My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Extra Character Edition) [Season 6]
Episode 6: No Second Prances
Twilight was coming into the dining room with a bunch of plates, silverware and napkins. Starlight Glimmer was also in the room as well, ready for her lesson from Twilight. She then used her mouth to put the plate in one spot.
Twilight looked over at Starlight and said, "First lesson of the day, we very carefully set the table without using magic, so that—" She saw some plates and silverware coming towards her head in Starlight's magic, and she ducked. Twilight then looked at Starlight, and she was using her magic to set the table. Starlight smiled when she finished. "Did you...?! How? When? What?!"
"What?" Starlight asked confused.
"I said no magic," said Twilight. "You were supposed to do it by hoof so I could work in a friendship lesson."
"Oh, I heard "set the table" and just kinda went for it," said Starlight, trying to brighten the mood.
"Well, if you hadn't used magic, you'd have heard me say, uh..." Twilight said, trying to find a flaw. "this plate represents your head, this spoon is your heart, and the knives... are sharp! Always be careful with knives." She then sighed in defeat and said, "The metaphors make more sense when you're actually setting the table."
"Should I... change it back?" asked Starlight.
"I just want to make sure you're ready for this dinner," said Twilight. "Princess Celestia will be joining us tomorrow night to see how the friendship lessons are going!"
" If it's just you, me, and Princess Celestia, why are there four seats?" asked Starlight.
"Well, the whole point is for you to bring a new friend," said Twilight. "That way, the princess will see for herself just how far you've come. And how good a teacher you have."
"Well, I can't choose," said Starlight. "I like all your friends."
"That's the best part!" said Twilight. "You have to make a new friend!" She then gave off a big, no tooth, smile.
"New friends?" asked Starlight. She then got an idea for a joke and said, "Hey, maybe I'll just force friendships by magically enslaving the entire population of Ponyville!" She then gave off a big, toothy grin.
"Starlight!" Twilight said, getting angry.
"Kidding," said Starlight, waving a hoof. She then laughed nervously.
Starlight Glimmer was looking all over Ponyville for a new friend to meet, but was unsure.
"Let's see," said Starlight, talking to herself. "Make new friends in Ponyville, the friendliest place in Equestria. Shouldn't be hard..."
Then Pinkie Pie popped in saying, "Need to make a new friend, huh?" She then pulled Starlight in so the two of them were touching cheeks. "I know just the pony for you!" Later, Pinkie led Starlight into Sugarcube Corner. She then said, "Miss Starlight Glimmer, meet Mrs. Cake!"
Mrs. Cake was too busy frosting a cake. She then put the frosting sprayer down and said, "How are you, dearie?"
"Are you baking? Can I help?" Starlight asked, offering to help. She then used her magic grabbing various items and made a cake, bakes and decorated, and tried showing it off to Mrs. Cake.
"Wow, Mrs. Cake!" said Pinkie, impressed at the cake. "Look what your new friend made you!"
Mrs. Cake chuckled and said, " New friend. I like the sound of–" She then gasped when she looked at the cake that was above her. "Howza-wowza!" She then looked at Starlight and said, "A-Are you trying to put me out of business with your fancy magical-thingy-whatsit cake?!"
Pinkie and Starlight bit their lower lips as Starlight stopped her magical glow. Which she should've kept on as the cake landed on Mrs. Cake head and Starlight said, "Sorry."
Pinkie Pie walked up to an angry Mrs. Cake, and licked some of the cake off of Mrs. Cake, and said, "In her defense, it is delicious!" She then took a bigger bite out of the cake. Starlight winced, then gave an embarrassed smile, and then left.
At Sweet Apple Acres, Big Mac was doing some apple bucking as Applejack and Starlight were walking up to him.
"Ah think Ah have just the pony for you, Starlight," said Applejack. "Meet Big Mac!"
"Eeyup!" said Big Mac.
"He's not much of a talker," said Applejack, covering one side of her face so she can talk to Starlight.
"Nnope," said Big Mac.
"Oh, that's too bad," said Starlight. "I love a good conversation." Then Starlight got an idea, used her magic, and fired it at Big Mac, which lead into his mouth. Big Mac then shook his head, and went in wide-eyed shock. Starlight was confident while Applejack was worried.
Then Big Mac started talking with a motormouth. "Eeyup-yup-yup-yup-yup-yup-yup-yup-y-y-y-y-you did something! Whoa! What's happening? Ah feel really weird! Ah'm talkin' so much! And Ah'm so articulate! Enunciating with such precise pronunciation! Annie Apple awoke and accidentally ate an auburn azalea!" Then he screamed, and ran away saying, "Make it stop!"
Applejack looked at Starlight angrily and growled. Starlight defended herself by saying, "I can't be friends with somepony who doesn't talk." Applejack growled again, getting her head closer to Starlight's face. "...And I guess my first instinct shouldn't be to magically command ponies to act the way I want them to?" Then Applejack got even closer and growled, again. "Alright, I'll change him back!" She then started walking, trying to catch Big Mac.
At Carousel Boutique, Starlight was there talking to Rarity.
"The trick to finding a new friend is to render yourself radiant," Rarity said, levitating some fabric, and wrapped it around her neck like a scarf. "First impressions count a great deal, you know."
"I'm glad you all got past my first impression," Starlight said, thinking about how she and the mane 6 met.
"Well, everypony deserves a second chance," Rarity said as she levitated some measuring tape around Starlight, then pulled Starlight's hind leg, and then she got an idea. "Ooh! Now, I have a top-notch idea." She then levitated over some fabrics, saying, "I'm thinking pastel silk here and here with a crinoline underneath."
"You really think a new outfit will help me meet ponies?" Starlight asked.
"Oh, with the right outfit, you can do anything, darling!" said Rarity, walking past a curtain, and coming out with an outfit.
"When will it be ready?" Starlight asked.
"Three weeks," said Rarity.
"Dinner's tomorrow," Starlight said, sadly.
"Well then," Rarity said, getting a little nervous, "how about a hat from the..." she then cleared her throat. "...clearance bin?" Rarity motioned to one small bin full of hats. Starlight took one hat in her magic, and put it on. That hat wasn't clearly made for a unicorn as she tried to force it around her forehead, only for her horn to rip a hole right through.
Starlight embarrassingly smiled and said, "Maybe not." Rarity got annoyed by that note.
Later, Starlight was talking with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was giving Starlight a speech about how she should get friends... the awesome way...
"Heh. Nopony's gonna make friends with you because of your outfit," said Rainbow Dash. "The only thing you want a new friend draped in is coolness."
"Like you?" asked Starlight.
"Yeah, but you already know me, so..." said Rainbow Dash, thinking of somepony. Then she gasped, got into Starlight's face, and spitting and saying, "Spitfire!" Starlight wiped Rainbow's spit, and Rainbow said, "Heh. Sorry."
"Who's that?" Starlight asked, making Rainbow gasp in shock.
"Only the Wonderbolt-iest pony in the Wonderbolts!" said Rainbow Dash. "Come on, I'll introduce you!" She then sped off, breaking the sound barrier by a nearby mountain, and Starlight was left there, awkwardly. Then Rainbow came back, asking, "You coming or what?"
"I guess my first question would be, "What's a Wonderbolt?"" Starlight asked, which made Rainbow Dash gasp loudly, like her heart was just ripped out.
"You've never heard of the Wonderbolts?!" Rainbow asked in shock. "Where have you been?!"
Starlight nervously responded with, "Enslaving villages, I guess..."
"Right..." Rainbow said, remembering where Starlight came from.
Starlight Glimmer was having a picnic with Fluttershy and her animal friends. Fluttershy walked off to get some more carrots. It appears that Starlight and Angel get along. Starlight was tickling Angel's stomach, making him laugh.
"You're adorable," said Starlight, before walking off, "but probably not what Twilight had in mind." When Starlight was leaving the picnic, Angel was giving off little hearts, indicating that he was in love with Starlight.
Fluttershy was coming back with the plate of carrots in her mouth. But when she noticed that Starlight was nowhere to be seen, after she put the plate down, she sighed, sadly.
Mutt was coming out of the schoolhouse talking with Cheerilee.
"Well, I'm happy you're joining the class," said Cheerilee. "It would be nice for a young one like you who would be interested learning here."
"Yeah," said Mutt. "But, I missed out on making friends back in the past. I would've done it in school, but I usually get visit from people who had meeting with Sir Charles. Usually, there's a 12% chance that I get a chance to meet someone my age."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to make some friends here," said Cheerilee. "I'm sure you'll get some school supplies before a week from Monday."
"I'll try," said Mutt. Then Cheerilee walked back into the schoolhouse, and Mutt said, "But I'm gonna have to go back in time to get some school supplies." Then he headed back down the path towards the Castle of Friendship. Starlight then walked up to him.
"Hey, Mutt," said Starlight. "Mind if I talk to you about something?"
"Shoot," said Mutt.
"Well, Twilight wants me to make a new friend by tomorrow before Princess Celestia arrives," said Starlight. "Wha do you think I should do?"
"Usually, I would want to make some friends at school," said Mutt. "I doubt you would want to go back to school to make new friends." Starlight smiled and then lit up her horn, and got the notice of Mutt. "No, no, no! No age spell. Twilight would think that's demeaning." Mutt then turned his head, looking away from Starlight. "Twilight would want you to make friends your own age, and not try to start your life over from childhood. You got that?" Mutt looked back up at Starlight, only for her not to be there. She then saw that Starlight was still in next to him, but as a filly. "Seriously?"
"What?" asked filly Starlight. "I thought things might go well if I went back to school as a filly."
"I just got registered, and I don't start classes until a week from Monday," said Mutt in a deadpanned voice.
Starlight got a deadpanned expression, used her magic, and went back to her normal age. She then said, "Great. I'll try to find a friend my own age then." She then walked off.
"I thought unicorns wouldn't be able to do age spells," said Mutt. He then remembered, "Oh, right. High level unicorn magic, right..."
Starlight walked through the center of Ponyville, stressing out. She was upset that she hasn't found a friend yet. She looked at her reflection in the pond.
"What is going on? This is Ponyville!" said Starlight. "If I can't make a friend here, there's gotta be something wrong with me!" She then sighed. "Okay, calm down. Nobody makes friends with a total stress case." She then looked around and saw groups of ponies playing with each other. Lyra and Bon Bon were two of those ponies. "Stop stressing." She then closed her eyes, bit her lips, and then shouted, "Stop stressing!" That got the attention of all of the ponies around her. She got embarrassed and ran off.
Starlight later was walking off somewhere, until she saw the Ponyville Spa. Bulk Biceps was waving goodbye to one customer. Starlight then saw M.C. walk up to him and said, "Hey, Bulk."
"Yeah!" Bulk Biceps shouted. "You ready for your monthly extra-strength-hot-stone-deep-tissue massage?!"
"You have no idea," said M.C. "Since I'm the only one here who can take that massage without feeling so tender."
"Yeah!" Bulk Biceps shouted. He then pulled M.C. in, and Starlight smiled, thinking that a day at the spa would relieve her of her stress.
Inside the spa, M.C. was getting the extra-strength-hot-stone-deep-tissue massage from Bulk Biceps. Usually, a normal pony would cry out in pain, but M.C., that's a horse of a different color.
"Oh yeah!" said M.C. as Bulk pulled out his right arm. "Keep it comin', keep it comin'!"
"Wow! You, sir, are a legendarily stressed out creature!" said Bulk, getting ready to push M.C.'s legs over his back and head. "How have you been this stressed and not gone to a spa before?!"
"Yaaaah! Oh, yeah, that feels good!" said M.C. "You think I haven't?! None of the guys there have even came close to what I've been keeping! The closest thing that came to breaking a little stress was the time I got hit by that wrecking ball!"
"Whoa! That looks painful!" came Starlight's voice, getting the attention of M.C. and Bulk. "Are you okay, M.C.?"
"Oh, I'm fine!" said M.C. "I have a healing factor! I survived worse than this!"
"M.C.," said Starlight. "May I talk to you?"
"Hang on a sec," said M.C. Then the sound of bones cracking came from M.C. when he was flipped and bent. "Oh, yeah! Loose as a goose!" He then got up and said, "Thanks, Bulk. Same time next month?"
"Yeah!" said Bulk.
M.C. then walked out of the room, and towards Starlight. He then asked, "What's going on, Starlight?"
"Well, Twilight wants me to make a friend before dinner tomorrow," said Starlight.
"Oh, right," said M.C. "Celestia's comin' down tomorrow to meetcha. Sparkles gave me the lowdown on the situation."
"Do you know what I should do to make a friend before then?" asked Starlight.
"Hoo boy," said M.C. "Well, perhaps you should meet someone that has similar interests as you. Someone you can relate with."
"I guess you're right," said Starlight. She then started stressing. "But what if I don't get a friend before then?! What if I embarrass myself in front of Princess Celestia, embarrassing Twilight, and not I might be kicked out of the castle?! What if I never make another friend again?!" Starlight grabbed M.C. and started shaking him.
"Aloe! Lotus! Stressed out mare!" M.C. called out. "Give her the royal treatment special! On me!"
Then Aloe and Lotus came in, grabbed Starlight, M.C. pulled out a bag of bits, forged and empty bag, and put in the exact amount, and gave that bag to Lotus, and then they took Starlight away.
Starlight was getting pampered by some spa ponies. After the day she went through, she needed this.
Starlight sighed and said, "This is just what I needed."
Another pony behind her sighed and said, "Tell me about it."
"You ever have one of those days?" Starlight asked that one pony.
"For me, they're all one of those days," said the other pony. That made Starlight giggle. "I'm gonna start coming here every time I visit Ponyville."
"I'm not from here either," said Starlight. "I've been trying to make friends, but it's not easy. They're not saying it, but I think everypony knows about my past. I may have been a tiny bit... completely and utterly evil?"
"Ponies judge me on my past too," said the other mare.
Starlight leaned forward, turned her head to the left to look at the pony behind her and said, "Finally, a pony I can relate to."
Then M.C. came up to them and said, "How's it going, Starlight?"
"Great, actually," said Starlight, looking at M.C. "Remember when you said I should find somepony who I can relate to? Well, I believe that I just found somepony."
"What's her name?" asked M.C. That made Starlight go wide-eyed.
"Oh," said Starlight. "I guess I haven't gotten her name yet."
"Oh, allow me," said the other mare. "I am... the Great and Powerful... Trrrrrixie!"
"Trixie? Trixie..." M.C. said. Then he remembered. "Oh, I heard of you. The traveling and boasting magician."
"Wait, you heard of me?" asked Trixie.
"Yep," said M.C. "The first time you came to Ponyville, you were boasting about how powerful your magic was, lied about beating an Ursa Major when you couldn't even beat an Ursa Minor, were asked by the Element Bearers to take Twilight's place to stop Nyx as Nightmare Moon, failed, and ran away, came back with a corrupting amulet, beating Twilight then banishing her and Nyx from Ponyville, and then were tricked by Twilight and her friends, then the last time you were seen, you gave information to Shining Armor when Joshua was captured by King Sombra."
"That's... wow," said Trixie. "You are spot on. You also left out..."
"That Twilight owes you one magic lesson as payment for taking her and her friends to Sombra's lair?" asked M.C., finishing Trixie's sentence. "H'oh boy. Twilight is going to be surprised."
Twilight was surprised to see Trixie when she was brought to the Castle of Friendship with M.C. and Starlight. Twilight watched as Trixie walked towards the dining table, looking at some silverware.
Twilight then walked up to her and asked, "So, um, what brings you to Ponyville?"
"The Grrrreat and Powerful Trrrrixie has come to perform a new stage show of grand illusion!" said Trixie. "I am calling it "The Humble and Penitent Trixie's Equestrian Apology Tour"!"
Starlight walked up to Trixie, and whispered into her ear, "That's kind of a mouthful."
"It's a working title," Trixie responded whispering. She then winked at her.
"Starlight? A moment? Over here?" Twilight called Starlight. Starlight looked over at Trixie and smiled embarrassed. Then she was pulled over in Twilight's magic. Then Twilight pulled Starlight closer to her with a foreleg and whispered, "I know I said make friends with anypony, but, well, with Trixie's past, and your past, I'm not sure she's the best... first friend."
"But whatever she did, you've forgiven her, right?" asked Starlight.
"Of course," said Twilight. "It's just... She wasn't the nicest pony."
Starlight then pulled herself away and said, "Well, you did say anypony, and I just assumed that you'd trust me to make my own friends the way Princess Celestia trusted you."
Twilight sighed in defeat and said, "You're right. I trust you. Just be back in time for the dinner." But she didn't see Starlight back at the door with Trixie following.
"Thanks, Twilight!" said Starlight, waving goodbye. "You won't regret it!"
Then the two of them left, and Trixie waving goodbye. Twilight then said, "I hope not." She then looked over at the table, and saw some silverware bent and put into a sculpture of Trixie, and there was a napkin used as a cape. She then groaned in frustration.
M.C. then walked up to Twilight and said, "You still think that Trixie can't be trusted, don't you?"
"I told you all about her, M.C.," said Twilight. "She's..."
"The one who led you and your friends to where Joshua was when King Sombra kidnapped him before Tirek destroyed the Golden Oaks Library?" M.C. asked. "And that you owe her one magic lesson?"
Twilight went wide eyed and then face hoofed. She groaned and said, "Oh, boy. I do kinda owe her, don't I?" She then went wide-eyed and said, "Wait a second. Where is Joshua? Along with Nyx?"
"At the swimming hole, supervised by Pinks and Dash at the moment," said M.C. "They're teaching Joshua how to swim as a pony."
"Good call," said Twilight. She then smiled and lied, "Maybe I should go check on them to see how they're doing."
"You're gonna try and find a replacement friend for Starlight before dinner tomorrow, aren't ya?" asked M.C.
"Whaaaaat?" Twilight asked. "Why would you assume that? I'm just..."
"You know I can smell lies," said M.C. "Don't even think about trying to find a replacement friend. Starlight really needs a friend she can relate with, and I believe that Trixie is that pony."
"I'm sure that I can find somepony," said Twilight.
"Like who? Sunset Shimmer?" M.C. asked. Then they thought about it. "You know what, I think Celestia would still be mad at her."
"Yeah, you might be right about that," said Twilight.
"Well, I'm gonna head out," said M.C. "Don't do anything to mess up Starlight and Trixie's friendship." He then headed out the door. Twilight was then looking away, feeling sad for herself that her student was befriending what she thought was a bad example.
In the park, Starlight and Trixie were setting up a performing stage.
"This magic show's gonna be the greatest thing Ponyville's ever seen!" said Trixie. Behind both them, there were ponies talking about bad things that Trixie has done, making Trixie feeling guilty. "Everypony always says they'll give you a second chance, but deep down, they never forget."
"That's what I'm worried about," said Starlight. That made Trixie sigh sadly. "What is it?"
"I heard what Twilight said about me, and she's right," said Trixie, remembering what she overheard earlier. "I wasn't very nice. So I'd understand if you didn't want to be friends."
"Are you kidding?" asked Starlight. "You're the first pony I've met who has any idea how I feel!"
Trixie then looked around her, making sure nopony was around to hear her tell Starlight something. "Can you keep a secret?"
"What are friends for?" asked Starlight.
"The things I've done? I did them because I was jealous of Twilight," Trixie whispered. "She's just the best at everything, and I wanted to beat her at something!"
Starlight walked up to Trixie and whispered, "Your secret's safe with me."
"Thanks," said Trixie, feeling better. "Want to help me unpack my wagon?"
Starlight and Trixie were walking down a road of Ponyville, talking with each other.
" I spend a lot of time on the road with my wagon, so it might be a tad messy," said Trixie.
"Maybe I can help," said Starlight. "I'm pretty good at organizing stuff. Magic props, brainwashed crowds..." Then the both of them laughed. Then the sound of somepony going "Psssst," multiple times came to Starlight's ear. Starlight followed it to a bush, and inside, Twilight was there. Twilight shushed towards her then Starlight looked over at Trixie and said, "Uh, I'll catch up. I think there's something in my hoof."
"Sure. The wagon's right around the corner," Trixie replied as she was just turning a corner.
Angrily, Starlight looked at her mentor who asked in a hushed voice, "So, how's it going with your new friend?"
"Great," said Starlight, sarcastically. "Thanks for asking in a completely not creepy way."
Twilight then stuck her head out of the top of the bush and said, "Because you know, if it isn't working out for any reason, I could introduce you to my friend here." She pointed at another bush next to her bush. Starlight walked over to the bush, shaking the bottom of the bush.
"Nice to meet you," Starlight said, deadpanning.
"No, no!" said Twilight. She then moved the bush, saying, "You can come out now!" Then, from the bush, came DJ Pon-3, listening to her dubstep music. "You like music, right? DJ Pon-3'd be the perfect friend for tonight's incredibly important dinner with Celestia." DJ Pon-3 did nothing but look at Twilight and Starlight. "You know, if you decide to make a last-minute change. Heh."
"So back at your castle when you said "I trust you"," Starlight said, recalling what Twilight said, then she got angry, "you meant "I don't trust you"."
"Who can really say who said what? I know I can't!" Twilight said, nervously. She then looked at DJ Pon-3 and asked, "Can you?" DJ Pon-3 just walked away. Twilight then put a hoof on Starlight's shoulder and said, "Starlight, I'm just trying to look out for you."
Starlight sighed and said, "I appreciate it, but you're wrong about Trixie. She's just like me. We have a real connection."
"That's kind of what I'm afraid of," said Twilight. She then looked around, noticed somepony and said, "Oh! What about her?" That somepony was Derpy. She was waving to Twilight, but didn't notice the wooden bread store sign, and bumped her head and fell onto the ground.
"Please, Twilight!" said Starlight, a little angry. "I know you're trying to help, but I need to make friends on my own if I'm going to become a better pony."
"But do you really think Trixie's the one to help you with that?" Twilight asked, unsure of Starlight's decision.
"Wow. Trixie was right," said Starlight, losing interest in her mentor. "You're not really giving her a second chance. I wonder what that says about how you feel about me. And I'm sure you're not really wanting to teach her one spell after what she did for you and Joshua." She then ran off.
Twilight felt ashamed. She then looked to her left and saw Cranky Doodle Donkey sitting on a bench, and then a bird came down, taking his toupee. Twilight then said, "Oh! Now he'd be perfect!" Starlight heard her and groaned loudly.
Starlight was helping unload stuff from Trixie's wagon. She put a trunk down and opened it up while Trixie was dragging another trunk by the straps with her teeth.
"I was thinking," said Starlight, making Trixie let go of the trunk strap. "You said Twilight is better than you at everything, but that's not true. You're better at magic."
"Only when I'm wearing a soul-sucking evil amulet, so I don't think that counts," said Trixie. That made Starlight confused. "Funny story. Don't need to get into it."
"I meant stage magic," said Starlight, making sure that Trixie gets what she's saying.
"Well, of course!" Trixie said, opening a trunk, then pulling out some props for her show. "Great? Yes. Powerful? Obviously. But I'm not the best. As great and powerful as I am, there's one trick I've never been able to do – the Moonshot Manticore Mouth Dive!"
Trixie then told the story of the Moonshot Manticore Mouth Dive:
"Completely unharmed," Trixie said, waving a hoof and finishing the story.
"That sounds very..." Starlight said, until Trixie cut her off.
"Dangerous?" asked Trixie, guessing what she was going to say.
"I was gonna say cool!" said Starlight.
"I knew I liked you for a reason," said Trixie. "I don't know how he did it! If I tried it, I'd get chewed up and swallowed by that manticore." She then looked into that trunk again.
"Not if you could use real magic," said Starlight, suggesting an idea.
"Obviously. Way to rub it in," said Trixie, feeling a little irritated.
"No, I mean, I could help!" said Starlight. She started using her magic, and levitated Trixie, saying, "You could start the trick, and right before you got chewed up, I could use magic to save you..." She then used her magic to teleport Trixie, open a door on a black box, and Trixie appeared inside. "...and make you appear in the black box!" She then walked up to Trixie.
Trixie looked at herself to find herself in the box. She then said, "I guess that would work... But if you made one mistake, I'd be a goner."
"Hah. When it comes to magic, I don't make mistakes," said Starlight, releasing a chuckle. "Maybe I could be your... magic show helper pony!" Starlight had a hard time finding the right word.
"We call it "assistant" in the magician biz," said Trixie. "And... nopony's ever offered to help before." She felt unsure, yet happy that Starlight was offering to help.
"Well, I'd be honored," said Starlight.
"You may have just made my great and powerful magic show even better!" said Trixie. "Which I didn't think was possible! We're gonna blow them away tonight!"
Trixie then walked over to her wagon, used her magic to pull out a rolled up poster, and said, "You may have just made my great and powerful magic show even better! Which I didn't think was possible! We're gonna blow them away tonight!"
Starlight groaned and face hoofed, saying, "I can't! Tonight's this incredibly important dinner with Twilight."
"Oh," Trixie said, rolling up the poster, and feeling sad.
"Can I vent for a minute?" Starlight asked.
"What are friends for?" Trixie asked.
"Even after Twilight says she trusts me, she clearly doesn't trust me enough to choose my own friends," said Starlight, having more doubts about Twilight. She then sighed and said, "I guess you were right. No second chances." She then bowed her head sadly.
"Hmph, I wish I could say I was surprised," said Trixie. "Well, lucky for Princess Twilight, I have my magic show tonight. If you have to go to the dinner, I completely understand." She was walking away. Then she got dramatic. "I just hope I find a way to survive the Moonshot Manticore Mouth Dive without my new assistant!"
Right now, Starlight was having to think of something. Having to choose to help out her new friend, or attend the dinner with Princess Celestia.
Twilight and Celestia were waiting for Starlight to arrive. There wasn't much going on except for the sound of the ice sculpture melting and dripping. Princess Celestia was getting impatient.
"Starlight Glimmer should be here, heh, any minute, heh," Twilight nervously chuckled. " Any minute now..." Princess Celestia's attention then got to her reflection on a fork as Twilight forced herself to say, "How about I introduce everyone? Our friendship lessons are going so well! She made three new friends!" Across the table from them were three ponies. DJ Pon-3, Derpy and Cranky Doodle Donkey. And the bird on Cranky's head, who was wearing his toupee. "She has such great taste in friends. I don't know where she would've learned that!" She then laughed nervously.
"Starlight Glimmer?" Cranky Doodle Donkey asked. "I thought you said "nosehair trimmers"! What's going on? I'm hungry! And my nose is too hairy." He then snorted.
Princess Celestia got a deadpanned expression, and then Twilight laughed nervously and said, "Cranky Doodle! You're so funny! If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna check the kitchen. Maybe she got lost amongst the, uh... artichokes!" She then left.
Twilight went through the streets of Ponyville, looking for Starlight.
"Starlight? Has anyone seen Starlight Glimmer? I'm looking for her!" Twilight called out, hoping somepony would answer. She then saw the stage Trixie and Starlight set up. Twilight got a little angry and said, "Trixie."
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Applejack came closer to the stage.
"So this is the Humble and Penitent Trixie's Equestrian Apology Tour?" asked Pinkie.
"Ain't that a mouthful of molasses," Applejack commented.
Trixie then poked her head out of the curtain and said to her, "It's a working title!" She then poked her head back through the curtain and said to Starlight, "Oh, this is gonna be the greatest night of my life!" Then she remembered that Starlight was there. "Excuse me. Our lives."
Starlight sighed and said, "I'm so glad we're not at that boring dinner."
"Ahem?" came Twilight's voice at the door, making both Starlight and Trixie look towards her. "You just decided to skip our dinner without telling me? Are you aware that, at this very moment, Princess Celestia is waiting for you at a table with exquisite silverware placement?!"
"Yes, but..." Starlight tried explaining, but was cut off.
"This is exactly why I didn't want you to make friends with Trixie," said Twilight.
"A-ha! You still don't trust me!" Trixie said, gloating. "But guess what, princess? It doesn't matter if you want to give me a second chance or not. Starlight had to choose between you and me, and she chose me! Your pupil chose me, so ha! I win!"
"You win?" asked Starlight. "That sounds like you just made friends with me to beat Twilight."
"Exactly!" Trixie said, making Starlight gasp, feeling heartbroken. Trixie then realized what she just said, " Wait! I mean, no! I got caught up in the moment. I like you. Beating Twilight is just a bonus." She then gasped then facehoof. "Saying that didn't help, did it?"
Starlight had a lot of tears in her eyes. She then said, "I should've known. Nopony else in Ponyville wanted to be my friend. Why would you?" Starlight then ran out of the stage, crying.
Trixie came out of the stage door, saying, "Wait, it's not like that! I am your friend." She then groaned, upset.
"Well, you won," Twilight said, angrily, and coming out from the stage door. "I hope you're happy!"
Trixie sighed, sadly and said, "Looks like the Great and Powerful Trixie is back to a solo show."
Twilight was confused by that and asked, "Trixie?"
"...Which is exactly the way she likes it!" said Trixie, trying to fight her own emotions. "...Which is exactly the way she likes it!" She then started crying herself. "I definitely don't feel as if my heart is breaking into a million pieces!"
She then slammed the door, making Twilight feel guilty.
"What have you done, Sparkles?" came M.C.'s voice.
Twilight turned to the tree behind Trixie's stage and saw M.C. looking at her angrily. Twilight said, "M.C.? I... I didn't mean... what I was trying to do was..."
"Ruin a friendship that Starlight was trying to keep?" asked M.C. "Mission accomplished."
"M.C.," said Twilight. "I was trying to make sure that Starlight gained a friend she could trust."
"By your standards?" asked M.C. "I could tell that Trixie was trying her best to be a fantastic friend to Starlight. What kind of Princess of Friendship can you be without having faith in those you can trust."
Twilight thought about it. She bowed her head in shame and said, "You're right. I was a bad mentor. And when I told Starlight to make a friend, I was hoping she would make a friend that wasn't Trixie. But... now I'm seeing that the two of them do have a lot in common. They're good at magic, they made bad choices, and they're doing their best to be good ponies. I should've had more faith in Starlight."
"Yes," said M.C. "You should have." He then started walking away.
"Wait," said Twilight. That made M.C. stop and look back at Twilight.
"What?" asked M.C.
"I should apologize to Starlight and rekindle the flame of her friendship with Trixie," said Twilight. "But, I need to know where she is now."
M.C. thought about it, then sighed. He then said, "She's on the hilltop behind where the crowd will be watching. Try not to mess things up more than they already are."
Twilight nodded and ran off towards where Starlight went.
Trixie's show was about to begin. Everypony was getting ready to watch it, but on stage, Trixie was upset.
"Come one, come all," Trixie said, in an unenthusiastic tone. "Come and see the Pathetic and Friendless Trixie's "Way-To-Go-Dum-Dum-You-Really-Messed-It-Up-This-Time Repentance Tour"." The crowd got confused, making Trixie shout angrily, "It's a working title!" She then went back to her unenthusiastic mood. "Behold, your fears come true. A pony-eating manticore."
Coming from the left side of the stage, was a chained up manticore. It then roared loudly, making Fluttershy whimper and hug Applejack, tightly.
"Why isn't she confident?" asked Joshua. "She's usually so confident, isn't she?"
"You're right about that, Josh," said Nyx. "She wasn't afraid at first when I met her. And I was Nightmare Moon at the time."
M.C. then came up to them and said, "I know what's up." That made Nyx and Joshua look up at him. "Let's just say that Trixie and Starlight formed a bond of friendship, and your mom just ruined it for both of them. Twilight's now trying to fix it, starting with Starlight."
"For tonight, the Great and Powerful Trixie will be performing the Moonshot Manticore Mouth Dive," said Trixie, still with her unenthusiastic tone. That made the crowd gasp in awe. "Now, now, save your gasps for when I defy the beast's jaws of doom and appear inside that black box." She pointed at the black box that was coming up from the right side of the stage. Then Trixie got dramatic and said, "I was supposed to perform this trick with my great and powerful assistant, who was also my great and powerful friend!"
M.C. leaned towards Nyx and Joshua, saying, "Told ya."
Meanwhile, on the hilltop behind the audience, Starlight was watching, still crying a little bit. She was wiping her tears away, and Twilight came walking up to her.
"Starlight, when I first came to Ponyville, Princess Celestia gave me room to make my own decisions and my own friends," said Twilight, trying to apologize to Starlight. "I need to give you the same freedom. I shouldn't have tried to pick and choose your friends for you."
Meanwhile, Trixie got herself loaded into a cannon, and changed her magician's hat into a helmet.
" Just like me, you have to make your own decisions and your own friends," Twilight finished.
"But... what if Trixie really was using me just to one-up you?" Starlight asked as Trixie's cannon was getting at the right angle to be fired.
"From what I've seen, she's the real thing," said Twilight, with both her and Starlight looking at Trixie. Trixie then used her magic to light the fuse. Twilight then said, "But it's not my place to judge. It's all up to you."
Back on the stage, the Manticore was roaring. In the cannon, Trixie was looking up at the stars, thinking to herself, "Starlight? If you're out there and you still want to be friends, let's be great and powerful together!" Then there was a slight echo of the next word she said, "Please?" The fuse reached the barrel, and then cannon fired, shooting Trixie towards the manticore. The Manticore roared, Trixie shrieked, and then Trixie got swallowed by the Manticore, and then it belched.
The crowd all gasped and Fluttershy fainted. Then a blue explosion came from inside the black box, then it fell apart, revealing Trixie, unharmed.
"Behold, the Peat and Growerful Triskie...!" Trixie said, woozily. She then fell over. Everyone was stunned. Including Fluttershy, who recovered. Then all of the ponies watching started cheering for the performance. Then Starlight came to the stage, helping Trixie up. Trixie looked over at who helped her up, and Starlight winked. Trixie felt happy that her real friend came back. Then she announced, "And now, I'm proud to introduce my great and powerful assistant!" She then used her normal voice. "And best friend." She then went back to announcing, "Starlight Glimmer!" Then the crowd applauded, then Trixie, Starlight and the Manticore all bowed.
"Okay," said M.C. "That was awesome."
"Looks like Mom got the friendship of Starlight and Trixie fixed," said Joshua.
"Good thing, too," said Nyx. "That was getting intense."
Backstage, behind the closed curtains, Trixie and Starlight hugged. Then Twilight came in.
"Trixie!" Twilight called out.
"What do you want?" asked Trixie, angrily.
"I was wrong," Twilight admitted. "I'm sorry. And I have to hand it to you. I could never have pulled off a trick like that."
Trixie got confused at that, looked over at Starlight, who was smiling, then she looked back at Twilight, took off her hat and said, "Thank you, princess."
Then Trixie and Starlight peeked their heads out of the curtains, and then Trixie used her magic and released some fireworks into the sky. Then M.C. came in backstage and said, "That was an amazing show, Miss Lulamoon. I have to say, I'm impressed."
"Thank you," said Trixie. Then she saw who was talking to her. "Hey, aren't you that creature that came in a few months ago?"
"Yep," said M.C. "Prince Michael Crayton."
"Say," said Trixie. "I saw that filly Nyx, but no sign of that human child of your, Princess. Where is he?"
"Did you see a blue colt next to Nyx?" asked Twilight.
"Yeah. Why?" Trixie asked.
"That colt was Joshua," said M.C. "Sombra kidnapped him, again, took him to his lair in the Frozen North, and turned him into a pony. He was cursed, that as long as he's in this world, he can never go back to being a human."
"Oh, man," said Trixie. "I should go find that Sombra and give him a piece of my mind."
"Too late," said M.C. "I already took him down. I held my ground against him, turned him to stone, with some help from Celestia and Luna, cut off his horn, and then buried him and his lair 1000 feet underground."
"Wow," said Trixie. "I can't think of a more fitting punishment."
"Yeah," said M.C. "For what Sombra did, it makes me sick to my stomach." He then put his hand to his stomach. "I don't feel so good. I think I'm gonna..." He then held his hands towards his mouth, and then he started throwing up playing cards, all over Twilight, Starlight and Trixie, making all of them laugh.
"The throwing up cards trick!" said Trixie, laughing. "I haven't seen one of those in a long, long time!"
M.C. stopped with the cards and said, "Classic trick." Then all four of them laughed.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, the ice sculpture was half melted, and Princess Celestia, Cranky Doodle Donkey, DJ Pon-3 and Derpy were still waiting for Twilight and Starlight.
Cranky Doodle Donkey then broke the silent, asking, "How do you get your hair to do that all the time?" Making Princess Celestia sigh.
Then coming into the dining room came Mutt. He was surprised to see all of them at the table.
"Uhhhhhh...." said Mutt.
"Hey! Who let a dog in here?!" asked Cranky Doodle Donkey.
"H'oh boy," said Mutt. He then rubbed the back of his head and said, "Well... this is gonna be hard for me to say..." He then chuckled nervously.