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"Trixie? Is that you?" Twilight picked her way over to her friend. It was still relatively early in the day; Spike had yet to shelve the precariously stacked books for that day.

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle, it is me." Trixie shifted her weight nervously. How could she even begin the conversation? Hey Twilight, I think I turned into a being of raw magic potential! Even though I went nuts with power, enslaved your entire town, and banished you for life, you should help! "This is Trixie's roommate, Vinyl Scratch."

Said pony gave Trixie a teasing glare. "So you talk like a normal pony for Sparkles over there? I think somepony's got a cruuuuuu-"

Trixie cuffed Vinyl on the back of the head, mortified. "She kids, Twilight Sparkle, she kids. Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight.exe has stopped working.

Trixie waved a hoof in her face. "Twilight?" When that didn't work, Trixie gave Vinyl a cross look. "You broke her. Now you can't get rid of these things." She wiggled her wings a bit.

Trixie sighed and trotted past the frozen Element. "Spike, it's th- Trixie. Her roommate broke Twilight Sparkle."

She received no response.

"Spike! Get down here and fix your sister!"

A pattering  of feet came down the stairs. "Coming, Twilight!" When Spike reached the main library room, he stopped. "Trixie? What're you doing here?"

"Didn't you hear me before?"

"I was sleeping. You just sounded a lot like Twilight. What happened?"

"Trixie's roommate, Vinyl Scratch, made in inappropriate joke and it broke her."

"Oh, this happens a lot when Cloud Kicker comes over and starts joking around. I'll have her back up and running in a second." Spike cleared his throat and in an overly dramatic voice, said, "Oh no, it looks like somepony didn't shelve to fit the Dewdrop Decimal Code. Oh, the humanity!"

It did the trick. Twilight blinked slowly slowly and inhaled. "What?! Spike, how could you make such a monumental mistake! It'll take days to--"

"Twilight, you froze up again."

Purple Smart paused and blinked. "Oh. Right."

"Anyway, what're you here for Trixie? You don't live nearby, do you? I don't think I heard about Pinkie throwing a Trixie-lives-close-enough-for-a-party party."

"Trixie actually live in Canterlot now. She and Vinyl Scratch split the bills. But, as for why Trixie's here..."

Vinyl coughed purposely.

Trixie rewarded her with another glare. "Yes, Scratch, Trixie was getting there. Is there anyplace that a little more... private than a public library?"

"But this is where we talk about super secret things." Twilight frowned.

"In the public library."

"Maybe we should find a better place to discuss national security."

"You think?"

"The only thing nearby is just upstairs or in the basement. But first, I'd like to know why you're here. Not that you're not welcome, it's just... you two live too far away for just up and visiting for tea. Speaking of which, would you like some?"

"Uh, Sparkles, that's what we need the basement for. Ya might wanna take us down there b'fore we tell. You got any cider?" Vinyl scratched the back of her head.

"Sure. And don't call me Sparkles." Twilight beckoned for them to follow her. "You need anything to drink, Trixie?"

"Trixie will have a jasmine tea."

"Hey, that's my favorite kind, too!" Twilight smiled, pleasantly surprised.

"Trixie never said it was her favorite."

"Oh. Then what is?"

"Jasmine."

"... Spike, can you bring down a cider and two jasmine teas for us?"

"Do I get Emerald Juice if I do?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, Spike, you can have your Emerald Juice." She led the two other unicorns to the basement, and upon entering, Vinyl Scratch let out a low whistle and tucked her sunglasses behind her horn.

"Pretty sweet setup you got here, Sparkles." She trotted over to a chair with restraints on it and knocked. "Doing illegal experiments?" She cracked a crooked smile.

"No! I wouldn't ever- what would the Princess think if I did- oh my gosh, I would go to prison and Shining would sentence me and Princess Celestia would be there and oh my goodness, all my friends would watch me get horncuffed and--" Twilight started prancing in place nervously, trapped inside a nightmare in her own head.

Trixie rolled her eyes and grabbed Twilight's shoulders. "Twilight Sparkle! You are not about to be sentenced to prison. Take a deep breath."

Twilight obliged, drawing in a deep, shaky breath and exhaling slowly.

"Do you remember what the Professor Gonneigh at Princess Celestia's School told ponies to do if they were ever in doubt?"

Twilight swallowed. "I- I'm a strong, independent unicorn."

"That's right. Just keep repeating that until you feel better." She released Twilight to her babbling about being a strong, independent unicorn. Trixie noticed Vinyl staring at her. "What?"

"I didn't know you went to the School for Gifted Unicorns."

Trixie bristled and narrowed her eyes. "Is Trixie not good enough to have gone to the School?"

Vinyl waved her hooves frantically. "No, no, I'm not saying anything like that! I'm just surprised that you got in; I heard the entrance exam's super hard. Like fighting a griffon merc or something."

Trixie relaxed a bit, but still apprehensive. "Where did you hear that? It was hatching a dragon egg. The only reason Twilight Sparkle got to keep Spike is because she's the Princess' personal student. Everypony else has the dragon they hatched sent to the Dragonlands." A tinge of jealously crept into her voice.

"So how'd you score an interview or whatever they do?"

"Trixie doesn't think that this is the time to discuss schooldays.There are more important matters to attend to." She shot a purposeful glance at the now-calm Twilight Sparkle.

"I- Thank you, Trixie. I never knew that you went to Princess Celestia's School." She gave a warm  smile as thanks.

"Yes, that's exactly what Vinyl Scratch was saying. Now, about why Trixie has arrived--" Spike came thumping down the stairs, tray of beverages in hand.

"I feel like a butler," he grumbled as he handed out everypony's respective drinks.

"Thanks, dude." Vinyl tipped her head back and chugged the mug down until all that remained was froth sliding down the inside of the mug. She wiped the cider mustache from her face and belched loudly. "Did you hear that?"

"That was awesome!" Spike fistbumped her hoof.

Trixie wrinkled her nose. "How... eloquent. Now, you two can go upstairs and build a fort out of books; Trixie has important things to discuss."

Vinyl wilted a bit. "I'll take ya up on the offer later."

"Are you ever gonna tell me what's going on?" Twilight was getting frustrated with how the duo had skirted around the subject.

"Yes, Twilight, Trixie was getting to that. She's just not sure how to tell you, but--"

"Oh Celestia, what Vinyl said earlier isn't true, is it?"

"Twilight!" she snapped. "This is serious!"

"I wasn't joking..."

"Yeah, what she's gonna say's gonna blow that little thought right outta the water, Sparkles," Vinyl grinned.

"Stop calling me 'Sparkles'," Twilight said crossly.

"Nope."

Trixie cleared her throat. "Trixie will be the first to say that she doesn't have even the smallest crush on you. And as for why she and Vinyl are here..." she looked at Vinyl. "How should she say it?"

"Dude, just lose the sweater."

"Yeah, Trixie, why are you even wearing that?"

"You see, Twilight, Trixie- eh, has a bit of a problem. Try to keep your voice down." Trixie magicked the sweater off, exposing her little feathered friends resting at her sides.

"I- I- I- wings- Trixie- alic- I- I- what?" Twilight swayed melodramatically before passing out. Which was also melodramatic.

Spike did a spit take. "WHOA! I did not see that one coming!"

"Yes, neither did I," Trixie said dryly. "Now wake your sister up so I can get rid of the things."

Spike scowled. "You're not even giving me enough time to make a couple corny jokes."

"Just wake her up."

Spike got up to stand by his sister. "Oh no, looks like somepony dog-eared a page of a Starswirl the Bearded book," he said flatly.

Twilight rose from the dead then, fury in her eyes. "What? How could somepony be so foolish as to--" It took both Vinyl and Trixie's magic to hold her where she was.

"Twilight Sparkle, there is no dog-ear. We needed to wake you up," Trixie explained somewhat gently.

Twilight scowled at her and Spike. "That was a rotten trick. Below the belt."

"Look, I'm sorry, but can I please just get these things off so I can go down the street like a normal pony?" Trixie asked, exasperated.

Twilight relaxed a bit. "I accept your apology. Can you, ah, let me go now?"

Trixie dissipated her aura, Vinyl reluctantly after. "Dude, I don't trust Sprinkles over there," she whispered, casting a sidelong glance at the now-disheveled pony. "She's too wound up."

"She just gets antsy around books," Trixie replied. "But please, Twilight Sparkle, I need your help."

Twilight smiled a bit. "Sure, I'll help as much as I can. It'll be an interesting study, trying to de-wing an alicorn. Science has never been presented the need nor opportunity to do so!" she giggled, a bit madly.

Vinyl shuddered and stood a fraction close to her powder-blue alicorn friend.

"But luckily enough for you, Trixie, I think I know where we can start." Twilight trotted across the lab, levitating a couple books of the shelf and piling them at her side. "Pack your bags, girls, we're going to Manehattan!"