happened. Even if she did laugh it off again, Twilight didn’t particularly want to have her mentor bail her out TWICE in one day. "...I think we should just go home," Twilight unwillingly said, though she was getting a tad homesick for Ponyville. And with a stink bomb in hand, she didn‘t particularly trust the little dragon not to use it. But when did he get it she wondered? He didn’t have they left Ponyville, and that was the last time she‘d seen Rainbow Dash since then. She got the feeling maybe one of there friends was around, particularly a certain rainbow haired pegasus with a love for pranks.

Spike grumbled, putting it away. "Fine, but you have to admit, he deserves it."

"Yeah, but it‘s illegal, Spike." said Twilight, looking around to see if Rainbow Dash really was around. Then Twilight saw something else, a homeless mare on the side of the street. The poor thing laid under a blanket, only her light blue tail and unicorn horn exposed. Her fur was mangy and filthy enough to show she hadn't bathed in a long time. Twilight frowned, she often forgot that, despite the Princess‘ best efforts, there were still some ponies suffering in Equestria, not many, but some. She couldn’t help thinking something seemed so familiar about this mare, why did she feel like she’d seen that tail and horn somewhere before?

Spike saw the mare as well, and quickly got out some bits. "Here you go, Twi," he said, holding them out. He knew nine times out of ten, if Twilight could help somepony, she would. Any of the gang would probably, when he thought about it. The mare seemed vaguely familiar to him as well, but he couldn’t put his claw on it.

"Thanks, Spike," Twilight said with a small smile and took the bits with a telekinesis spell. She walked to the mare and laid them gently down next to her, only for a blue glow to surround them and the bits to be telekinetically hurled right back in her face. “Ow! Hey, what was that for?!”

“Yeah, we’re just trying to help!” said Spike, a little miffed.

The mare groaned in announce. "I don't want your help... I don't need pity..." she muttered angrily, rolling over so her back was to them, revealing her Cutie mark in full view in the process.

Twilight‘s eyes went wide as she saw the Cutie Mark, a blue magic wand with a crescent shaped wisp of sparkling blue magic, and a memory surged full front in her mind. "T-TRIXIE?!" Twilight screamed, her sudden jump causing Spike to topple backwards off her back with a yell.

"Huh?" asked the mare, throwing the blanket off and looking up, snarling when she saw who it was. Her fur was matted and filthy, and to put it mildly, she smelled worse than a Diamond Dog, but there was no mistaking her. The blue unicorn before Twilight was definitely the “Great and Powerful” Trixie. "Oh, it's you," the mare said, giving a glare. "Come to show up Trixie again have you?"

Spike growled. "Hey! Watch it! If it wasn't for Twilight you'd be an Ursa's dinner right now!"

"Spike!" Twilight angrily shushed Spike, not wanting to make this worse. Her anger faded to sadness as she turned back to Trixie, trying not to put a hoof to her nose at the smell of the filthy mare. "No, Trixie, we were just passing by. And I never meant to overshadow you, if I had I’d have done it when you were issuing open challenges to all of Ponyville. In case you didn’t notice, I was trying NOT to show off.”

Trixie gave a sigh. “Point taken, now what is it you want?”

“Well for starters, what happened to you?" Twilight asked, she had guilt inside her. Was Trixie like this because of what happened in Ponyville?

Trixie looked down, then growled. "... It's none of your business," she said, turning away. "Trixie doesn't want your pity!"

"Well that's good enough for me, come on Twilight," said Spike, trying to walk off, only to be grabbed telekinetically and pulled back by Twilight.

"Trixie, this isn‘t pity, its concern. Can I help-” Twilight asked, eyes full of concern. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash ran up to Twilight out of nowhere until their eyes were about six inches away.

“Oh great," muttered Trixie, knowing this wouldn't end well for her in all likelihood.

"No way!" Rainbow said in anger. "Pinkie Pie, tell her!"
Pinkie Pie popped out of nowhere and hopped over. "Hi Twilight! Rainbow Dash wants me to tell you..." she said, then just stood there with a smile on her face, then one of confusion. “Tell her what?”

Rainbow Dash gave an annoyed groan and face hoofed.

"Rainbow and Pinkie, what are you doing here?!" Twilight asked, sure, she‘d THOUGHT Rainbow might be following her, but never expected it for real. And especially not Pinkie… Though it didn’t surprise her, Pinkie was the most unpredictable mare she’d ever met.

“We got a message from the Canterlot police saying you and Spike got arrested so we came to bail you out,” said Rainbow, glaring daggers at Trixie. “Good thing to! You were going to let this jerk sucker you!”

Twilight growled. “I was not! And that’s not a very nice thing to say, Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight, giving a disappointed glare. “Can’t you see she’s in trouble?”

Rainbow Dash looked at her like she was crazy. “Oh come on! Did you forget how she humiliated me, Rarity, and Applejack in front of the entire town and caused a rampaging Ursa Minor to tear the town apart?!”

Twilight gave a stern glare. “And she paid for that by being humiliated in front of the entire town herself, and you and I both know the Ursa was Snips and Snails‘ fault. Besides from the looks of things, she’s paid more than enough for what she did in the meantime.”

“And from the smell of things, hasn’t had a bath in a long time,” said Spike, holding his nose.

Twilight gave Spike a raised eyebrow, then looked back to Rainbow. “I’m not just going to leave somepony in trouble if there’s something I can do to help.”

Twilight turned to Trixie. Sure, she’d been a jerk, but she hadn’t done anything to deserve this. "Trixie, will you come with us-" Twilight got cut by Dash.

"No way, Twilight!" Rainbow said in a serious tone.
"...To Ponyville? Maybe you can get back on your hooves there. Don't mind them," Twilight asked Trixie, ignoring Rainbow. Normally, she’d listen, but quite obviously, Rainbow Dash’s perspective was a bit bias in this case.

"Trixie doesn't want your pity," said Trixie, turning her nose up and turning to walk off. “She can… She can do just fine on her own,” she stated, though even her attempts to sound confident failed, as a slight break in her voice revealed she didn’t quite believe that herself.

Pinkie blinked, having just set by and watched this until something happened. "Uh oh! Ear flop. Eye flutter. Knee twitch," she said, her body doing the exact actions, right as a door swung open and hit Trixie right in the face. A pony threw away some garbage and closed the door, Trixie sliding down it like a squashed bug.

"Ha-ha!" Rainbow laughed hard at Trixie. “Serves you right!”

Twilight shot Rainbow a glare before trotting over to the dazed Trixie. "Trixie, this isn’t a pity!” she said, then paused to think of just how to phrase this different to convince Trixie to let her help. Sure, Trixie didn’t seem to want help, but neither did Applejack at Applebuck Season, if Twilight hadn‘t forced the issue, Applejack might‘ve worked herself to death. Sometimes the pony who didn‘t want help was the one who needed it the most. A thought came to Twilight’s head. “Think of it as repaying a favor.”

Trixie shook her head to clear it. "And just what did Trixie do for you?" she asked, looking at her in confusion.

"Yeah, what did she ever do for us?" asked Spike, confused as Trixie. “You know, besides publicly humiliating our friends? I got to side with Rainbow on this one.”

Twilight thought out her words carefully. "Well, thanks to you, I had my weekly report for Princess Celestia in on time! And you helped me realize I didn‘t have to hide my talents from my best friends just because I was afraid of how they‘d react," Twilight replied. “So at least let me return the favor and give you a helping hoof.”

“Yeah! And if you hadn’t helped Twilight with that letter, it’d have been really bad! Last time-” started Pinkie, only to have Twilight put a hoof over her mouth and blush before the pink pony could reach the embarrassing part of the story. Still, at least she wasn’t against her like Rainbow.

"Princess Celestia?" asked Trixie, eyes widening in shock. "W-why did you have to send her a weekly report?"

"Twilight’s Celestia's personal student," said Spike with a smug smile. "And her personal envoy to Ponyville too," he stated, Trixie’s jaw dropped, she pretty much looking like she was about to go into shock. Behind her, Pinkie pie was glaring at people. Twilight could see the scared looks on their faces.

Before Rainbow could say anything, Twilight shot her a glare. "If you want, Trixie, you could be the guest of Celestia‘s personal student in Ponyville," Twilight spoke up before Spike could brag anymore. She hoped appealing to the unicorn’s ego would help sway her a bit.

Pinkie hopped over and got in Trixie‘s face. "Yeah, you can be our guest!” she exclaimed. “Come on come on! We‘ll have so much fun!” she stated in her typical rapid tone.

"I’ve heard enough of this, I’m going back to Ponyville, by myself! You can let yourself get suckered by this loser if you want to but leave me out of it!" Rainbow in an angry tone before flying off, seeing she’d not be able to talk some sense into Twilight and Pinkie was too… well, Pinkie Pie.

Trixie looked hurt. "I'm not a loser..." she yelled after Rainbow. "It's not my fault those two rotten colts ruined my life!" she growled, before realizing Rainbow was gone and couldn‘t hear her. She blushed in embarrassment and turned back to the unicorn and Earth Pony staring expectantly at her. "...So as your GUEST, not out of pity towards Trixie?" she asked. She had to admit, being able to say Princess Celestia’s personal student had invited her to be her guest was quite an ego stroke. With how powerful Twilight was during the Ursa attack, Trixie didn’t doubt she was telling the truth on that one. And even if she hated to admit it, Twilight had saved her life from that Ursa, so she did owe Twilight. You’d never hear her say it, but she did have some gratitude for that.

"I don't know what pity is, but having guests is always really really fun! So say yes! Say yes!" said Pinkie Pie with an excited smile. Then she continued to stare at people.

Trixie sighed, giving it deep thought. It’d be nice to sleep on a real bed in a real house after all. "Trixie supposes that it'd be better than that cardboard box... Trixie hasn't had a shower in two months," she muttered, disgusted with her own appearance. She hadn’t had a decent bite since then either, she was starving.

Spike held his nose. "Yeah, we noticed, you smell worse than those rotten Diamond Dogs," he stated, not caring about Trixie's feelings after what she did.

Twilight angrily glare at Spike. "Okay, let’s head to Ponyville. I hope you don‘t mind taking a royal chariot," Twilight asked, leading the way.

"On a... On a royal chariot?" asked Trixie, eyes wide in shock. She’d get to ride in a royal chariot? Embarrassing circumstances or not, Trixie wasn’t about to pass that up.

“Twi, you sure this is a good idea?” asked Spike. “I don’t trust Trixie as far as I could throw her.”

“Come on Spike, she’s not that bad,” said Twilight, calmly. “Besides, finding her a job will be a piece of cake with all the nice ponies in Ponyville, she‘ll be back on her hooves in no time.”

“Oh! What kind of cake?” asked Pinkie, smiling wide, forgetting about the people. “Is it chocolate? Vanilla?”

Twilight sighed, continuing forwards towards the chariot launching point. “Or cherry? Oh wait! Blueberry?…”

To be continued.

Chapter 4: Stitching It Together

"No… Not… Not again…" said Twilight, contorting in terror in her sleep, images of what Discord had put her through flashing through her mind, only this time, no matter what she did, nothing helped, nothing changed anything… "Stop… Leave my friends alone, Discord…P-Please, leave them alone…"

Twilight shot awake when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Panting heavily from fear, she looked over to see Trixie looking back at her in concern. "Trixie…" she said, startled, she looked over to see the clock, midnight, feeling a pang of guilt at awakening the poor mare in the middle of the night. "… Sorry…"

"It is fine, Twilight," said Trixie, her voice honest, even somewhat sympathetic. "… Another nightmare, Trixie guesses? Trixie would have thought that a pony like you would have found a way to deal with a mere nightmare in all of these books."

Twilight sighed, lowering her head in sorrow. "I've done everything I can think of…" she said, her voice a little shaky. "Nothing works…" she muttered, sick and tired of being tormented by nightmares like this. She'd looked up everything she could find, but she still couldn't find anything that worked. She was starting to think Discord had put some kind of spell on her. "I know they're not real…But I just can't make them stop…"

Trixie actually gave a sympathetic look. Twilight thought she looked conflicted for a moment. "Twilight…Believe it or not, Trixie may have the solution to your plight…" she explained in a thoughtful tone.

Twilight blinked in confusion, was Trixie actually helping her? But still, the possibility of being rid of the horrible nightmares she'd been having was rather tempting. "…Really?" she asked, not really able to think of much else to ask.

Trixie nodded, still looking a tad uncertain. "Yes, it's quite simple really."

"… You're not going to sing, are you?"

Trixie's eyes widened and she looked rather confused. "Of course not, why ever would you ask such a thing?"

"Oh, it's nothing… Just when we were being threatened by a bunch of monster trees in Everfree Forest, Pinkie said something like that and burst into song spontaneously," recounted Twilight, then saw Trixie giving her a raised eyebrow. "Nightmare Moon used illusions to try and scare us off, Pinkie tends to explain beneficial insights she has with random musical numbers…along with how to make cupcakes…"

"Trixie understands, she was actually more confused about the monster trees than the singing…Well anyway, it's quite simple…what are you doing?"

Twilight blinked, telekinetically holding a notebook and quill in front of her. "Taking notes…"

Trixie rolled her eyes slightly at this. "Twilight, there's no need to…actually, on second though, Trixie kind of likes that, you may continue," she replied, allowing Twilight to get back to taking notes. "As Trixie was saying; when having a nightmare, look for the parts of it that do not make sense. Dreams are by their very nature imperfect because our minds hastily craft the dream world when it begins, so there's always something that tells us it's a falsehood. Something that doesn't match up with what we know is, or was, the reality, something which has no other explanation apart from being a part of a dream. Even if the nightmare takes place in Discord's chaotic world, there's going to be something that's off. Finding this…glitch, so to speak, will let you know it's a dream, or nightmare, and once you know it's a dream, you can control it with ease. Are you following Trixie, Twilight?" asked Trixie, falling back into a rather theatrical manner of speaking. Not quite as bombastic as her magic show act, but still putting a good bit of energy into her words as well as hoof motions at certain points.

Twilight nodded, hanging on her explanation and taking her notes as she did so. Truthfully, Trixie was pretty fun to listen to when she wasn't talking just to hear herself talk or publicly humiliating ponies. And Trixie seemed to actually be enjoying herself. "Yes, please continue."

"Good. Now let's say Trixie was having a nightmare about an encounter with certain… terrifying… monstrous… s-star covered beast……" said Trixie, a little fear worming its way into her voice. Twilight saw the poor mare give a shudder at mention of the Ursa. She really couldn't blame the poor girl. Regardless, she was surprised as the mare magically created an image of herself running from an Ursa similar to the one she'd created during her original Ursa story at the magic show. "Say she noticed that the Mare In The Moon was still in her prison, or that her own Cutie Mark's colors were reversed, or that those two dumb colts that ruined her life weren't standing right next to her the whole time!" she said, almost shouting at the end, the images changing to match her words…the last of which being her about to hit a cowering Snips and Snails with a mallet. Trixie seemed to catch herself and cleared her throat, wiping away the last image.

"… Anyway, at that point, Trixie knows she's in a nightmare and can take control. So instead of running she-"

"Vanquishes the Ursa Minor?"

"Uh…no…"

"Major?"

"…Maybe…Anyway, do you understand, Twilight?"

Twilight nodded, finishing her notes. It actually made sense to some degree. And it was right up Twilight's alley, logic was of course on of her strong suits. But still, after everything Twilight tried, she was understandably unsure about the method, and Trixie was actually pretty good at making it interesting. "I've never heard something like that… Does it really work?"

"Has Trixie awakened screaming that one of those… c-creatures was trying to eat her?" asked Trixie, doing her best to maintain her theatrical manner.

Twilight blinked and shook her head. "No…"

"Well there you go. Trixie has used this trick since she was a little filly, it works every time. Trust me, Twilight, if it didn't work, Trixie wouldn't get any sleep," replied Trixie, trying to maintain her tone, but giving a yawn.

An angry growl came from nearby. Both girls looked over to see a rather cranky Spike glaring at them from his bed. "You're not the only ones not getting any sleep…"

"Sorry, Spike…" said Twilight, looking at her assistant sheepishly. She then looked over as Trixie climbed back to her bed. "Trixie…Thank you…You're actually a really good teacher."

"You're welcome, Twilight…And thank you as well… Goodnight…" replied the tired mare, slinking into her bed.

Twilight slinked back under her covers, giving a yawn. She really hopped this worked…

Trixie snarled, scrubbing her mane for the second time this morning. She'd pretty much tried everything she could think of, but her mane was the same shade of pink it'd been since her tomato juice bath the previous day, as was her tail. Trixie just gave a sigh and gave up on that. "Oh well, at least I don't still smell like a skunk…" she stated in annoyance, the horrid stench still rather fresh in her memory. As were her own actions from the previous night.

Trixie gave a small sigh at the thought. "I never thought Twilight Sparkle and I would ever have anything at all in common, let alone that I'd be willingly helping her with the same problem that I used to have…or that I'd actually feel good about it…" she muttered, sure, being the center of attention to the point her "audience" was actually taking notes felt good…but that wasn't the ONLY reason it felt good, just the only reason she really understood. She thought back to her own similar experience that had made her sympathetic to Twilight's plight…

"Trixie dear, what's wrong?" asked the elderly unicorn mare, looking down at the little filly in front of her, who was half asleep.

Trixie looked up at her with tired eyes. "…It's nothing, grandma, I-" she said, being interrupted by her own yawn.

"Trixie, don't try to hide something from your grandma, she can tell when something is wrong," said her grandmother, pulling the child closer to her.

Trixie gave a sad sigh. "…I've been having lots of nightmares about an Ursa Major attacking the town and trying to eat me…"

"Poor dear, no wonder you look so exhausted," said the wise old unicorn, nuzzling the child. "Want to know a secret for dealing with those kinds of dreams?"

"But daddy and big sister say-"

"I know, I know what your daddy and sister say, don't forget that I raised your daddy from a little colt, I know how he is. But I'm teaching you, not helping you, there's a difference. And she'll never admit to it, but I taught your big sister the same thing when she was your age."

Trixie looked a little confused, then nodded with a sweet little smile. "Alright, grandma! I'll listen!"

Her grandmother nodded with a warm smile. "Alright, now…it's pretty simple, really. When a dream starts, your mind crafts a world for it to take place in, but because it whips them up so quickly, there's always a glitch to find, find that glitch, and the dream is yours to control…"

Trixie looked at her reflection, finding herself giving a small smile at her memory…

"You need to stop spending so much time around grandma, or you'll turn out just like her; weak and a failure. And you don't want that, now do you?"

Which turned to a frown quickly. Trixie turned away from the mirror with her head low.

"Good morning, Trixie," said Twilight, seeming especially perky this morning as she made breakfast, Spike already eating some gems.

"Good morning…" said Trixie, blinking in surprise as she descended the stairs. "Trixie sees you are in a good mood, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight nodded, floating food to the table. "Yeah, your advice really worked; once I realized it was a dream, everything was fine," she stated, setting the table, keeping a rather large smile on her face. She couldn't help being in a good mood now that the nightmares that had plagued her for weeks were over. "I haven't had such a good night's sleep in weeks."

"Yeah, neither have I," added Spike, giving a small nod as he consumed another gem. Even if they'd got him up in the middle of the night, it was a relief that Twilight hadn't had a nightmare afterwards to disturb him again (and hadn't had a nightmare at all, for that matter). That and, even though he didn't want to admit it, her advice had helped him with some bad dreams too, involving his last birthday.

"Trixie is glad she could be of assistance," Trixie stated, taking her place at the table, quickly. She actually felt happy hearing that it'd worked…Then shook it off as best as she could. "Trixie… Trixie merely didn't feel like being disturbed every night is all…" Trixie explained, doing her best snooty look to cover for herself.

Twilight frowned slightly. 'It's alright, Twilight, remember how hard it was for you to finally make friends…' she thought, knowing she'd been quite antisocial herself before moving to Ponyville. "Well whatever your reason, I really owe you one…"

Trixie nodded slowly and grinned. There were a great many things that ran through her head at that moment… "Twilight, just to clarify, when you say you owe Trixie one…"

Twilight sighed with an annoyed look. "No, I can't ask Princess Celestia to make you the royal court magician."

Trixie pouted. "Oh well, it was worth a shot…" she muttered under her breath. Though truthfully, she kind of felt glad that was the case. And also truthfully, even Trixie didn't even know why she did, she'd certainly WANTED to be a royal court magician. Whatever it was, for some reason asking such a thing didn't seem proper right now.

"Hey, if she'd do something like that, don't you think Rainbow Dash would be a Wonderbolt by now?" asked Spike.

"Good point…Well will you at least tell Trixie one thing?"

"What?"

"…Did Fluttershy really outstare a Cockatrice?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, it ambushed me and turned me to stone on the way to a friend of mine who lives in the Everfree Forest…I think a snail crawled on my eye…" she said, giving a shudder. Discord was right; being turned to stone was NOT fun. "Anyway, she saved a group of fillies from the darn thing and got it to turn me back to normal. If it weren't for her, who knows how long I'd have been a statue."

Trixie's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Told you so," said Spike with a chuckle.

Scootaloo rode her scooter at top speed towards her and the other Crusader's clubhouse, wings flapping to provide propulsion. She couldn't wait for what they were supposed to do today, none of them could. She wouldn't stop for anything!

"Hey, Scoots!" called a familiar voice.

Except that.

Scootaloo skidded to a stop, looking up to see Rainbow Dash flying above her. "Hey, Rainbow Dash!" called the little filly, ecstatic to have her idol call for her, no matter what the reason.

Rainbow Dash descended, flapping her wings one last time to soften her landing. She gave the filly a smile. She could always count on Scootaloo, her number one fan. "Hey, could you do me a little favor?"

"Sure, Rainbow Dash! Anything!"

"Alright, you know Trixie?" asked Rainbow, seriously.

Scootaloo gave a growl. "That bully who did that awful stuff to you and Sweetie Belle and Applebloom's sisters? What about her?"

Rainbow Dash nodded, glad at least Scootaloo agreed with her. "She's staying with Twilight, I think she's got everypony else fooled."

"But not you, right?"

Rainbow gave a nod. "Yeah, not me. I've been keeping an eye on her, but I've got some work to do to prepare for the storms we're gonna be getting from that tropical storm. You and the other Crusaders are going to Rarity's, right?"

Scootaloo nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm going to meet up with Applebloom to head over there, why?"

"Well Trixie's got a job working there today, mind keeping an eye on her for me while you're there and telling me what she's up to?"

Scootaloo didn't hesitate and nodded quickly. "Of course, Rainbow Dash, and I'm sure Applebloom will too. After all, Trixie hurt her big sis too."

Rainbow smirked and ruffled the little Pegasus' mane. "I knew I could count on you, thanks," she stated, then flapped her wings to get back into the air. "See yah later, Scoots!" she called, giving a salute and flying off to do her job.

Scootaloo returned the salute. "I've got a mission from Rainbow Dash! And who knows, maybe I'll get a spying Cutie Mark," she said, wondering what one would look like briefly, before remounting her scooter and taking off for the clubhouse.

"Twilight, Trixie doesn't like this…" said Trixie in a nervous tone as they stood outside Carousel Boutique.

Twilight looked back to Trixie. "Why not?"

Trixie looked at Twilight like it was obvious. She then pointed to her pink mane and tail.

Twilight gave a slightly annoyed sigh. "Trixie, Rarity is not going to make fun of your mane, she's not like that!"

"Twilight, Trixie knows you think the best of your friends, but do not forget the most interaction she's had with this unicorn was turning her mane into a disgusting green mess in front of the entire town!"

"Trixie, Rarity is a lot of things, but one thing she'd never do is insult somepony's bad hair day."

Spike nodded, riding on Twilight's back. "Yeah, Rarity isn't like that… Hey wait, if you could do that to Rarity's mane, how come you can't just use magic to fix your hair?"

Trixie sighed, giving a slightly embarrassed look. "Trixie didn't exactly study that kind of magic beyond how to make somepony's hair a mess… Her main reason for knowing it was to humiliate ponies in her act, so she never saw reason to learn more of that particular type of magic."

"Well don't worry, I'm sure that Rarity won't make fun of you," said Twilight in as reassuring a voice as she could manage. "And if you don't want to, there's foalsitting the Cakes' month old foals with Pinkie Pie."

"Hmm…What kind of foals?"

"A unicorn filly and a pegasus colt."

"Unicorn and pegasus foals…" said Trixie, giving it consideration. "…Are they in that stage?"

"Sporadic magic surges and periods of flight instincts kicking in? Yeah…"

"And Pound Cake is a really strong little colt," explained Spike, looking over to the mare.

"…Trixie will pass, besides, her nose still hasn't recovered from yesterday's skunk incident, she'd prefer not to have to change dirty diapers…" Trixie added, giving a disgusted face at the thought.

Spike blinked and nodded. "I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Trixie on that one, Twi'."

Twilight nodded. "Considering I spent yesterday cleaning up a stink bomb, I know how you feel," she replied, giving a likewise disgusted face. "Besides, I think Pinkie has it covered."

Trixie then gave a sigh of defeat. "Trixie will work for Rarity…. But if Rarity makes fun of her mane, Trixie will say she told you so…repeatedly and at length."

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes, then opened the door slowly with her magic and blinked in confusion at the sight inside.

"Now Applejack, you must see the need for proper attire for such a gathering," pleaded Rarity in an annoyed tone.

"And just what is wrong with how Ah dress?" asked Applejack, rather sharply, glaring back at the unicorn. "Ah don't need no big poofy gown just to show off some apples."

Twilight looked to Sweetie Belle, who was simply watching from nearby. "What's going on?"

"Rarity and Applejack are fighting over some fair in Canterlot," explained the little unicorn filly, looking a little upset. She was no stranger to this, but that didn't mean she liked it.

"Applejack, this is a Canterlot fair, not just any old country fair," replied Rarity, importance in her tone. "You had no problem dressing up proper for the Grand Galloping Gala or Twilight's birthday party."

"Uh, girls," said Twilight, trying to get their attention as Trixie merely watched, somewhat amused, from the sidelines.

"That's 'cause those were big fancy gatherings in the Canterlot Ballroom, not a bunch of farmer ponies showin' off their crops."

"Girls…"

"But it's still in Canterlot, there are going to be tons of important ponies there, the judges are all going to be Canterlot ponies, they will expect you to look your best!"

"Rarity!"
"It's just a farm show, shouldn't how the apples look matter more than how Ah do?!"

"Applejack!"

"They're Canterlot ponies, Applejack, they expect everypony to look their best all of the time!"

"Girls!"

"Well that's just plain dumb!"

Twilight sighed in annoyance as the two continued to argue. She looked to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, would you please get their attention?" she asked, seriously.

Trixie raised her eyebrow as the filly nodded, causing Twilight and Spike to cover their ears. "What's going on?"

Sweetie Belle inhaled deeply. "SIS! APPLEJACK! TWILIGHT WANTS YOU!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, which finally got the two arguing pony's attention.

Trixie just stared wide-eyed in shock, ears ringing before she shook her head to clear it. "My…Trixie didn't expect such a little filly to have such a loud voice…" she stated, looking over to see Sweetie Belle smiling like a little angel, in fact, she was pretty sure she even saw a halo.

Spike chuckled, uncovering his ears. "Just wait until we get all three of them together."

Trixie's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, three of them?"

Twilight nodded to Sweetie Belle with a smile. "Thank you, Sweetie Belle," she said, giving the filly a grateful look, before looking to her two friends and giving them a small glare.

Applejack scratched the back of her head in embarrassment while Rarity gave an ashamed sigh. "I am sorry for being so rude, Applejack… But I was not joking, in Canterlot, appearance is important. The ponies there judge very heavily based on how you look. I only wanted to help make sure you did the best in the fair you possibly could. I know how important it is to you and your family."

Applejack nodded, lowering her head in embarrassment. "Yeah, Ah'm sorry too. Ah guess Ah was just bein' a bit stubborn. Yah know Canterlot a whole lot better than Ah do, after all. And you were able to make me a good dress before, Ah reckon yah can do it again. Just nothin' too girly, alright?"

Rarity nodded, giving a small smile. "I'll do my best, Applejack, but right now, Trixie has come for her job and we have work to do, I will meet you on your farm after I'm done with work for the day."

Applejack nodded, heading out with nod. "Alright, Ah'll be seein' yah."

Rarity nodded, then looked to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, my sewing glasses are on the table in my bedroom, will you be a dear and very carefully fetch them for me?"

Sweetie Belle gave an enthusiastic nod. "Sure sis! I'll be right back!" exclaimed the filly, running off. Any opportunity to actually help Rarity as opposed to cause a gigantic mess wasn't something she wanted to mess up.

"Be careful!"

Trixie blinked, watching AJ leave before looking to Twilight. "Does that happen often? Those two bickering like that?"

Twilight nodded slightly. "Kind of, Rarity and Applejack have differing opinions on a lot of things."

"How do you put up with it?" asked Trixie, a bit confused as she directed the question to both mares. These six used magical charms that literally ran on friendship; she would've expected them to be more…friendly.

"Applejack and I may not always agree on things, but I know Applejack is a true friend," said Rarity, levitating several finished dresses into position near the sewing machines. "She'll always have my back when I need it and I shall always have hers."

Twilight nodded in agreement, looking to Trixie. "Friends fighting doesn't mean they're not friends, it just means they've got a problem to work out. It's like I told Discord, friendship isn't always easy, but it's worth it no matter what."

Trixie looked confused about this for a second. Then she looked somewhat sorrowful. "…It must feel good to have ponies that care so much about you…"

Twilight frowned. "Trixie, is something wrong?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Oh! Nothing! Nothing is wrong, Trixie was just lost in thought is all," answered Trixie quickly, before looking to Rarity, desperate to change the subject. "What job will Trixie be doing?"

Rarity looked at Trixie, focusing solely on her for the first time since her arrival. "Well I need a little- Oh dear, Trixie, whatever happened to your mane and tail?"

Trixie sighed, having expected this. "Trixie, er…She had a rather…unfortunate encounter with a skunk yesterday…" she said, blushing with embarrassment before bracing herself for what she perceived as inevitable.

"Oh, that's quite unfortunate, tomato juice and white hair just do not mix," said Rarity, sympathetic in tone. "Well I will just have to do something to fix that, won't I?"

Trixie blinked in complete shock. "Say what?"

Twilight gave Trixie a reassuring look. "Trixie, Rarity is the Element of Generosity, remember? It's what she does."

Rarity nodded, giving a smile. "Quite right," she stated. "That is if I may do you this service, Trixie. I am not pitying you. Pink just clashes horribly with your coat; it isn't your color at all. And I am a fashionista after all; it is my duty to make ponies look fabulous."

Trixie hesitated. She'd tried everything she knew, was it wrong to let somepony whose job was fashion do a job that was theirs to do? And she'd rather not walk around Ponyville with pink hair if she could help it. That and if Rarity was going to try to take revenge, she might as well get it over with while her hair was a mess anyway. "Alright… You may try, Trixie supposes…" she said, closing her eyes. She felt the telltale feeling of magic rippling through her mane and tail. She carefully opened her eyes and looked in a mirror, fully expecting to find it the same messy green disaster she'd made Rarity's, instead finding her mane and tail not only their proper color. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, it looked better than ever.

Trixie looked at Rarity in complete shock. "You… You actually did it…"

"Of course, why ever would I not?" asked Rarity, giving a genuinely confused look.

"Why…why not?" asked Trixie, completely shocked. "I called your mane a rat's nest, goaded you into a rigged contest, turned your hair into a disgusting green mess, humiliated you in front of the entire town, and then bragged about doing it! And before that I publicly humiliated two of your best friends!"

"Which you also bragged about," added Spike simply, looking through a pile of discarded gems Rarity set aside for him. She normally let him have the gems that she couldn't make use of herself.

"Exactly!"

"Yes, you did do all that," said Rarity, giving a small glare, which then turned into a small smile. "But I would never willingly defile another mare's mane, especially not that of a friend."

Trixie's eyes went wide in shock. "F-friend?!"

Rarity nodded sincerely, no hint of falsehood anywhere. "You're a friend of Twilight's, I think that much is clear. No matter what you did to me, I trust her judgment; if she's chosen to trust you as her friend, then I see no reason I shouldn't as well. Besides, circumstances have punished you far more than what you deserved; doing anything more to you now would be cruel. I think we should just let bygones be bygones."

"Here you go sis!" called Sweetie Belle, stampeding into the room and tripping, sending her sister's glasses failing into the air, which were thankfully caught telekinetically by the older unicorn.

"Thank you, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity, hurrying over and helping her little sister up. "Now do please try to keep out of the way, I know you mean well, but sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth."

Sweetie Belle blinked in confusion. "I thought you were making dresses."

"It's an expression, it means having too many ponies working on one thing, even if they're all good at it, can cause it to turn out badly," explained Rarity, trying to be gentle with her baby sister. Even if Sweetie Belle tended to cause more harm than good in the boutique, she didn't want to outright tell her she couldn't help because of it. "And Trixie needs this job, you understand? Plus I am trying to get finished early to spend time with you later."

Sweetie Belle gave an understanding nod, though looked a little disappointed. "I understand, sis..."

Trixie looked to Twilight in surprise. "Twilight… You consider me-er- Trixie your friend?"

Twilight nodded sincerely, giving a warm smile to the unicorn. "Yes, Trixie, I do. I admit, I wouldn't have been the first one to say it a few days ago, but now that I've actually gotten to know you, I honestly consider you a friend. Especially after how you helped me last night."

Trixie looked conflicted and uncertain as Twilight said that. Desperate to change the subject to something less awkward, she looked to Sweetie Belle. "T-Trixie didn't know Rarity had a little sister…"

Twilight nodded, allowing Trixie to change the subject. "She doesn't live here, but she visits a lot. Her name's Sweetie Belle."

Trixie watched Rarity nuzzle her little sister and vice versa, they looked very happy together. Trixie's ears lowered in sadness as she watched the happy siblings. She shook it off as best she could. She walked over. "R-Rarity… What job should Trixie do?"

Rarity turned and looked to Trixie. "It's quite simple," she said, showing her to a sewing machine. "Simply stitch these patches onto these dresses," she explained, showing patches with symbols on them and a number of very beautiful dresses, each decorated with gems of all types, as was Rarity's style. One was essentially covered in sapphires. "They're labeled by names and the dresses have an outline where the patches go, so if you pay attention, nothing should go wrong," she explained, having been extra careful to make sure nothing went amiss. She'd normally only do work herself, but in this case, she'd make an exception. "I need to get this work done quickly; I have a client coming by to pick up their dress later today. Then I have to help Applejack prepare for a very important fair in Canterlot afterwards so I can take Sweetie Belle and her friends on a camping trip," she said, giving her little sister a smile.

"Camping?" asked Trixie, surprised clear in her face that. "Isn't that a little…dirty for your tastes? Last time Trixie saw you, you ran for the hills from having your hair a little messed up."

"It is a tad unclean, and I don't particularly enjoy getting dirty," admitted Rarity, before looking to her sister. "But my sister matters more to me than getting my hooves a little muddy."

Sweetie Belle nodded, smiling up at her big sister. "Rarity and I do stuff like this all the time!… Well, ever since the Sisterhooves Social."

Twilight saw Trixie's confusion at mention of the Social. "It's a yearly competition between teams of sisters at Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Belle and Rarity came in second last time…is something wrong?" she asked, noticing Trixie looking rather upset and distant at that mention.

"Oh… N-nothing, n-nothing wrong, T-Trixie was simply lost in thought…again," said Trixie, shaking it off.

"Wait, I thought you were Trixie…" stated a rather confused Sweetie Belle.

"That's right," said Trixie, looking back at the confused filly with a raised eyebrow.

"Then why do you keep talking about yourself like you're another person?" asked Sweetie Belle with a raised eyebrow of her own. Trixie wasn't sure she was mimicking her or just equally as confused.

"Trixie speaks in the third person, Sweetie Belle," explained Rarity, looking to her little sister.

That just caused Sweetie Belle to look even more confused. "But there's only one of her!"

Rarity gave a sigh, but understood her little sister was still a filly. "Third person means she talks about herself like she's a different person, like how when Princess Luna was here she called herself 'we' instead of 'I', it's just a specific manner of speaking."

"Oh…" said Sweetie Belle, before giving a small smile. "Ok, I think I get it…That's actually kind of cool!" she exclaimed, much to Trixie's visible surprise.

Rarity then turned to Trixie. "Shall we get to work?" she asked, heading over to the sewing machine and getting to work, floating her sewing glasses onto her face.

Trixie went over and her jaw dropped when she saw the names listed. "Sapphire Shores?! Hoity Toity?! Spitfire?! Octavia?!" she exclaimed in utter disbelief. "You… You're making dresses for all these famous ponies?!"

Rarity gave a slightly prideful nod. "Yes, I get quite a few famous clients here, though Hoity Toity ordered designs in bulk for his new fashion line, second year in a row, so he's got quite a few. And Sapphire Shores is a regular customer, that's why I always keep a big supply of sapphires around. I must also admit that I was recommended to Octavia by Pinkie Pie of all ponies, I didn't even know the two knew one another."

"She's also a personal friend of Fancypants," bragged Spike, standing as close to Rarity as he possibly could, Rarity didn't mind either action.

"F-Fancypants?! The Fancypants?!" asked Trixie, jaw dropping almost to the floor.

"Well personal friend may be a tad strong, but I do know him quite well," said Rarity, smiling lightly at Spike. "But be that as it may, we have work to do, Trixie," she stated, before Spike's bragging gave the poor mare a stroke, as much as Rarity enjoyed it.

Trixie shook off her shock. "O-of course…" she said, going to the sewing machine and getting to work.

Trixie actually did fairly well at the work, much to Spike's surprise. "You know how to sew?" he asked, watching her work the sewing machines.

Trixie nodded slightly. "Yes, it's a useful skill for somepony who lives on the road to know. Trixie didn't have time to stop at a tailor every time a curtain or her clothing became torn or ripped. So it paid to have such a talent."

Spike nodded. "Well, you're good at it."

Trixie smiled proudly as she finished sewing another patch on. She set the dress back on its model so it wouldn't wrinkle. "Thank you, Trixie takes pride in her work."

"Well you're doing pretty good this time," said Spike, though naturally, having Rarity endorse Trixie had a rather sizeable say in his own opinion. "Where'd you learn?"

"Grandmother taught Trixie," explained the unicorn mare as she continued to work. "It was one of those things Trixie had no interest in at the time but she said would come in handy, and it most certainly has."

Spike gave a small nod. "Yeah…So…you learn a lot from your grandma?"

Trixie gave a true smile, as true a one Spike had seen her give to be honest. "Yes, Trixie did…" she said, continuing to work. She heard the same biting words clawing their way into her head again, but this time, she felt her mind becoming conflicted and decided to change her train of thought ASAP. "…Why has your opinion of Trixie changed so much, Spike?"

Spike blinked in surprise. "Uh…n-no reason, just thought I'd give you a chance is all…"

"Does this have anything to do with the fact a certain mare has accepted Trixie?" Trixie teased, she'd seen how the little dragon behaved around Rarity, hung on her every word as if they came from Celestia herself.

Spike looked shyly and blushed. "Well…maybe just a little…" he said, getting a little chuckle from Trixie.

"Wow, Rarity, your new line is beautiful!" said Twilight, who was now browsing through ALL dresses laid out.

Rarity smiled, continuing her work. "Thank you, Twilight, I've worked very hard on them all, all that's left is to sew these patches on," she said, concentrating more on her work than anything else until the thread ran out completely. "Oh, out of thread," she said, trotting out of the room to get more.

"Well I'm sure your clients will love them," replied Twilight, looking them over carefully as Rarity left the room, Twilight didn't notice.

"My big sister always makes great dresses," said Sweetie Belle, smiling from ear to ear with pride.

Twilight smiled down at the little filly. "She sure does," she said, happy to see Sweetie Belle brag about her sister. "So how are you and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders doing, my little pony?"

"We're good, we have a lot of fun," said Sweetie Belle, smiling widely. "Yesterday we tried being Cutie Mark Crusader Tennis Players."

"Really? How did that go?"

Spike looked over and noticed Trixie's long hair was resting on the very dress she was sewing. The mare hadn't had a manecut in quite some time and her hair had grown out a fair bit. "Uh, Trixie, you may want to-"

"You can relax, Spike, Trixie knows what she's doing," replied the unicorn, continuing as she was.

"But-"

"Trixie doesn't need any help, she can handle this!" replied Trixie, getting a little angry. She switched to the next dress, one with a checker board motif with the theme being rather regal. She began to sew on as normal… until she noticed the name on the dress tag, eyes going wide and a chill going down her spine. 'Her? N-no, it c-can't be…' she thought, then read the name again, her heart racing in terror. 'I-it is her!' She seemed to just freeze up, staring at the tag in fear.

Spike blinked. "Um…Trixie?" he asked, not getting a reaction. "Trixie?" he asked, putting his hand on her side, a tad concerned.

Trixie screamed in surprise, pushing the dress forwards sharply…and let out another scream as her mane got caught up in the sewing machine.

Spike cringed and covered his eyes. "I tried to warn yah."

Trixie's struggled, trying to pull her mane out of the machine, only succeeding in making the situation worse. Spike grabbed her tail and tried to help her pull her mane out of the device.

"…so we had a lot of fun, even if we can never go back to the tennis court again," finished Sweetie Belle with a smile to a rather confused Twilight. She then heard the ruckus from Trixie's accident and looked over. "What's going on?"

"Huh?" Twilight asked, looking in direction of the noise. She then saw Trixie's plight. "Trixie!" she yelled and ran over to her. Twilight grabbed Trixie and pulled, trying to help her dislodge her mane with Spike's help. Trixie's tangled mane finally gave way, causing her to stagger backwards and hit Twilight in the face with her hoof. Twilight was sent backpedaling and right through a window with a scream while Trixie continued backwards into a shelf, knocking it over into a bunch of manikins, which knocked one another over like dominos, setting off further chaos in the process.

Rarity walked back into the room as the resulting disaster ended. Rarity gave a gasp, looking around the ruined room in shock. "W-wh-what happened?" she asked in surprise and with a slight eye twitch. Her eyes then fell on Sweetie Belle with a slight glare.

Sweetie Belle blinked in confusion, before realizing what was going on, glaring in return. "Hey! It wasn't me this time!" she exclaimed, her and Rarity jumping as the sewing machine burst into flames.

Trixie looked down guiltily as Rarity fixed up her hair, the room still a disaster. "Rarity… Is Twilight alright?" she asked, honest concern in her voice.

Rarity nodded lightly, working on getting the tangles out and cutting some split ends. "She will be, don't worry. She just got a few scrapes and bruises, she's had worse. She's just going to the hospital to get checked out and make sure."

Trixie nodded, but looked almost sick to her stomach with guilt. "Looks like Trixie messed up again…" she said with a miserable sigh, leaning forwards and letting her forehead slam into the wall, not moving otherwise.

"Oh it's nothing, darling. Sweetie Belle has made bigger messes and I really need to stop setting up my shop in such a way that one little thing toppling over somehow sets off a chain reaction that wrecks the entire room…" said Rarity, trying to choose her words carefully. She knew Trixie didn't mean to do this; it was an accident and nothing more. But she could practically feel the mare's guilt, something she never thought she'd see from Trixie of all ponies. From the conflicted look on her face, Rarity doubted that the blue unicorn expected it from herself either. "Besides, you did get about a quarter of the dresses done, which is still a help…"

"The sewing machine burst into flames…" Trixie said in a completely deadpan voice, not moving her head from its spot resting against the wall.

"Oh that… D-don't worry, I've got another one and it was just because your mane clogged up the machinery…I think…" said Rarity, looking at the burnt up machine, and the burnt dress which she'd now have to remake. "But it does mean you can't do anything more today I suppose… But I shall pay you for the work you already did, I cannot blame you for an accident."

A knock came on the door, prompting Rarity to give a growl. "Oh what now?!" she asked, opening the door, only for an orange and yellow streak to fly by her.

"HEY RARITY!" yelled two excited fillies as they flew past the mare.

"Oh… Hello girls," said Rarity, getting a little nervous.

"HEY SWEETIE BELLE!" exclaimed Scootaloo and Applebloom, skidding to a stop in front of Sweetie Belle.

"Hey Applebloom! Hey Scootaloo!" yelled Sweetie Belle, smiling widely.

Scootaloo looked around the place. "Wow, it looks like a tornado tore through here!"

"Or an earthquake…" said Applebloom, likewise looking around.

"Or a tornado AND an earthquake…"

Both fillies then gave Sweetie Belle a look. She gave a glare back. "It wasn't me this time! Why does everypony automatically assume I was the one who wrecked Rarity's shop?!"

The two simply gave her a raised eyebrow.

Sweetie Belle got a sheepish look in response. "Oh yeah…But how was I supposed to know what the red button did?!"

"It was a wrecking ball! What else was it supposed to do?" asked Scootaloo with a small glare.

"I didn't know we were in one! We were supposed to be Cutie Mark Crusader Basket Weavers!" replied Sweetie Belle with a glare of her own. "Not Cutie Mark Crusaders Demolition Ponies!"

Applebloom blinked, giving a perplexed look. "Yah know, she's got a good point… How did we even end up in that thing anyway?"

Scootaloo was about to respond but blinked, rubbing her head in confusion. "I don't know…"

"Well, yah got bored and said basket weavin' was dumb, then there was that bird..." said Applebloom, cringing at that part along with the other two.

"Fluttershy wasn't too happy about that..." reminded Sweetie Belle in a sheepish tone.

"Yeah, I was afraid she'd use the Stare on us..." muttered Scootaloo with a nod.

"And Ah don't even know how that one ended with us covered in tree sap..." said Applebloom, rubbing her head in confusion.

Scootaloo nodded. "Ever notice that a surprising amount of our Cutie Mark attempts end with us covered in tree sap?"

Sweetie Belle nodded, equally as confused. "Yeah…But it really wasn't me this time!"

Trixie sighed miserably, finally moving her head from the wall to look at them. "Trixie is afraid it was her fault…"

"Should've known it was you," said Scootaloo, glaring daggers at the mare. "See Applebloom! I told you so!"

"Ah guess you were right about her bein' trouble, Scootaloo," replied Applebloom, likewise glaring at her.

"Wait… Applebloom?" asked Trixie, blinking in confusion. She then cringed in realization. "Let Trixie guess… You're related to Applejack?"

"Yep, Ah'm her little sis."

"And you're still mad at Trixie for publicly humiliating her?"

"Yep, that's about right."

Trixie gave a sigh. "Of course…"

"Hey, don't worry about her," interrupted Sweetie Belle, trying to settle things down a bit. Truth be told, she really didn't see anything wrong with Trixie personally. She'd made worse messes of the shop herself. And Rarity forgave her after all, she can't be all bad. "Remember what today is?"

"Oh yeah," said Scootaloo, giving a wide grin.

"How could Ah forget?" asked Applebloom, smiling wide as well.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CAMPING TRIP WITH RARITY!"

Trixie was nearly knocked off her hooves by the massive yell of the trio of fillies and dazed for a moment by the volume of it. She shook her head to get rid of the ringing in her ears. "Now Trixie knows what Spike meant…"

"Um girls…" said Rarity with a sad look, trying to approach this as carefully as possible. "I'm afraid we may have to cancel the camping trip…"

"Aww, why?"

"Yeah, what's goin' on, Miss Rarity?"

"Yeah, sis, you promised!"

Rarity sighed miserably, trying not to look at the three hurt fillies looking up at her. "Well… I was really relying on Trixie's help to finish everything in time so we could go…" she said, not wanting to put the blame on the poor mare, any more than the trio already HAD. "And the sewing machine she was using…"

"Burst into flames…" muttered Trixie, lowering her head in embarrassment. Rarity couldn't help feeling she looked…scared.

"Yes… So I'm going to have to do everything myself," continued Rarity with a sad sigh. "I'm afraid we're going to have to cancel the camping trip…"

The three fillies all looked down in disappointment.

"But sis-"

"I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle, but I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do…" replied Rarity, looking sadly at her sister, heart practically breaking at the sad look in Sweetie Belle's eyes.

Scootaloo and Applebloom both gave Trixie a glare. "Gee, thanks a lot for ruining our day," spat Scootaloo bitterly, glaring straight at Trixie.

"Yeah, yah had to go and wreck our campin' trip! Yah have any idea how long we've been waitin' for this?!" asked Applebloom, anger clear in her voice.

"Now girls, you've got a clubhouse and I'm sure you can find plenty of things to do without bothering Trixie…it wasn't her fault, it was an accident," said Rarity in a stern tone. She noted Trixie seemed rather hurt by their words, something Rarity had never expected from her.

"Come on, girls, let's go," said Scootaloo with a growl, leading the way out of the shop, the other two following suit.

Rarity sighed. "I'm sorry about that, Trixie… I know it wasn't your fault…" she said, giving Trixie a sympathetic look.

Trixie looked up at Rarity. "Trixie isn't sure if it was or not, Rarity…" she muttered. "Trixie will leave you to your work…" she stated, heading out of the store with her head low.

Rarity shook her head. "I hope the poor dear will be alright," she said, looking around her ruined shop, which she'd have to fix up quickly as possible to be able to help Applejack in time. She went over the ruined dress. "Now which dress was this?" she asked, levitating the burned, but still legible tag. "Checker Monarch… Oh no! She's coming to pick it up today! I mustn't be late on this one, she won't tolerate tardiness on my part!" she exclaimed, getting to work on a replacement dress before she even finished the sentence.

"I guess I'll just go back to the library and wait for Twilight…" muttered Trixie, trotting along with her head low. "…Why do I feel so rotten?" she asked, thinking about it long and hard. "This was an accident, I didn't do anything wrong…It's not my fault, why should I feel so guilty?" she asked lowly, her mind completely and utterly conflicted. "I have publicly humiliated dozens upon dozens of ponies all over Equestria, from Manehatten to right here in Ponyville, without any remorse…So why is it NOW that I feel like a complete and utter heel?" she asked, letting her long hair almost touch the ground. "And why did seeing I ruined those filly's play date…scare me?" she asked, remembering the chill that had gone down her spine at that point. Why had she managed to frighten herself doing that but none of the other things she'd done before had ever registered that way? "Is it because Twilight and Rarity are so kind to me?" she asked, thinking over the two mares who had declared her their "friend". "But that doesn't explain why I was scared when I found out I ruined those filly's camping trip with Rarity…Seeing her name makes sense, but…or maybe that's exactly why it scared me…"

She then heard voices coming from nearby. "Huh?" she asked, poking her head through a nearby bush.

"Well this is just great, I told you that Trixie was no good!" said Scootaloo, her and the other Crusaders in a clearing.

"Yeah, you were right, Ah guess," replied Applebloom, kicking a rock. "Ah was really lookin' forwards to that trip too…"

"Wait, Rarity said it was an accident," said Sweetie Belle, trying to be the voice of reason if at all possible. "We shouldn't be mad at her for a mistake, should we?"

"Oh wake up, Sweetie Belle!" said Scootaloo, as if Sweetie was crazy. "Trixie is no good; she probably did it on purpose!"

"How do you know?" asked Sweetie Belle with a raised eyebrow.

"'Cause Rainbow Dash told me!" replied Scootaloo, proudly. "She told me Trixie's got the others fooled, but not her!"

"Besides, Sweetie Belle, ain't yah sore with her for hurting your sis?" asked Applebloom, confusion clear in her voice.

Sweetie Belle looked a little confused. "Well…yeah, I guess…Anyway, what are we going to do now?" she asked, trying to change the subject before they went too far down that path.

"Simple," said Scootaloo, smirking rather mischievously. "Rainbow Dash showed me this really neat spot; let's just go camping on our own!"

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" replied Applebloom, giving a smile.

Sweetie Belle thought about it for a second and nodded. It sounded like a decent idea to her. "Yeah, let's do it…Where's the spot?"

"In the Everfree Forest."

"The Everfree Forest?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle and Applebloom at the same time.

"Scootaloo, that forest is full of all kinds of monsters," said Applebloom, giving a shiver at her memory of past adventures there. "What makes you think campin' there is a good idea?"

"Oh don't be scared, Rainbow Dash showed me the trail, I know how to get us there easy," said Scootaloo in a confident tone reminiscent of the rainbow haired mare herself. "What's wrong, you two chicken?"

"No! Ah ain't chicken!" replied Applebloom, glaring. Nopony called an Apple Family pony a coward.

Sweetie Belle looked apprehensive, once more trying to think with common sense. "You're sure you know the way?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah, like the back of my hoof! And everypony knows the monsters in the Everfree Forest don't come out until after dark! Why do you think Twilight always goes to visit Zecora during the day?"

"Ah guess that makes a good bit of sense…" said Applebloom, still thinking about it. "Alright, let's go…"

Sweetie Belle hesitated a moment before nodding. "Sure, I guess it'll be alright…But we don't stay after dark, ok?"

"Sure, we'll be out before dark, promise," said Scootaloo, smiling. The two others nodded.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CAMPING TRIP! YAY!"

The trio gleefully trotted off on their way.

Trixie fell backwards outside the bush as the fillies screamed, still unseen by the trio, ears once again ringing. "They're going into the Everfree Forest?!" she asked aloud, thinking about it with dread. She gave a shiver, remembering one specific creature there more than anything else. She then shook it off as best she could "Oh well, I'm… I'm sure everything will be fine…They know the way, what's the worst that could happen?" she asked aloud, trying to settle herself if at all possible. She then resumed her path towards the library. "They're just three fillies going camping in a forest… They're just going camping, that's all…alone…in a dark…unnatural…deadly…monster infested forest…" she muttered to herself, getting more and more apprehensive with each word, dread building in her heart.

Trixie gave a sigh and turned around, heading after the trio. "Of all the days for me to start actually caring about somepony else's well being…" she muttered, following the girls towards the Everfree Forest.

Bonus: Side Story

The co-author of Trixie's Gettin' Back On Her Hooves, Godzillawolf, posted a side story based on this story, and is canon with this story.

After Winona has a run in with a skunk, Applejack does the natural thing and takes her to Fluttershy to be cleaned up. However, while taking care of the poor collie, Fluttershy realizes something; she doesn't know how Applejack got Winona in the first place. Curiosity gets the best of the timid pegasus and she asks. What she discovers not only reveals a lot about the little dog, but about Applejack as well.
Now curious as to what her other friend's pets mean to them, Fluttershy wonders about how Pinkie Pie and Rarity got their perfect companions as well.

I recommend it a lot.

Perfect Companions

GBOYH- Bonus Story #2 and Sequel

It is time for the sequel, folks! Every story that is canon to this one now comes under 'GBOYHVerse'

What's GBOYH? Well, it stands for the DeviantArt name of this story, 'Getting Back On Your Hooves'.

Bonus Story #2 - Happy Mother's Day

Mother's day; a day we celebrate the ones who gave us life, who comforted us, cared for us, and loved us...but what is it like for the ones who lost theirs? What about the ponies who have lost their family? What does this special mean to them?

Sequel - GBOYHVerse: Magic Duel

In the episode Magic Duel, Trixie returned with the Alicorn Amulet to take her revenge on Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle...but what happened in a world where they're friends? And have been for a good while?
Trixie has been living in Ponyville for a good time since the defeat of her insane sister Checker Monarch. Life is going well for the blue mare. She's the mane cast's friend, she has a pet of her own, and she even has a house...sort of.
But when the Princess and some Delegates from Saddle Arabia are set to come to Ponyville with a show, things get a bit complicated...

All sequels and bonus stories- While the link would be posted here, they would be mostly written by Godzillawolf, who wrote most of the later chapters of this story, before he made an account.