Luna shakes what her momma gave her!

Trixie was many things to many ponies. Sadly, most of the time that was the butt of a joke or a source of aggression these days. Trixie wasn't fooling herself about it. It was Trixie's own fault, between the Ursa Major incident at Ponyville and then much later the Alicorn Amulet debacle where she foalishly tried to be better than Twilight Sparkle, Trixie had been trying her hardest to move past those incidents. That's how she actually ended up meeting Princess Luna. Trixie had been having nightmares about the Alicorn Amulet incident, to the point where Princess Luna had to go into Trixies dreams more than one a week. Eventually, the two met, and after the Princess of the Night helped Trixie to move past the worst of the internal issues, she encouraged the showmare to try to go back on the road with her act. Trixie vowed to do just that, and told the Princess that if she ever needed anything, that Trixie would be willing and would do her best to help.

Trixie now regretted making that offer. She never thought, not once in a thousand years, that Princess Luna would ever seriously need Trixie's help.

"Dear Trixie Lulamoon, the Great and Powerful,

I have need of your services and aid. If you should find it agreeable to lend me your aid in the matter I find myself trapped in, I will consider your offer of help to be a debt paid and a service to Equestria. If you are willing, please come see me at Canterlot Castle the next time you are in Canterlot. I will tell the Guards and staff to grant you entry and escort you to my chambers, and this invitation shall stand until I hear from you, or you arrive. I believe that you, and only you can aid me in my time of need.

With much thanks,
Your Princess of the Night, Luna.

P.S. Please accept these bits as a sign of friendship between us and a gift to help speed you on your way.
-- Luna.

Trixie had read and reread that letter seemingly a few hundred times. The few hundred bits helped, as Trixie hadn't eaten in a few days, and had been looking for a tree to peel some bark off of to turn into a very meager meal. The bits allowed Trixie to make a repair to Trixie's wagon and get some food. Now that Trixie's home, belly and larder were properly taken care of, she even had some of the money left over. Trixie had to admit that she had some doubts. Part of Trixie wanted to take the bits and run, not going anywhere near Canterlot or Ponyville for the rest of her life, but Trixie actually felt wrong about that. Trixie wasn't sure why at first, but as she reread the letter one night by candle light it struck her.

""..Please accept these bits as a sign of friendship between us."" Friendship. Trixie, as much as she was loath to admit it in her waking moments, but more willing to in the depths of her mind and when she was alone, but Twilight was on to something with her talk of the Magic of Friendship. Trixie had been without any friends for so long she wondered if she had ever had any. And Princess Luna was offering her such a relationship. Trixie felt something inside her break and she felt a few tears well up in her eyes. Trixie desperately wanted friends. Even one would be enough. And Trixie had to admit, that she could do much worse for a friend than Princess Luna. So Trixie made up her mind and started to make her way towards Canterlot.

That was a few weeks ago, and she had been out in Saddle Arabia when the letter had arrived. Trixie had never learned the spell to send a letter through her magic, and she had always heard that it required a great deal of magical power, needing more and more dependent on distance. Trixie was out of the Badlands now, and coming up near Appleloosa, and decided to stop there for the night. Trixie could take a shortcut she knew that would cut her time to get to Ponyville in half, and from there it was about another day to Canterlot. Trixie wasn't entirely sure what she would find when she got there, but she wanted to help Princess Luna. If Trixie was lucky this would help set her on the road to earn Trixie's forgiveness and redemption so she could fully move on from her mistakes. Trixie was tired of ponies treating her like dirt. One town almost lynched Trixie because the stories had grown out of proportion. It was now common for townsponies in a lot of the outlying areas to throw things at Trixie and to assault her. So far, it had just been physical, but Trixie didn't believe her luck would holdout on that indefinitely, and it would be a mater of time before some young stallion decided merely beating her up or trying to kill her wasn't enough.

Trixie shuddered at that thought. Fortunately for her, Appleloosa was a fairly forgiving town. Trixie wasn't a beloved visitor, but as long as she didn't cause any trouble and traded fairly, no one went out of their way to be mean or hurt her. The Buffalo, while not what many would consider to be a top notch crowd, at least enjoyed Trixies show and would pay her in food and goods, if not bits or gems. It was better than nothing, and Trixie rather liked the the thick and heavy blanket they had given her one time as it was extremely warm in the winter.

Trixie would stay a day, maybe two, and then head out. With that, Trixie blew out the candle and went to bed.

Trixie had gotten to the outskirts of Ponyville and then by passed the town completely. All it would take is one of Sparkle's friends seeing her and her trip through the area and to Canterlot would be made that much more difficult.

"HI TRIXIE!!" came from to her left and it almost caused Trixie to jump out of the wagons seat. Trixie was pretty sure her heart had jumped out of her chest and straight to the Elysian Fields in the afterlife. Trixie looked around and saw the source of the loud voice. There, standing by the road was one of the only other ponies in Ponyville that Trixie knew by name aside from Twilight Sparkle.

"Pinkie Pie.... What can the Great and Powerful and Apologetic Trixie do for you?" Trixie said as she recognized Equestria's premier party planner. Trixie only remembered the pink pony's name because in the entertainment business, you never knew who you might be sharing, or be in competition for, a venue with.

"Oh, nothing really. I was just wondering what you're doing and why you're not stopping in Ponyville. It's almost like you don't want to see us, which can't be right because you haven't been here in a really loooooong time, not since you were here with the Alicorn Amulet and tried to take over the town, but you've learned your lesson, so you could stop by and see your friends here, and have a Turning over a new Leaf party! It would be one of the greatest parties in Ponyville's history!!! And the best party YOU'VE ever had!!!!" Pinkie Pie went on after that, but Trixie couldn't follow, seeing as the pink mare was going on and on and on at probably close to seventy five words a minute.

"Pinkie!" Trixie finally said getting the pink Earth Pony to stop.

"Yeeeeeeesss, Trixie?" Pinkie asked.

"Look, I'm not really sure that everypony else feels the same way you do about me coming back here. I did some pretty horrible things the last time I was here, and I don't want to cause any trouble. I just want to go to Canterlot. I have a business meeting there, and I don't want to be late. As for the party... It's nice?... that you want to throw one for Trixie.... but Trixie hasn't earned one. Trixie is still trying to seek her forgiveness and redemption and while you might be willing to forgive me, most of your friends probably won't be, or they would be viewing Trixie with a great deal of suspicion." Trixie said sadly, a look of forlorn regret on her face.

"Silly filly! Sure, you've made a mistake or two, and some of them were pretty big. BUT! But, they aren't the kind that can't be forgiven. No one was seriously hurt and you have learned from them. I can tell! I know that Rainbow Dash might not give you the benefit of the doubt, but Flutter Shy, Apple Jack and Twilight would at least be willing to hear you out before they pass judgement. And besides, you have me, Pinkie Pie, in your corner! It might take time, but as long as you keep moving forward on being a better pony, you'll win them over! Once you have Twilight and Apple Jack, Rarity is as good as in your pocket and then it's only a matter of time before Rainbow is your friend. I'll keep everything for that party of yours ready. I know that someday you'll be ready for it, and I'll be ready." Pinkie Pie said encouragingly to the showmare. All Trixie needed, from Pinkie's position, was a friend or two to show her that she could be forgiven and that she could be a better pony. Pinkie always thought the best about other ponies, with a very limited number of exceptions, though only one was an actual pony, and he was closer to being a creature of ice and shadow, but details.

"Um.... Thank you? I think? Look, at any rate, could you please not tell your friends that Trixie was here? I just want to get to Canterlot without any issues." Trixie said, a little thrown off by Pinkie's words.

"Okay, I can do that, on one condition! That being that when you're business in Canterlot is done, you come back and let me prove to you that you can be forgiven, okay?" Pinkie asked, offering a deal that Trixie was slightly annoyed by. If she said no, it'd be a moment or two before she had to dodge the other friends of the pink party planner. If Trixie agreed, then she could move on to Canterlot without issue, but the pink party menace would probably insist on it being a Pinke Promise, which even Trixie wasn't dumb enough to willingly break. The stories of the lengths Pinkie would go to to ensure that such a promise was upheld were legendary, only met with Trixie's own legendary acts, albeit, those acts didn't have the best reception.

"Ughh, fine. I'll come back after I'm done in Canterlot." Trixie said.

"Do you Pinkie Promise????"

"Yes, I Pinkie Promise to come back. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Trixie swore, regretting it. Trixie was positive that the experience would be extremely uncomfortable and a nightmare, even with Pinkie's best efforts.

"Okay! See you later Trixie!" Pinkie Pie said as she bounced away, humming some kind of silly song.

Trixie arrived at Canterlot as the sun was just starting to set, and made it to the Castle in relatively short order. The Guards at the gate were confused at first, but after checking the list, they saw that, yes, Trixie did indeed have an open invitation to visit the Castle and to meet with Princess Luna. An escort was formed and Trixie's wagon placed in the visiting dignitaries stable and she was brought inside. After a brief stop at guest reception to double check that Trixie did indeed have an invitation, she was issued a security pass and then brought into the Residence wing of the Castle where the Princesses had their private chambers.

By the time Trixie had gotten there, Princess Luna had just finished raising the moon.

"Miss Lulamoon! Thank you so much for coming! We have much to discuss!" Luna said as she all but dragged the hapless Unicorn into her private chambers. Once the doors shut, Luna offered Trixie a place to sit on a rather comfortable couch and sat in a chair opposite her.

"I suppose you want to know why I asked you to come." Luna said, a bit of shyness to her demeanor as she spoke.

"The thought had crossed Trixie's mind, but when one gets a summons to the Castle, a wise pony goes. With the way Trixie's luck has been as of late, you'd send your Guards to arrest Trixie and imprison her." Trixie said, the last with light sarcasm.

"No, never! You have made mistakes, but no one was seriously hurt and no pony died. You have learned from the incident, and as far as I know, have done nothing worthy of being imprisoned. But to the matter at hand. I want you to teach me how to make a crowd love me. To make them feel the same joy that they express when they see my sister. I was also hoping that you could teach me the current dances that are in style at the moment. Seeing as you are a showmare and well versed in the entertainment industry, I could think of no pony better suited for such a task." Luna said with a smile.

Trixie all but died right there. This most assuredly was NOT what Trixie had expected when she got that letter.

"Um, Princess Luna.." Trixie started.

"Luna, please. We are friends and alone. You need not use my title." Luna interrupted.

"Okay, Luna... Trixie might be able to teach you to read a crowd and possibly entertain them, but to earn their respect and love and adoration, that's going to take effort on your part and them accepting that effort in that way. Your sister had a thousand years and more if the history books are right to earn that kind of response from ponies. It'll take time and some monumental work on your part. As for the dancing... Trixie herself doesn't really dance, per se, but Trixie knows a couple of ponies here in Canterlot that could help you with that."

"Marvelous! I would be most pleased to meet your friends!" Luna said joyfully, glad to see that Trixie had managed to make some friends.

"Trixie wouldn't say that they are friends, more like business associates. Trixie from time to time will sell her skills with fireworks to other events and venues. While I haven't made friends as most would call it, I do have a wide network of ponies in various parts of the entertainment industry, and Trixie is sure that one or two of them somewhere in Equestria would be able to help you with what you need." Trixie said truthfully.

Luna's expression fell slightly at Trixie's admission of not having friends yet, but soon recovered, not only because of her willingness to still help, but because it gave Luna an opportunity to help Trixie make more friends.

"Excellent! Thank you, Trixie. Your Princess is most pleased!" Luna said, imagining the adventures and fun to come.