Unfinished Business

Chapters

Chapter 1: "Wait. Who's Back in Ponyville?"
Chapter 2: Beohoof
Chapter 3: A Visitor, A Meal, And a Request
Chapter 4: The Magic of Friendship

Chapter 1: "Wait. Who's Back in Ponyville?"

Twilight Sparkle lay in her bed, sleeping peacefully. The sun shone gently through the windows of the library, casting shadows through the room around her. Suddenly, a loud rapping noise roused the unicorn from her slumber.

She groaned. It was Saturday and the library was closed. She had even put “sleep in” on the checklist that she had made the previous night. She groggily opened her eyes and searched for the source of the disturbance. Floating just outside the window, on her right, was a cyan pegasus wearing a birdlike expression on her face.

Twilight’s horn glowed and the window swung open, admitting the other pony. “Rainbow Dash, why are you up so early?”

Rainbow Dash, now hovering just inside the room, gave her a quizzical look. “Twilight, it’s almost noon.”

It was noon already? But she felt just as tired as she did every other day! Maybe sleeping in wasn’t all it was cracked up to be…

Twilight found herself with a slight blush due to the gaffe. She had gotten a bit too caught up with her extra free time. “Haha I guess you’re right, Rainbow. But what brings you here?”

“Well I’m guessing you haven’t heard,” said Rainbow Dash sardonically, gesturing toward Twilight, who was still in bed, “but our favorite showpony is back in town."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin, wondering who Dash could be talking about. “We don’t know any showponies,” She thought. “The only ponies I can think of that perform are the Wonderbolts. But Dash would be a lot more excited. Plus she only mentioned one pony… Am I overthinking this?”

Then, the answer hit her: “Trixie?” she spoke aloud. Rainbow Dash nodded, and Twilight continued “Please tell me that Snips and Snails don’t know. I don’t want another Ursa Minor rampaging through town.”

Rainbow replied “Well if they don’t know yet, they probably haven’t been through the town square. It’s COVERED with posters announcing her show tonight.” She spread her forelegs for effect. “Based on what they say, she’s changed her act; but she still has a lot of nerve performing in Ponyville again.”

“Hmm, that does seem strange; I think I’ll check out the square myself. I’ll be out in a couple of minutes if you want to go with me.”

“Sure thing, Twi,” said Rainbow as she flitted away from the window and down to the front door of the library.

Twilight hopped out of her bed and walked over to the mirror. Glancing at her reflection, her appearance seemed to be in order for the most part; and she noticed a certain baby dragon asleep behind her. She combed her mane repeatedly, attempting to make it presentable. As soon as most of the stray hairs were taken care of, she hastily scrawled a note and left it next to her number one assistant.

“Spike,

I’m going into town for awhile. I’ll be back soon.

Love, Twilight”

Twilight quickly cantered down the stairs and out the door, not wanting to keep her pegasus friend waiting.

Rainbow Dash hovered outside the door with forelegs crossed, feigning an impatient hoof tap. “What took you so long Twilight?”

“Sorry Rainbow, I tried to hurry, but I guess we can’t all be as fast as you,” replied Twilight, closing the front door.

“Well nopony is as fast as me, but you should at least TRY to not keep me waiting,” said her arrogant friend.

The two started towards Ponyville Square. “Speaking of overconfident ponies,” Twilight offered “why do you think that Trixie came back?”

“Doesn’t make sense to me. I thought she would stay away after you whipped her flank the way you did,” said Rainbow as she casually circled around Twilight, keeping even with the latter’s slow trot.

“I don’t have any ideas either, Rainbow,” replied Twilight as she began to mentally tinker with the situation. No matter which way she spun it, though, it still just didn’t make any sense. Why would Trixie come back to the place where she was humiliated?

“…Twilight?”

Her reputation in Ponyville was ruined. Unless she was bitter at Twilight and wanted to embarrass her. Twilight shuddered at the thought.

“Twi…?”

On the other hoof, though, Rainbow Dash DID say that the fliers seemed to announce a different act, so that didn’t seem to indicate that Trixie was planning any sort of magical duel…

“TWILIGHT!”

Twilight broke out of her reverie, blushing. She shook her head quickly, dispelling her scattered thoughts. “I’m sorry, what was that, Rainbow?”

“I said that I saw her buying some apples from AJ earlier at the market. But apparently you were too caught up in egghead land to notice,” She twirled her hoof next to her head in a cuckoo motion.

Twilight gave her a quick scowl in return. “Rainbow, just because I enjoy a good book does not make me an egghead!”

“Suuuure Twilight,” Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes for extra emphasis. “Trixie didn’t seem to be acting too showy, though. Maybe she’s actually trying to earn an honest living. Maybe she learned her lesson, Twi.”

“I hope so,” replied Twilight. “But I wouldn’t count on it, knowing her. Maybe those fliers will clear some of this up.”

As the pair entered Ponyville Square, both noticed dark rainclouds looming in the sky ahead of them. Rainbow Dash sighed audibly and slumped her shoulders in exasperation. “I thought I told Ditzy Doo to take care of the sky today… That featherbrain is probably off eating bucking muffins again. This was supposed to be my day off!”

“Now you know how I feel,” piped up Twilight. She wasn’t happy either about having her day off being interrupted.

Rainbow shot her a look and she fell silent. “Ugh… I guess those clouds aren’t going to take care of themselves. I’ll see ya later, Twi.” She sped off in a rainbow blur and headed directly towards the offending clouds, eager to leave herself some time for a cloud-nap.

After watching her friend soar away, Twilight turned her attention to the square. Rainbow certainly hadn’t been lying. Everywhere she turned she saw The Great and Powerful Trixie staring back at her from posters plastered to pretty much everything in the square. Lamp posts, buildings, street signs; all were covered with Trixie’s visage. Twilight even thought that she saw a flier stuck on to somepony’s side.

Twilight found a poster that had fallen to the ground and levitated it in front of her. Hopefully it would have some hint as to why Trixie had decided to come back to Ponyville. She rolled her eyes at the large embossed image of Trixie as she began to read.

Come One! Come All!
The Great and Powerful Trixie invites everypony to hear the tale of Beohoof, to be performed at dusk in Ponyville Square. Be mesmerized by a magical reenactment of one of the early masterpieces of ponykind.

“Well,” Twilight said to herself “she certainly hasn’t lost her flair for the dramatic.”

It appeared that Rainbow Dash had been right. This certainly didn’t sound like the same style of magic show that Trixie had performed previously. It seemed to suggest that Trixie had become some sort of bard. The show actually sounded very interesting to Twilight. Beohoof really WAS one of the earliest masterpieces written in Old Equestrian.

Aside from elucidating Twilight's curiosities regarding the show itself, the document seemed to provide more questions than answers concerning Trixie’s motivation. Why would she return if she was still the same egotistical pony as before, as the poster seemed to indicate?

As she shuffled through the extensive list of reasons why it didn’t make sense that Trixie was in Ponyville, Twilight was quietly becoming frustrated. She was not the type of pony to accept things that didn’t make sense. Even Pinkie sense, which she had long since accepted, still perturbed her. Suddenly, the solution hit her: Applejack was working her stand in the market today, and Rainbow saw Trixie buying some apples from her. If Applejack had talked to her, then maybe Trixie had mentioned why she had come back to Ponyville! It all made so much sense now!

Twilight happily trotted into the market, proud of herself for solving the conundrum. As she approached the Sweet Apple Acres stall, she called out “Hey, Applejack!”

“Howdy, Twilight!” came the response from the smiling orange farmpony. “How’re ya doin' today?”

“Fantastic! Rainbow Dash tells me you had an interesting customer this morning,” said Twilight, subconsciously dragging her left hoof through the dirt in front of her.

“As a matter of fact Ah have. You wouldn’t happen to be talkin about a certain G-and-P-T, wouldja?”

“That’s the one, Applejack!” said a beaming Twilight Sparkle. “If the posters she put up mean anything, I would guess that she hasn’t changed much. Did she happen to mention why she decided to come back to Ponyville?”

“Well, sugarcube, she seemed a bit more… subdued, Ah reckon. Not the same braggin' showponyish type as before,” replied Applejack. “I’m not even sure she recognized me. She was very polite, though, and she left as soon as she bought a bag of apples; galas, Ah think. So Ah’m afraid I can’t answer your question any better than you can, Twi. Maybe you should find her and have a chat.”

“Hmm, I might try that,” said the purple unicorn, her ears perking up at the suggestion. “Do you know where I could find her?”

“Unfortunately, Ah don’t.” came Applejack’s response as she shook her head. “but I can keep an eye out for ya”

“That sounds fine to me,” said Twilight, smiling.

Applejack continued “If ya don’t mind me askin, what’s got ya so keen on knowing all about Trixie?”

“Well,” said Twilight, tilting her head. “I’m not really sure myself. I guess it’s just that her coming back doesn’t seem to make any sense. I guess I just want to know why somepony would come back to a place carrying such a bad memory.” Suddenly, her stomach growled. Twilight laughed embarrassedly “Haha, I guess that it’s about time I get home for lunch. Spike is probably wondering where I am right now.”

Applejack, never one to leave a pony in need, slid two golden delicious apples across the counter. “On the house!” she proudly proclaimed. And despite Twilight’s protests, the farmpony’s southern hospitality was not to be denied.

Twilight, realizing that she was in a fight she could not win, graciously accepted the apples. “My favorite cultivar, too!” she thought, smiling at her friends gift.

The unicorn turned around to trot away, but was stopped by Applejack’s voice: “Say hi to Spike for me.”

“Sure thing, AJ,” replied Twilight as she started away from the stand. As she strolled back towards the library, she once again became enveloped in thought. As her hooves trudged on unconsciously, she couldn’t help but focus on the question that Applejack had asked her. Why was she so curious about Trixie? Twilight couldn’t even say that she thought of Trixie as a friend, but there was something she couldn’t quite place that made her wonder.

If Applejack was right and Trixie had indeed changed, what would that mean to Twilight? She supposed everypony deserves a second chance, but Trixie just seemed like such an enigma to her. Twilight sighed; it was obvious that this would bother her for the rest of the afternoon, at least. Why was it that Trixie, a pony she barely even knew, was causing her so much worry? “So much for a relaxing day off…” she thought as the approached the Ponyville library.

Author's Note: So this is the first chapter of the first fanfiction I've ever written. Obviously, I hope that you enjoyed it. First off, I appreciate the fact that you even gave this a chance, and I hope that you'll continue to read as I continue the story. Any constructive criticism is GREATLY appreciated, whether it's grammar, pacing, stylistic, or anything else. Haha also if somehow this got you really interested it would be great if I could get another prereader or two (I'm at one right now) so if you are interested in helping just shoot me a pm. Also, chapter 2 is written and is in the process of being edited, so hopefully it should be up fairly soon (and yes it is longer than chapter 1). Anyway, I'm obviously pretty good at rambling, but thank you for reading, and I would love it if you could let me know what you think so far and how you think that I could improve.
Jan. 8: made a few very minor changes, just for clarity's sake. Also gave the chapter a name.

Chapter 2: Beohoof

Author's Note: Thanks for bearing with the wait. This took longer than I expected to edit. More below.

Spike was a very confused dragon.

The mare behind him was reading through a thick tome at a furious pace, all of the while muttering phrases such as “no” or “that’s not it.” Spike stood on top of a stool, re-shelving the books that she had recently finished. Though this situation was actually relatively common, today had just seemed different from normal. He paused for a moment to recount the events of the day so far.

He had woken up that morning, his day off of work, to a letter from Twilight indicating that she was out. This in itself was not very unusual; Spike liked sleeping a lot more than Twilight, and their schedules were often out of sync. He had busied himself with cooking a quick brunch of hayfries (sadly there were no gemstones on hand). No sooner than he had finished cleaning up after himself when Twilight had returned to the library.

She had quickly explained that The Great and Powerful Trixie had apparently made her rounds back to Ponyville, and then had recounted her conversations with Applejack and Rainbow Dash as to why the magician might have come back.

Spike could tell that something was bothering her, and he knew that what she had told him must have something to do with it. Then came the confusing part: after telling him about her morning, Twilight had asked him to find all of the books that the library carried on the subject of Psychology. Psychology? What did that have to do with anything that she had just told him? He sure had a strange pony for a sister.

His curiosity had been piqued by the choice of Psychology literature, and he could tell from Twilight’s face that her mind was working at a frantic pace; so Spike had decided to offer his ear with a simple “What’s wrong, Twilight?” Perhaps she would let him in on what was troubling her. He just wanted to help, after all.

His adopted sister dismissed the inquiry with a curt “I’ll tell you later, Spike,” and added “Now how about those books?”

It was obvious that the unicorn was about to go on a studying binge, and he knew from experience that it was a bad idea to try to keep Twilight away from her books. Spike simply had decided to comply and maybe try to get more of an explanation later, it just hadn’t seemed really worth pursuing at the moment. Even so, Twilight would normally give him at least some sort of hint about what was troubling her.

This led him to his current position, standing on a stool re-shelving books in what was, to be honest, quite a precarious position. Just as he carefully placed the last book back on the shelf, Spike was startled by a resounding thud behind him. He briefly lost his balance, causing the stool to teeter on edge before settling once more into a stable position. Whew! That had been close!

He hopped off of his perch and turned around, searching for the source of the offending sound. At the table in front of him lay the largest book that he had brought down from the shelves. In fact, it was the only one that Twilight had not yet made him return to the shelves.

The mare’s chin rested atop the pages with the corners of her lips turned downward in a distinct frown. She opened the corner of her mouth and blew away a piece of dust that had settled on her snout.

“Spike,” she asked, the frustration easily discernible in her voice. “Can you find me some more books?”

“No can do, Twilight,” Spike responded. “That’s the last one. Besides, if what you’re looking for isn’t in there, you aren’t going to find in in the rest of the library. Maybe if you went to Canterlot the royal library would have what you’re looking for, but that’s the best we’ve got here in Ponyville.”

Twilight slowly lifted her head from the volume that it was resting upon and looked down at the book. Spike was right, The Equine Diagnostic and Statistical Manual contained pretty much everything that ponies had come to understand about their own mental workings. It was the book on psychology. In spite of this, Twilight still had not been able to find any condition that could satisfactorily explain her apparent obsession with Trixie.

Twilight slumped her shoulders, feeling stumped for the second time in the same afternoon. She hated the feeling that came whenever she couldn’t figure something out! She knew the solutions were in reach. But she was somehow taking the wrong train of thought. It appeared that reading the library’s collection of psychology books wasn’t going to help provide any ideas about her mental state, much less a logical diagnosis.

It frustrated her to no end how the silver maned unicorn managed to bedevil her. Twilight hadn’t even seen her in months, but that just seemed to make her return all the more intriguing. Twilight had found herself perplexed the entire afternoon wondering both why Trixie had returned and why she cared so much. The only logical way to deduce this information that Twilight could think of was, of course, logic. But her research and analysis seemed to have left her at a dead end.

Twilight was not, however, ready to admit defeat. She simply needed more research and more data. After all, everything could be explained logically, with the exception of Pinkie Pie’s physics-defying antics; however, Twilight felt justified making the assumption that her mind made more sense than the party pony’s various oddities.

Amidst this jumble of thoughts, a solution suddenly sprung to Twilight’s mind. She suddenly knew how she could gain more insight into both of the questions plaguing her. Even better, though, was that it would be informative and likely quite entertaining. As silly as she thought the phrase was, Twilight knew that she could potentially kill two birds with one stone.

Her mind was made up. If she needed more data, she was going to go and get more data. She knew that it was time for some field research. Twilight was going to go see Trixie’s performance of Beohoof.

The sun was beginning to set when Twilight departed the library for the main square of Ponyville. Spike had turned down her offer to accompany her to the show. The dragon wasn’t as much of a history buff as she was, so it made some level of sense that he might not be as enthusiastic about the performance as Twilight. But she felt that he was staying home at least partially because of the way she had treated him earlier.

The more she thought about it, Twilight realized that she had really put the little dragon through the proverbial gauntlet that afternoon. First it was having him find all those psychology books with no real explanation, then she had snapped at him when he was only trying to help relieve her stress. Admittedly, after all of that, she had even made him fetch several different translations of Beohoof before she had found one enough to her liking.

Twilight hated the way she tended to act when confronted with a problem. Why did she have to tear her mane out over every little thing? She always stressed herself out so much that she couldn’t hold it all in. It made her feel terrible to knowing that she tended to inadvertently take her stress out on those close to her. Spike deserved better than to be worked so hard with so little praise.

At least he was getting a well deserved break, she supposed. Twilight knew that he would manage to find a way to enjoy himself. She even had heard him muttering something to himself as she departed which had indicated that he might go and see if Rarity needed any help. What a little Casanova she had for a brother she thought, smiling and shaking her head as she ambled to the square.

Of course, Twilight still hadn’t accomplished her goal, despite the way that she had treated Spike. It frustrated her. She had worked so hard to understand her fascination but had come up completely empty hoofed. But she knew that allowing this frustration to get the better of her had caused her to treat Spike badly, and this wasn’t the first time that had happened. She would have to be more careful in the future not to get too caught up in her research, or else she would end up hurting her friends again. But hopefully she could learn enough at this performance so that no more studying would be necessary for a while.

As she neared the square, Twilight couldn’t help but think about the impending show. She was curious about so many things, and hopefully she would be able to get some answers. Of course, Beohoof itself should be fascinating. But Twilight felt a strange sense of anticipation knowing that she would soon see Trixie for the first time since the Ursa Minor incident. The back of her neck prickled and her stomach felt uneasy, but the sensations were strangely pleasant in a way; they reminded her of the excitement she felt whenever a book that she was particularly interested in would ship to the Ponyville library.

Twilight had so many questions she wanted answered. How would the showmare act? Would she even acknowledge her previous visit to Ponyville? Twilight couldn’t imagine setting foot in a place again after being so thoroughly embarrassed, much less performing a show there!

As she wondered about Trixie’s motives for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, Twilight entered the square to see a crowd of ponies gathered around what seemed to be a fairly large campfire. The fire sat at the opposite edge of the square in a shallow pit that seemed to have been dug for the express purpose of containing the fire. Judging by the crowd, this was the site of the performance. The venue was much simpler than the stage that Trixie had previously performed on; and even though that particular stage had been destroyed during her last visit, Twilight not have expected that Trixie would perform in front of something as simple as a campfire.

Twilight shook her head , thinking about the strangeness of the situation, and found a space with an unobstructed view roughly fifteen feet away from the fire. The azure mare continued to confound her; but Twilight found her so intriguing. Intriguing was the only word that Twilight could find to explain it, she was captivated with the unpredictability of Trixie’s character. It seemed like every time that Twilight thought she understood something about her, Trixie was bound to surprise her. Twilight simply needed to understand what it was that made Trixie tick. If she could understand her underlying motivations, then maybe that would make her less confusing.

The sun’s last rays slowly disappeared over the horizon. Twilight again felt that strange feeling of anticipation. It couldn’t be much longer now.

Twilight’s coat began to grow hot. Was it because of the nervousness? She didn’t feel flushed at all. Her eyes were suddenly drawn to the fire in front of her and the reason for the change in temperature became clear.

The orange glow of the campfire had given way to brilliant blue tongues of flame. This confused Twilight; the change had been so sudden and so complete. The entire fire was now composed of the same cool blue, but it radiated a deceptively large amount of heat.

Even stranger than the color, though, was the movement of the flames. This was not the typical chaotic burning of fire. Each individual tongue of flame moved in concert with the others, rising and falling in what was close to a ripple effect throughout the fire. It was as if there was a puppet master controlling the scene, making each flame subject to their will.

The flames’ hypnotic dance began to increase in tempo, moving faster and faster until they formed what appeared to be a pair of eyes. This apparition was quickly followed by the rest of the head. Each flame forming the entity danced back and forth, flickering and fading, but the entire image was unmistakably the head of a pony.

The fire beyond the flame-sculpture slowly melded into its own form, as if it had now been commanded by the same unseen force. In a flurry of movement that seemed random yet precise, a neck formed, attaching itself to the head. This was quickly followed by a body and four legs forming in much the same manner.

The blazing figure of a pony now stood amongst the rest of the flames, clearly a separate entity, but exuding an identical blue glow. It stepped back, out of the pit that the fire was contained in, until it was entirely separate from the rest of the campfire. The flames forming the figure held their shape, and it seemed to all of the ponies watching as though a being of pure energy was in their midst.

The light emitted from the flame pony slowly dimmed, and the body seemed to gradually lose its ethereal appearance. The flames gave way, and standing before the crowd was a unicorn mare of identical color to the blue flames. A silver mane cascaded down the side of her head, curling away from it. She wore a mischievous grin upon her face, evident just as much in her gleaming purple eyes as in her flashing smile. Though her hat and cape were missing, the mare standing before the crowd was unmistakably The Great and Powerful Trixie.

She spoke in a voice which was calm, yet brimmed with confidence. “Trixie welcomes you to the tale of Beohoof. A hero matched by none in his time and few, if any, since.”

The audience stamped in approval of the dramatic entrance, and Twilight herself was impressed by the skill and creativity that the magic must have required. She realized that Trixie had not even began her performance yet she already had everypony eating out of her hoof. She knew how to work a crowd; that much was clear. She seemed to carry herself with a different air from before. This was not a pony planning on stealing the show herself, this night would not be about The Great and Powerful Trixie, it would be about Beohoof and his exploits.

As the applause slowly died down, the silver maned unicorn raised her head. The fire in front of her had reverted to its typical orange color. Trixie’s horn glowed a soft purple and the flames began to dance under her control once more. Small figures of ponies emerged from the flames, seemingly eager to move under the magician’s direction. At this, Trixie began to chant, enveloping the crowd with sight and sound as she began her tale.

“So, the Spear-Manes in days gone by

and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.

We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile as Trixie began the tale. She loved Beohoof, and she thought that the use of flame magic was simply ingenious. In fact, she felt as though she couldn’t take her eyes off the scene in front of her.

The unicorn continued the tale, and seemed to fall into an almost trance-like state, introducing Beohoof’s noble lineage, the Manish king Trotgar, and the great mead hall Mareot. All the while, the apparitions of flame acted out her every word, bringing the story to life.

Twilight found herself enthralled. She had never been to a performance this interesting before. Her ears drank up every word that exited Trixie’s lips, though she was already all too familiar with the story.

As the tale continued, Twilight felt as though she had been placed under a spell. Though she normally was able to maintain her composure, she found herself whooping and applauding when Beohoof vanquished the monster Grendfoal and saved Mareot from the terror that he had wrought.

How was it that this mare could affect her emotions so much with a simple story? Twilight still didn’t understand what it was about Trixie that gave her this power over her; but what seemed more important was how awesome it was to watch flame-Beohoof sever the monster’s arm with two powerful bucks to the shoulder.

Of course, Twilight was not the only one becoming invested in the story, the crowd around her had roared with the same approval at each of Beohoof’s triumphs. When the hero finally met his match, suffering mortal wounds killing a dragon, it felt as though the square was the site of a tragic accident. Everything fell deathly silent, and more than one pony found themselves in tears.

Trixie’s voice gently gave way to silence after describing the mourning of the hero’s death. It was as though Ponyville had lost one of their own, and a moment of silence permeated the square, seemingly a gesture of respect for the legend.

Trixie looked through the crowd, and understood immediately that she had done her job well. She dropped her head and lifted one of her forelegs into a sweeping bow.

Stomps of approval greeted her as she rose up from the bow. She smiled to herself, moments like this were what she lived for. Not long ago she would have ruined this moment of triumph by basking in the attention and reveling in superiority. But it had been in this very town that she had first begun that actions can speak louder than words (at least sometimes).

She could honestly say that she was content to see that her show had spoken for itself.

Tonight, of course, was only the beginning of Trixie’s time in Ponyville. It had been an excellent way to start off, but there was much more to be said and done while she was here. Her thoughts wandered to the mare she knew that she would have to confront sooner or later: Twilight Sparkle. It was time for Trixie to add a new show to her repertoire, and Twilight was the pony that could help her bring Nightmare Moon and The Elements of Harmony to life. What was weighing just as heavily on her mind, though, was that she needed to properly thank Twilight for the lesson she had taught her. She may not have accepted the advice at the time, but Trixie had realized that being humble on occasion could be quite advantageous, and she had Twilight to thank for the lesson in humility.

When she brought herself out of this reverie, Trixie found herself sitting alone in front of the smoldering remains of her fire. Evidently she had lost herself in thought for longer than it had seemed. She leaned forward, then backward, stretching out her stiff legs. It was easy to become uncomfortable sitting in the same position as she had for several hours. She rolled her front shoulders, then used her magic to snuff out the last embers of the fire.

It had been a good day. Trixie couldn’t deny that. But she still had a lot of business to attend to in Ponyville. Tomorrow would be a good time to start, she could use tonight to get some rest; that show had really taken a lot of energy out of her. She thought of all she still had left to do as she stepped out of the square and into the darkness beyond.

Author's Note: Well this chapter ended up being more of a struggle than I thought. Everything came so to me so easily when I initially wrote it, and when I got around to giving it a full read a lot of it looked like total crap. I practically ended up rewriting the second half because I hated how it sounded so much. It's done though, and I like the final version. I debated putting in one more short scene from Twilight's perspective at the very end, I decided to make you guys wait though ;). You'll get that in chapter 3 instead.

As I've mentioned before I want/need another prereader or two. My current one got caught up with that real life thing, and I don't want to force this on her. Also, I would really appreciate any feedback that you guys would like to give me, so rate and comment away! The response was so overwhelmingly positive for chapter one so I hope that I'm managing to live up to expectations. I'm looking forward to getting started on chapter three. I plan on giving you guys some Twilight/Trixie interaction, but given that this is a Twixie fic, I'm not really sure that's a spoiler at all. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Chapter 3: A Visitor, A Meal, And a Request

Twilight Sparkle paused at the front door of the Ponyville library, deep in thought. Should she go in? Probably. But she was having such a good time just thinking to herself. Going in would mean dealing with Spike, who would more than likely still be wide awake. Given that she was no longer too busy sticking her nose in a book to talk to him, the dragon would definitely ask some prying questions about what had happened earlier. Questions which, frankly, Twilight was not sure that she could answer yet.

The unicorn sat back on her haunches, promising herself just five more minutes. She did owe Spike a better explanation than she had given him earlier, but she needed to clear a bit more of her mental clutter first.

It had been a crazy day for the mare, even by Ponyville standards. Trixie still confused her; that was for sure. Watching one performance certainly wasn’t enough to fully judge a pony’s character, but Twilight could tell she had changed at least somewhat. The fact that her show was about something other than herself attested to that.

Of course, Twilight still had very little information to work with: only what she could divine from the show and what Applejack and Rainbow Dash had told her. It seemed that Trixie had become a better pony. But it was strange that she hadn’t even mentioned her previous show, much less apologized for her behavior. Her motivations were still very much a mystery to Twilight.

On the other hoof, Twilight now at least partially understood why she was so interested in Trixie. The way that she had performed had been amazing, to say the least. Twilight was impressed by the showmare’s audacity. Even performing in front of a crowd that had seen her humiliated previously she still had absolutely brought down the house. What Twilight felt was admiration. It was the confidence that Trixie always exuded that impressed her. Even the posters she put up around Ponyville showed her mettle. Trixie simply had fire in her personality, and it fascinated Twilight.

Her five minutes were up, and she knew that she did owe Spike some sort of explanation for her minor freak out earlier. Her horn glowed a soft purple and the door slowly creaked open.

Twilight was, surprisingly, not greeted by the blast of light that she expected. She trotted inside and called out “Spike?” as she closed the door behind her.

Hmmm. Maybe he had gone to sleep after all. Well, it wasn’t like she had very much to tell him anyway. Plus, she was tired. It had definitely been a long day. She trudged up the stairs and saw Spike curled up in his bed, fast asleep. The mare followed his example and slipped under her covers. She lay down her head and managed to quickly drift off into slumber, letting her dreams take hold in spite of all of the thoughts spinning through her head.

Twilight galloped through the streets as fast as her legs could carry her. As she approached the center of the town, she once again heard the telltale roar. She had to hurry. If this was what she thought it was, then she definitely didn’t have much time left. Her muscles screamed with fatigue and her lungs begged for air, but there was no time to rest.

She sped around one final corner and immediately found her target. There it was: an Ursa Minor of hulking stature. The creature had a small burn on its left flank and was slowly backing down a terrified blue unicorn.

Twilight took one look at the scene and immediately focused her energy in the tip of her horn. Her body cried out for rest but was silenced by a burst of adrenaline. Who knew what could happen if she couldn’t stop this thing.

As Twilight clenched her eyes in concentration, a cool wind washed over the countryside, bringing the harmonizing sound of pipes with it. The Ursa’s face calmed and its eyelids began to droop. The behemoth slowly swayed back and forth, giving its hostage a chance to move out from under it.

Twilight’s face contorted. Her hooves dug into the ground and the aura surrounding her horn blazed with white hot intensity. In the distance, the Ponyville watertower creaked and groaned as it was lifted from its supports. It floated into the barn of Sweet Apple Acres and emerged full of milk.

The oversized bottle met the Ursa in midair and it began to drink from it. The pair of objects redirected towards a cave deep within the forest. All the while, Twilight Sparkle strained at the task. Sweat covered her brow and veins bulged from her face. She felt the flow of magic ebb and give way almost immediately upon completing her task.

She opened her eyes but the world was spinning around her. The burst of energy was gone and her vision began to swim. Her front legs gave out and she began to keel forward, only to be held in place by a firm hoof.

The last thing Twilight saw before her world dissolved into darkness was the grateful smile of the azure unicorn holding her upright.

Twilight sat up sharply in her bed, her heart pounding. Had that really been just a dream? Well, at least she wasn’t as drop dead exhausted as she had just felt.

She soon realized that she was smiling rather dumbly to herself. Despite the fact that she had to relive facing down the Ursa, something that she never wanted to do again, the dream had been almost enjoyable. That smile that Trixie had given her: though it had been so fleeting, it had seemed to mean so much. Her face had brimmed with gratefulness, it seemed so rare that Trixie would give anyone that sort of gratitude.

It was just a dream though, and that definitely was enough to explain the way that Trixie had acted. Would such a confident mare as Trixie really surrender herself to Twilight with a look like that? Probably not, but she might as well enjoy it while she could.

Twilight’s left ear pricked up, and she realized that there was the sound of voices faintly echoing up the stairs. She turned to Spike’s bed and found it to be empty. She must have slept late again.

At least she probably wasn’t needed urgently. Spike would have already woken her if she was. Even so, she might as well not keep the guest waiting.

She hopped out of bed and brushed her mane quickly. She hurried over to the stairs and trotted to the bottom.

She turned the knob of the door with her magic, and as she opened it, she heard snatches of a conversation. “...Oh, I think that’s probably her now.”

As the door shifted, revealing the first floor of the library, Twilight found herself face-to-face with none other than The Great and Powerful Trixie.

Trixie stood across a small table from Spike. She wore the hat and cloak that had been absent at the previous night’s performance. She returned Twilight’s gaze, appearing to size her up. She opened her mouth to break the silence—

“So Twilight, Trixie just got here a few minutes ago, I was actually just about to go wake you up. She said that she had something to ask you about.”

Twilight once again looked toward Trixie, her eyes curious. The blue mare opened her mouth and began to explain herself. “Well, Twilight Sparkle, shall we cut to the chase? Trixie has been performing again lately. Perhaps you have seen the posters for Beohoof, hmm?”

“Actually, I was able to make it to the performance last night. The flame magic was great!”

So Twilight Sparkle had known of her return after all... And she had come to the show? That was certainly... unexpected. “Well,” she continued uncertainly “I suppose that means you know that Trixie has forsaken simple magic shows so that she can spread the great tales of ponykind.”

“I think that suits you more, I loved the show, and I think that everypony else did too.”

Trixie looked down at her hooves uncomfortably, “Yes, Trixie was pleased with how the show went. However, she would like to make a request of you.” Twilight nodded, urging her to continue. “Beohoof is a fine show. But Trixie desires more... variety. She was wondering if you would agree to help her create a rendition of Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony. Trixie understands if you do not want—”

“That sounds amazing Trixie! I would love to help!” Twilight Sparkle was positively beaming at the chance to get to know Trixie better. Perhaps she could make a letter to the princess out of this too, she had never done anything like it before, after all. “When should we start?”

Trixie cocked her head, thinking. “Well, the next performance of Beohoof isn’t until tomorrow evening. I suppose I am available all day. Of course, you are the one who is so graciously helping Trixie, she shall leave it up to you to decide.”

Twilight smiled again, “We can start right away!” she announced. Trixie’s stomach suddenly growled loudly. “On second thought,” Twilight mused “let’s get some breakfast first.”

“Trixie must admit that breakfast sounds enticing.”

“It’s settled then. Spike, it’s time to cook!” Twilight trotted into the kitchen with a bounce in her step, mare and dragon both in tow.

Trixie stood across the table from Twilight Sparkle. The baby dragon, Spike, was it? was busy mixing a bowl of pancake batter behind the librarian.

Even uncooked, the batter smelled heavenly to Trixie. Times had been a bit rougher lately than she would care to admit. Since the Ursa had smashed her trailer she had been forced to resort to camping in a tent. Cooking, of course, was considerably more difficult without the kitchen implements she had kept in her trailer. And despite her mastery of fire, Trixie had lately found it impossible to dine in the way she was accustomed to.

She soon realized that, in her hunger, she had been staring straight past the mare in front of her. She quickly turned her attention to her hostess, who was absentmindedly twiddling her hooves, not wanting to interrupt her guest’s thoughts.

Looking up, Twilight noticed that Trixie had broken out of her trance “So, Trixie, what have you been up to since the last time you were in Ponyville?” posed the unicorn casually.

“Well, Twilight Sparkle, after leaving Ponyville Trixie... reevaluated some things. That was when she realized that her true calling was to spread fantastic tales throughout Equestria. Since then, Trixie has been performing Beohoof throughout the land.”

“Everypony loved Beohoof here in Ponyville. Have your other shows been going just as well?”

“Well, Beohoof has been well-received by the audiences, the donations have not been exceptional,” she sighed almost imperceptibly “but Trixie is getting by well enough. A home cooked meal is certainly appreciated after so much time on the road.” She smiled gratefully to the mare in front of her.

The smell of the pancakes was now wafting over both of them. It made Trixie’s mouth water just thinking about how they must taste.

The dragon walked towards the two unicorns holding a frying pan containing their breakfast. In his other hand was a bottle of syrup. He tipped the pancakes onto a serving plate and placed the syrup on the table.

Two of the pancakes were quickly engulfed in a blue aura which lifted them to the plate in front of Trixie. Are those blueberries? Her question was quickly answered after she bathed her pancakes in syrup and took a bite. The pancakes were simply delicious. The sugariness of the syrup mingled delightfully with the tartness of the berries and the subtle sweetness of the cakes themselves. It had definitely been too long since she had had a home cooked meal.

The three ate the breakfast silently, for the most part. Twilight and Spike were certainly willing to converse, but Trixie was far too busy shoveling pancake after pancake into her mouth.

“Well, Twilight, at least somepony appreciates my cooking,” said Spike, puffing out his chest proudly.

The unicorn raised an eyebrow. “Well somepony probably hasn’t had your hay and daisy casserole. I felt sick for a week!”

“Hey! That wasn’t my fault! You were the one who gave me that cookbook.”

Trixie smiled as she watched her hosts bicker. She had just finished her fifteenth pancake and was inclined to side with the dragon in the argument. The meal had certainly been excellent by her standards. “Trixie has gotten her fill of these delicious pancakes.” Spike smirked in Twilight’s direction, “And she feels quite ready to hibernate now.”

Trixie backed away from the table and walked a few steps. Maintaining her balance was difficult, it felt like she had eaten half of her body weight in pancakes. Perhaps it hadn’t been a good idea to eat quite so much. It certainly wouldn’t do for Trixie to make herself look foalish in front of Twilight Sparkle, but the food was so incredible that she couldn’t fault herself for the decision. Physical indulgences had to take precedence sometimes, after all.

Twilight gave Trixie a mock-concerned look, forgetting momentarily about her argument with Spike. “Are you ok, Trixie? I don’t think you got enough food,” she joked.

“Trixie is fine, thank you,” she huffed. “However, she may have just discovered that her one true weakness is pancakes.” She continued walking towards Twilight, finally acclimating herself to the lump in her stomach enough so that it would no longer inhibit her movement.

“You were eating like you hadn’t seen food in weeks,” teased Twilight.

“Yes, yes, Trixie enjoys good food. Now that we have established that, shall we begin discussing the story of Nightmare Moon instead of making fun of Trixie’s eating habits?”

“Sorry about that,” replied Twilight, stifling a giggle. “I guess I’ve just never seen anypony with such a big lump in their stomach.”

“Trixie will choose to ignore that thinly veiled insult.” She turned up her muzzle haughtily. “You may count yourself lucky this time, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Of course, Trixie, I know that I couldn’t dream of matching your wit.” The purple pony rolled her eyes as she spoke.

“Trixie will be happy to assert her cleverness later, but now it is time for you to tell her a story. After all, how can Trixie perform a show if she doesn’t know the story?” She raised a hoof and beckoned towards the main room of the library.

Twilight followed behind Trixie into the library proper. She passed the magician and trotted towards the center of the room.

Twilight eased herself to the ground, folding her legs up neatly on the rug below her. She patted the ground next to her with her hoof. “Make yourself comfortable, Trixie, this could take a while.”

The azure magician soon joined her on the floor and looked at her somewhat expectantly. “Tell Trixie everything. She needs to know... for the show of course.”

Twilight examined Trixie’s visage. Is that a blush? Why is Equestria would she be blushing? Twilight felt her own face grow warm and she gave a nervous laugh. Well, that was unexpected. All she did was ask me a question. She shook her head gently, clearing away the obtrusive thoughts. “Well,” she said “to start from the beginning, I used to live in Canterlot, under Princess Celestia’s tutelage. But back then I really didn’t have many friends...”

Author's Note: I'm sorry about the amount of time that this chapter took. I've been really busy with a lot of stuff lately and I spent a lot of time trying to get this chapter right. Chapter four will probably be short, but it's going to be an important one.

I want to give a few shoutouts for this chapter. First, for my prereader Dr. Jekyll, it's really nice to have you there to help me out. Someone to help me edit makes things a lot easier. Next, I want to give a shoutout to DashXColt, the pancake scene was partially inspired by his story, which is great in case you haven't read it. Here it is: The Fascinating Yet Obvious Twixie. Also, I want to give a shoutout to everyone who hangs out in the irc, particularly Vyreinos (read his story too if you haven't: Teardrops and Snowflakes). You guys are great, and its so nice to have a bunch of people to help me with my writing and just to chill with.

I hope you guys liked this chapter, I'm having a blast writing this story. Hopefully I can get out the next chapter quicker than this one, but I'm expecting to be really busy for a while still :/. Anyway, you readers are the reason that I write this story. Keep being great!

As always, please rate/comment. Give me any sort of feedback you can. I read everything that people say about this story and it means a lot if you just take a little bit of time to tell me what you liked or what could be improved upon. That's the only way that I can get better. Also, if there's anyone else who wants to preread/edit I would be glad to have you, just shoot me a pm. For that matter, shoot me a pm if there's any reason you want to contact me, I would be glad to talk to you.

Chapter 4: The Magic of Friendship

Unfinished Business: Chapter 4

Twilight Sparkle looked at the mare lying next to her and needed every bit of her willpower to keep from bursting out in laughter. The Great and Powerful Trixie looked back at her with what was probably the most dumbfounded expression that she had ever seen. The only time she could recall a pony’s jaw dropping closer to the floor was when Rarity had convinced her to go clubbing several months before. She still didn’t really understand what the point is to go out and dance to loud music, but those stallions sure had looked surprised when Rarity passed by them.

After collecting herself somewhat, Trixie began to speak softly: “Trixie had heard rumors… but she didn’t believe that they could be true. It really was your friendship that defeated Nightmare Moon.”

Twilight’s eyes glinted softly as she reminisced. “Trixie, if there’s one thing I’ve become absolutely sure of, it’s that friendship is the most powerful magic in the world. Every day that I’ve spent here in Ponyville has only reinforced that.”

At this, Trixie’s shoulders slumped. “Twilight,” she hesitated. “What is it like having friends as good as yours?”

The purple unicorn cocked her head and gave a quizzical look. What is she getting at? “Well,” she began, and the rest seemed to come naturally as she gushed about her friends. “They’re the best friends that anypony could ask for! Applejack is the most dependable pony you’ll ever meet, and Rainbow Dash would never leave anypony hanging. Fluttershy is the kindest, most caring creature in all of Equestria and Rarity is probably the most generous. Don’t even get me started about Pinkie Pie—” Twilight looked towards Trixie and immediately cut herself off.

What Twilight saw confused her. Trixie sat before her with her eyes closed and a pained expression on her face. “Trixie, are you okay?” Twilight asked.

The blue unicorn slowly opened her eyes and recoiled a bit at the proximity of her concerned host. She shifted her gaze downward and fiddled her hoof on the floor. “Trixie has never... had any friends before.” Tears slowly welled up in the corners of her eyes and made their way down the sides of her face. Her voice quivered slightly as she continued. “Of course, that can be the price of being a performer... but hearing about how wonderful your friends are has made Trixie long for friends of her own.”

Twilight gazed upon her in confusion for several seconds. Eventually what Trixie was saying sunk in and the confusion gave way to concern. How can I help her?

Twilight patted her back with a tender hoof, and turning towards her, said “Trixie, I understand how you feel. Before I came to Ponyville, my only real friends were Spike and my books. What I’ve learned is that there are plenty of amazing ponies out there to be friends with.” She smiled softly as she continued. “You just have to give them a chance.” Twilight hesitated and pulled her hoof back slightly, did I overdo it? I know she’s sad, but Trixie is just so... independant. Does she even want my help?

All of her doubts vanished as Trixie turned to face her. The magician’s eyes still shined from the tears, but a gleam of hopefulness showed Twilight that her kindness had not been misplaced. “Twilight?” Trixie asked. “Is this...? What there is between us... is this friendship?”

A warm smile crossed the purple mare’s face as warmth spread throughout her chest. She didn’t know what could have possibly caused this change in Trixie. But whatever the cause, it simply felt comfortable talking to her. “Yes, this is friendship, I’m sure of it.”

“You aren’t just saying that to make me feel better, are you?” Trixie’s voice was tinged with doubt. “After all, I was terrible to you and your friends when I was last here. I would understand if you had trouble forgiving me.”

“Trixie, everypony deserves a second chance... and of course I want to be friends with you. You’re fun to be around.” She blushed a bit at the last statement.

This reaction was either not noticed or simply ignored by the blue magician, who continued “I enjoy your company as well, Twilight; and I appreciate the hospitality. I admit that I would likely not be so welcoming if I were in your position. At least, after... last time.”

Twilight wasn’t sure what to think. She hadn’t wanted to broach that touchy subject herself; it appeared that Trixie wasn’t really comfortable discussing it either despite the fact that she had brought it up. Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by Trixie’s unsteady voice.

“Twilight, I never got the chance to properly thank you. When you saved me from that Ursa, it made me realize that actions speak louder than words. I may have run off without saying anything, but I was merely upset that you had made me look so foalish. I have had a lot of time to think about it since then, though. When I finally cooled down a bit I started to understand that there is a difference between being confident and just plain cocky; and I certainly used to push that boundary, to say the least.” She brushed a few strands of her silver mane out of her face and blushed slightly.

Twilight furrowed her brow, hardly believing what she heard. Never in a million years would she have expected Trixie to have been so affected by the Ursa incident. It was embarrassing, of course, but had nopony ever called any of her bluffs before? Regardless, she was definitely here in the flesh– Twilight had done some reality checks that she had learned from a book on lucid dreaming just to be sure– and despite it going against everything that Twilight thought she knew in the world, the brash mare was actually confiding in her. Was this all just because of their new-found friendship? Twilight felt another idea nagging in the back of her mind, yet she couldn’t quite pin it down.

The look of shock on her face must have registered with her guest, as Trixie broke the awkward silence without missing a beat, “Anyway... thank you, Twilight. You taught me a lesson that I can never forget.”

“Trixie, I never wanted to make you look bad in front of everypony. I couldn’t just stand by while an Ursa Minor destroyed the town though. You shouldn’t be thanking me for this though; I just didn’t want my friends to think I’m a braggart.”

Trixie gave her a deadpan look. “Twilight,” she spoke matter-of-factly “you are simply too gracious; but you are much more naïve than Trixie took you for. The most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria is thanking you.” She struck a pose for emphasis. “And yet you still deflect the compliments? Trixie demands that you accept her gratitude.”

The librarian raised an eyebrow at her. “So you’re going to make me? I suppose you’re welcome, Trixie. But really, I was just doing what anypony would do in that situation. I don’t need any thanks.”

“Such modesty. I suppose I will have to teach you to be less of a pushover. But that can wait, I suppose, it is getting late, perhaps I should depart soon.”

The two unicorns had indeed been working much longer than they had thought. Lunch had been entirely unnecessary with the amount of food they had both consumed at breakfast, and they had barely even noticed the passage of time. The sun was just beginning to set, the bright rays of warm summer light fading to a calm orange that peeked through the windows, creating a shadowing effect only partially dispelled by the interior lighting.

“Trixie, you don’t have to leave now. I would be happy to have you stay for dinner,” proposed Twilight cheerily, holding a smile that was perhaps a bit too inviting. She stood still for a moment, nervously glancing at the unicorn in front of her. It had been a long time since she had had a heart to heart with anypony, and frankly, it was nice. Aside from that, she was actually getting to know Trixie. Hopefully that would eventually give her a better picture of why Trixie had come back.

At this thought, both mares became acutely aware of the scent wafting in from the kitchen: hayfries and carrot soup. They had skipped lunch, after all, Trixie might have exploded if she had eaten anything more earlier in the day, and the hunger had crept back up on them while they had busied themselves in conversation. Spike had stolen away from the main room of the library several hours earlier– listening to a story he was already familiar with sounded like a great way to waste an afternoon– and had eventually made his way to the kitchen to cook dinner.

Trixie’s face lit up at the suggestion. “Twilight, I would love to stay and indulge in more of your assistant...”

“Spike,” Twilight corrected.

“Yes, my stomach has finally cleared itself of those delicious pancakes. I would love to try another meal prepared by Spike, ” continued Trixie. “Of course, if it isn’t an imposition.”

“I thought we decided that we were friends!” joked Twilight. “You don’t have to worry about imposing on me. Come on, I bet that Spike is nearly done cooking.” She trotted towards the kitchen happily, her pink and purple tail bobbing with each step as Trixie followed close behind.

“Twilight, you are a very fortunate pony to have such an excellent chef for an assistant,” stated Trixie as she lifted the last few drops of soup to her mouth. “Spike, Trixie must admit that you have a talent.”

“Well, well, well!” announced Spike as he munched on a hayfry. “You hear that, Twilight?”

“Spike! I like your cooking. I just think you could be a little bit nicer about it when I try to cook,” retorted Twilight.

The three were gathered around the table in the kitchen of the library finishing their food. Spike sat atop a chair while the two mares stood. All were comfortably full; Trixie had been able to restrain her eating this time. Outside, night had fallen over the warm summer landscape: a serene atmosphere populated by the twinkling stars and fireflies.

Trixie found herself staring out a darkened window as her hosts continued their banter. Without shifting her gaze, she stated “Trixie should be going now, it is getting quite late. I think I would do well to spend some time mulling over your Nightmare Moon story.”

Twilight looked up from her argument with her foster-brother. “Oh, you have to leave now? You have a place to stay, right? If you don’t, you would be welcome to stay here. But, umm, only if you need to.” A liminal blush crossed her face.

“No, that won’t be necessary, Trixie will be... fine. Thank you for your hospitality, Twilight. Perhaps you can help me plan out the show sometime soon,” answered Trixie, starting in the direction of the door.

“Any time, Trixie. This was a lot more fun than I expected. I’d love to keep helping you out.” Twilight hurried up to Trixie, not wanting to make her guest walk alone.

The pair reached the door and Twilight held it open with her magic. The glow of her horn produced a soft purple light which flickered throughout the shadowy room.

As Trixie stepped out the threshold, Twilight reminded her “Don’t forget to come back any time. I’ll be glad to have you stop by.”

“I’ll be back, Twilight.” She clapped a hoof to Twilight’s shoulder. “And I’m glad to have you as a friend.” She turned to leave but was stopped on her third step by Twilight’s unsteady voice behind her.

“Trixie... I’m glad that you came back.”

Trixie looked back over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Trixie is starting to think it wasn’t such a bad idea as well.”

As Trixie turned to continue on her way, Twilight quickly shut the door behind her, a blush quickly spreading on her face. Why did I have to say that? Where did that thought even come from? She’s going to think that I’m so weird now! All I can ever seem to do around that pony is act stupid and awkward. Maybe I need to read up on some social skills...

I still feel like I don’t know anything about her, and I just spent an entire day with her! Why can’t anything make sense? Ugh! Everything is even more confusing than it was this morning. It seems like she’s just not telling me everything. Why didn’t she say anything about where she’s staying?

She nearly fell over herself rushing towards the stairs. Maybe I can find out where she’s going... She stopped herself at the window next to her bed and gazed out. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, she picked out the speck of light that she was looking for. The soft beacon was far in the distance, but easily visible from Twilight’s elevated vantage point. As the glimmer emanating from Trixie’s horn slowly moved through the darkness, Twilight became conscious of her destination. The glow lingered for a brief moment, and extinguished itself right at the edge of...

The Everfree Forest?

Author's Note: Whew. That took forever to get this one to you guys! I apologize for that, but this is an important chapter and I wanted to make sure that I got it right. Speaking of getting it right, my editors/prereaders Dr. Jekyll and Railrugs helped me a ton on this chapter. Some of the stuff I had was a total mess before I got to revising it.

Chapter 5 is probably going to take a while. I'm going to rewrite most of chapter 1 and some of chapter 2 in an effort to get this up to snuff so I can submit this baby to Equestria Daily. Haha it would be pretty amazing to make it up there, so wish me luck I guess :P. The good news is that I plan on chapter 5 being from Trixie's perspective, so you'll get to see a different side of things for sure. Hopefully I can burn through these rewrites at a decent pace and get chapter 5 out in a reasonable amount of time. I can keep you guys updated via my blog, so just check my userpage if you're wondering anything. Once again, thanks for reading, and I hope you're enjoying the story.

-Fission

Rates and comments are always appreciated!