//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - Pancake Day // Story: Rebuilding // by JD McGregor //------------------------------// The knocking at the front door of the castle was persistent. Whoever was out there showed no signs of leaving. Twilight Sparkle paused just as she was about to take a bite of her breakfast, a forkful of pancake and whipped cream levitating in front of her. It was early in the morning. Too early to reasonably expect any visitors. And besides, it was Pancake Day. It was unlikely that she’d have scheduled anyone to visit so early on this of all days. Less likely still that she’d have forgotten about it. She looked questioningly across the kitchen table at Starlight Glimmer. Starlight was her first and, thus far, only student in the study of friendship, magic, and the magic of friendship. She’d long since graduated, and there was no reason for her to still be living with Twilight except for the fact that neither one was ready to give the other up. Starlight’s mouth was full, and she could only offer a bewildered shrug in response. The two of them turned to look at Spike, who was standing on a stool in front of the stove as he finished up a last batch of pancakes for himself. Spike, being a baby dragon, was heating the griddle by breathing fire on it. Spike, being Spike, had adorned himself with a tiny chef’s hat. Pancake Day only came once a week, and he liked to add a bit of ceremony to it. “Well, don’t look at me,” he said. “I’m not expecting anyone.” He dipped a ladle into a bowl of batter and measured out a short stack’s worth of pancakes onto the sizzling griddle. They took turns doing the cooking each week, but Spike’s pancakes tended to be the best. The knocking continued. “Do you want me to get that?” Spike asked. “No, no, you finish up and eat,” Twilight replied. “I’ll get it. My front door, my responsibility, I guess.” Twilight floated the forkful of pancake back to her plate, the magical aura fading from her unicorn horn. As she stood up from the cushion on which she sat at the low table, she hoped her food wouldn’t be too cold by the time she got back to it. The castle's entryway was set a good distance away from the kitchen, and Twilight trotted down the long hallway towards it, her hooves echoing on the crystal floor. The place still felt too large to her, the way her role as a princess sometimes still did. She’d hated living in it at first, and had missed her old home. Unfortunately, Golden Oak library had been destroyed as abruptly as her transformation into an alicorn had been. She’d accepted her new home the same way she’d accepted her new responsibilities: reluctantly and nervously. Still, her friends had helped to make the place livable, and Starlight’s arrival almost two years ago had filled some of the overwhelming emptiness in it. Most castles would have a staff to assist with its upkeep, and guards to protect the front door from unexpected guests. But so far, this one had exactly three residents, and as Twilight had chosen to be the Princess of Friendship, putting guards on the door just seemed wrong to her. And so here she was, going to greet whoever had decided to pay her a visit. “I really hope this isn’t trouble,” she thought as she opened the door. “It’s too early in the day for that.” Standing there before her was a blue unicorn, her mane white with blue highlights. “Greetings, your royal worshipfulness!” she said with an exaggerated bow. Twilight sighed and closed her eyes, a thin smile on her face. It was trouble, all right, standing right on her doorstep. “You are most fortunate,” she continued. “For this morning, you have received a very special visit from the great and powerful—” “Good morning, Trixie,” Twilight said, cutting off her grandiose introduction as she opened her eyes. “And yes, it is very early in the morning. Is there something I can do for you?” “Well, the great and powerful Trixie has come to call on her great and powerful best friend. Is Starlight home?” “Yes,” Twilight replied. “She’s in the kitchen, eating breakfast. Like I was.” “Oh,” said Trixie. “Did I arrive during breakfast? Terribly sorry. It’s Pancake Day, isn’t it?” “Yes,” Twilight replied, suddenly suspicious. “How did you know about that?” “Oh, Starlight may have mentioned it yesterday. And Trixie decided to take a stroll before breakfast and may have remembered it.” Trixie paused a moment, looking almost embarrassed. “And...the great and powerful Trixie might have forgotten to go grocery shopping yesterday and found her cupboard a bit bare this morning and thought a visit with her friend might take her mind off that.” Twilight had to stifle a laugh. This was Trixie being subtle. It was an opportunity she couldn’t let pass. “Oh, well, then come right in,” she said. Trixie happily trotted through the doorway and headed for the kitchen. “You can wait in the study for us to finish, and then Starlight can come out and see you.” Trixie froze in her tracks and slowly looked back at Twilight. “Wait in...the study?” she asked. “Sure,” said Twilight as she trotted past, trying her best to look blandly oblivious. “I can give you a nice book to read to pass the time. You can have a glass of water, too, if you like. It might be a while, though. We have so much to eat.” “Oh…” said Trixie. “That would be...nice.” She began to follow Twilight, the spring suddenly gone from her step. They walked on a few paces in silence before Twilight finally snuck a peek at her face, then burst out laughing. “Oh…!” she gasped. “That look… You’re pouting. You look like a grumpy little kid!” Trixie blushed furiously as Twilight finally regained her composure. “I’m sorry, Trixie, that was kind of mean,” Twilight said. “Of course you can join us for pancakes. You can have as much as you like. I’ll even make them for you myself.” “Oh,” replied Trixie, looking relieved. “Trixie appreciates your hospitality.” “Did you really think I’d make you wait while we ate?” asked Twilight as they made their way down the long hallway. “To be honest, Trixie is never really sure how you feel about her,” she said after a moment of consideration. “Our history has been a bit...” She paused as she searched for the right word. “Fraught? Is that a word? Is it the right word?” “Yes, it’s word. And yes, it’s a pretty good word for it,” Twilight replied as they entered the dining room. “The first time we met, your boasting during your magic show about how great and powerful you were ended up with a baby ursa rampaging through town.” “But that wasn’t my fault!” Trixie exclaimed. “I never told those two kids to lure it here to see me battle it!” “And then you took over the town for a day and pretty much enslaved everyone with a cursed magical relic,” Twilight continued. “Which was wrong and for which Trixie has been apologizing ever since,” Trixie shot back. “And must you keep bringing that up? Trixie just wanted to show you that she could be more magical. How was I to know that wearing it would make me evil?” Twilight paused outside the kitchen door and then turned to face her guest. “And then you became friends with Starlight Glimmer,” Twilight said, quietly. “A really good, caring friend. The kind that she needed to find. The kind who’d follow her on a rescue mission she knew would be dangerous.” The incident with the changelings had happened nearly a year after Starlight had arrived in Ponyville. Their queen had succeeded in kidnapping Twilight, her friends, and the other alicorn princesses of Equestria, and was only foiled by a motley crew led by Starlight and Trixie. They’d emerged from the ordeal as honored heroes. Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Trixie,” she said. “You and I have had the worst luck getting to know each other. Just nothing but misunderstandings. But despite all of that, you risked your life to save me and the others. You keep proving over and over how badly I misjudged you.” Trixie looked smug. Twilight laid a hoof on her shoulder. “You’re reckless, arrogant, and drive me crazy,” she said. “You’re also loyal, brave, and do the right thing when it counts. So, trust me on this: I really do like you.” Trixie looked at the floor a moment, then back up at Twilight, a twinkle in her eye. “Well,” she said. “Of course you do! None can resist the charms of Trixie!” And with a toss of her head, she swept past Twilight and through the kitchen door. “So,” said Starlight, as she floated a plate heavy with pancakes and whipped cream in front of her friend. “You were gone for over a week. Did your shows go well?” “Yes,” Trixie replied as she levitated a fork and broke off a piece of the sweet confection to eat. “The crowds aren’t as large as I’m used to, but it was worth the trip.” “Your shows usually draw a good turnout,” said Twilight, frying a stack of cakes for herself to replace the portion that was now sitting cold on her plate. “What’s the problem?” “Well, I used to have a much larger tour planned out,” Trixie explained as she took a bite. She paused to chew. “These are really good, by the way.” “Not as good as mine,” said Spike, licking a bit of cream from the corner of his mouth. “Twilight’s always hung up on following the recipe exactly. She never has a feel for cooking it just right.” “Trixie will have to sample some.” The stage magician turned back to Starlight. “I used to have a long tour route that would take me from town to town, all over Equestria. So, I’d only show up in each place once a year. It built anticipation, and that means bigger crowds.” “But, you seem to be in Ponyville all the time now,” Twilight replied as she sat down. “Yes, well…” Trixie paused, looking a bit embarrassed. “Trixie...doesn’t like being away from here for very long.” She blushed, glancing at Starlight. “Of course,” Twilight thought. “She doesn’t want to be away from her only friend for a whole year.” “Aren’t you going to have trouble making ends meet if you can’t do shows in as many towns?” Starlight asked. “I might,” Trixie replied, excitement rising in her voice. “If I hadn’t gotten a great and powerful idea that will allow Trixie to step up her game to even greater heights!” A chill ran down Twilight’s spine. Trixie’s ideas were more often half-baked and disastrous than great and powerful. She cut a piece of pancake and took a bite, chewing it slowly. Spike was right, she hadn’t quite cooked it perfectly. “What sort of an idea would that be?” Starlight asked, a hint of concern in her voice. Trixie put down her fork and leaned forward, her eyes shining with excitement. “Well, as a matter of fact, it’s the reason I came over so early,” she said. “I just had to show you.” Trixie climbed to her feet from the floor cushion and walked to the center of the kitchen. She reared up onto her hind legs, spreading her forelegs wide in a grand gesture. “Now, behold the awesome power and be amazed, as the great and powerful Trixie becomes greater and powerful-er…” She stumbled, realizing she’d misspoken. “More powerful?” Twilight suggested. “That, too!” shouted Trixie, soldiering on. “Observe!” Trixie fell back to all fours and then bowed her head, a look of intense concentration on her face. Her horn glowed as she summoned her magic. Suddenly, there was a flash and a loud bang as the air in the room rushed into the Trixie-shaped space that had previously been occupied by the showpony. Almost simultaneously, there was a loud pop from the dining room, followed by a tremendous crash, and finally a low groan. Twilight and Starlight’s eyes widened as they silently looked at each other, then both leapt to their feet and ran for the dining room door. Starlight flung it open and crossed the threshold first. “Trixie! Are you okay?!” Twilight entered the room a half-step behind her former student, and a glance told her at once what had happened. Trixie had rematerialized several feet above the end of the dining room table and immediately crashed down upon it. The impact had broken one of the table legs, sending her sprawling to the floor, where she now lay in a dazed heap. Ironically, the table leg breaking may have saved her from breaking one of her own. Trixie slowly sat up and shook her head, trying to regain her senses. Seeing her companions, she grinned awkwardly and weakly spread her forelegs again. “Ta-daa.” Starlight ran to her friend’s side as Trixie began to struggle back to her feet. “Wait, wait! Don’t try moving yet,” Starlight cautioned. Her horn glowed as a spell seemed to envelop Trixie. Starlight looked her friend over, a spot of bright light seeming to follow her gaze. “Okay, looks like nothing’s broken. Let’s get you up.” As Starlight helped Trixie back to her feet, Twilight finally found her voice. “Trixie… Since when can you teleport?!” she asked. “Well, technically, for a while now. Starlight taught me, like, moons ago,” Trixie replied, still sounding a bit shaky. “The first time I did it was when I teleported your map table thingy away.” Twilight turned to Starlight. “When she did what?!” Twilight asked, wondering what else went on in her own castle behind her back. “Why, Trixie, you must have hit your head, because we’d never do anything that irresponsible and then not tell Twilight about it, right?!” Starlight nervously laughed, practically growling the last word at her friend. Twilight shook her head and turned back to Trixie. “Trixie, teleporting yourself is pretty advanced magic,” she explained. “I was still barely getting the hang of it when I first came to Ponyville, so this is…” Twilight trailed off, looking thoughtful. “Are you guys ever going to finish your breakfasts, or should I start clearing up?” Spike called from the kitchen. “We’re coming back, Spike,” Twilight replied, stirring from her reverie. She turned back to Trixie. “Come on,” she said. “I want to ask you a few questions.” “Okay, so, first of all, I’m impressed,” said Twilight, as they retook their seats around the kitchen table. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I always thought your magic was… You know.” Twilight paused, trying to find the gentlest way to put it. “Not so great. Or powerful.” Trixie pouted. “Your stage magic is really good!” Twilight added hastily. “But, I never thought you could ever do something like what I just saw you do. Most unicorns couldn’t. How did you learn to do it?” “Well, I wanted Starlight to teach me how to make things disappear,” Trixie replied. “And I had trouble at first, like with your map—” “Oh, hey! Who wants more pancakes?!” Starlight exclaimed, looking desperate to avoid explaining that misadventure. Twilight noticed Spike also looking distinctly uncomfortable at its mention, and wondered if everyone but her knew this story. “Got it!” said Spike, happy to get away from the table. “I wanted more for myself, anyway. Trixie?” “Trixie would also like more.” “Make some more for me, too, I guess,” Twilight sighed. “Otherwise I’ll never get to have a hot breakfast.” “Can’t you just warm them up again?” Starlight asked. “Ugh, no,” said Twilight. “The whipped cream will melt, and it’ll be all goopy.” She turned back to Trixie. “Anyway, how did you learn to teleport yourself? Did you read up on it and learn that way? Did Starlight show you?” “Well, I did sort of see how Starlight did it when we both went to visit the changelings that one time,” Trixie replied. “But I mostly just figured it out on my own.” She paused, looking down at her plate, then back at the other two. “I’m not like you two. I can’t just learn things by reading about them. I need help. But, this time, I figured it out on my own!” She levitated her fork and began digging into her pancakes again. “And that was really impressive,” said Twilight. “But, just promise me one thing: Don’t try that again until Starlight and I teach you the right way to rematerialize.” “Especially indoors,” Starlight added. “Yeah, especially indoors,” Twilight agreed. “Why’s that?” Trixie asked, bringing a forkful of food to her mouth. “Well, if you can’t be sure where you’re going to end up, you might materialize, you know… Halfway in a wall,” said Twilight with a shudder. “Yes, that would be embarrassing,” replied Trixie, opening her mouth to bite. “No, Trixie…” Starlight looked uncomfortable. “It’s not like you’d be stuck through the wall in a hole. You’d just suddenly have...a wall through you.” Trixie bit down on the pancake, nodding, then froze as she realized the implications of what they were saying. Half of the mouthful slowly fell back onto her plate. She looked at the bisected lump of cake, then slowly gulped down what she’d eaten. “So, no more teleporting yourself, please?” Starlight pleaded. Trixie looked crestfallen. “But I had such great plans!” she sulked. “I’d be able to teleport myself and my wagon to faraway places! I could do vanishing acts nopony has ever seen! And then I could come back here in no time!” “And you could still do that,” said Twilight. “But, I’m really curious now. Did you ever get tested when you were little? Did your parents ever want to send you to magic school? Because I’m wondering if you might be gifted.” Trixie bit her bottom lip, and seemed to consider her answer. She was uncharacteristically nervous, Twilight noticed. “I did go to magic school when I was little,” she finally answered. “But not for very long. And I never got another chance to go anywhere else.” “Was it a good school?” asked Twilight. “Oh, yes,” Trixie replied, her appetite apparently recovered as she began to dig at her breakfast again. “The best in Canterlot.” “Well, it probably wasn’t ‘the best,’” said Twilight. “Because that would have been Princess Celestia’s school.” “That was the one,” said Trixie, taking a bite of her food. Twilight’s mouth dropped open for a moment, then she shook her head. “Trixie, I thought we were past this with you. You shouldn’t make up stories about yourself.” Trixie scoffed. “Trixie is not making up anything! I really did attend Princess Celestia’s school!” “You couldn’t have!” Twilight protested. “That was where I went! We’re about the same age, which means we would have been there at the same time! And I’m pretty sure I would have noticed you!” “Says the girl who hardly noticed anyone that wasn’t in a book back then,” Spike murmured to himself as he stood at the stove. “I did though!” Trixie insisted. “But I had to leave halfway through first grade! I even remember my teacher’s name! She was Miss Joy! She was young and pretty and had a curly blonde mane and wore a big bow in it—” “That was tied in the front and not the back, like most ponies wear it…” Twilight said slowly, sounding amazed as she interrupted. She stared at Trixie. “I remember Miss Joy. She taught one of the other first grade classes.” “So, you were a gifted student then?” Starlight asked. “Why’d you have to leave school?” Trixie opened her mouth, then seemed to reconsider. She sat silently, looking from Starlight to Twilight. Finally, she sighed. “Personal reasons,” she finally answered. “Trixie would like to leave it at that.” “Whatever it is,” Twilight thought, “it must have been pretty bad.” “Anyway,” said Trixie, brightening up, “I’ve been learning a lot from Starlight. She’s a great teacher!” “Oh?” asked Twilight, turning to her student. “And what else have you taught her?” “Well, Trixie’s also been making progress with transfiguration spells,” replied Starlight with a hint of pride in her voice. “Really? That’s great too,” said Twilight, glad to move the conversation away from whatever sad past Trixie might have had. “Can you show me something?” “Well, if you insist,” said Trixie. She looked around for an object on which to demonstrate, her eyes falling on Twilight’s teacup. “Behold in awe, as the great and powerful Trixie transforms that ordinary teacup!” “Here we go,” said Starlight to herself. Trixie’s horn flared as she cast the spell. Twilight’s teacup was enveloped in light. The blaze subsided, and in its place lay... “It’s still a teacup,” Twilight observed. “Yes, but now it’s a different teacup!” said Trixie proudly. Twilight looked more closely. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “It has changed. And now my set doesn’t match anymore.” “Oh,” said Trixie. “Sorry. Maybe I can…” “No,” said Twilight quickly. “I can fix it. And it’s a good transfiguration. It’s not lopsided or anything. That takes talent, too. Can you transform other things?” “Well,” said Trixie craftily, “that’s the other reason I came over.” She turned to Starlight. “I was hoping Starlight could teach me one of her other spells. I think it would be very useful for me.” “Oh, sure,” said Starlight. “Which one?” “There was a particular spell that Trixie remembers you mentioning. You used it a few moons back when your charming friend Sunburst visited.” Starlight stiffened. “Trixie, stop!” Twilight thought, desperately. She knew exactly which spell Trixie was talking about. “I don’t know what you mean,” said Starlight nervously. “Of course you do,” Trixie replied. She paused, took a deep breath, and then looked her best friend in the eye. “Starlight, I want you to teach me how to make myself into a foal.”