Applejack galloped down the street, Spike hanging on to her back as best as he could. She was a simple pony, used to the simple ways of the farm life, and would happily leave the more complex thinking to ponies better equipped for it, like Twilight or Rarity. But she was not by any stretch of the imagination stupid. She could put two and two together and come up with four right easy; even easier if it happened to be four apples.
Seeing that nasty cloud over the city gave her an even easier answer to the running equation, and that answer was: trouble. Oh, when ah find Dash, we're goin' to have words. Mighty hard words. At least Rainbow Dash had disposed of the stormy abomination as quick as possible before it could cause damage. Or rather, more damage.
"Oh man, oh man," Spike lamented. "There's no way Trixie can take an insult like that well. She's going to be furious, and Twilight's… oh, man. I just know it's bad."
Right now, finding Twilight was imperative. Best scenario, things are still a-okay. Worst scenario… they needed to find Twilight. The first place Applejack looked was the park, but all she could find was the remains of two half-eaten picnics. Bad sign.
But where could Twilight have gone?
Suddenly a pink blur shot out of an alley and barreled them over. "Applejack!" the blur cried. "I just got the nastiest combo ever, like one I never want to feel again in my whole life! We need to find Twilight, pronto!"
"Calm down, Pinkie!" Applejack said, picking herself up off of the pavement. Spike had been knocked loose and currently rested in a Spike-shaped dent in the side of a nearby trashcan, looking somewhat annoyed. He climbed out, none the worse for wear thanks to his thick scales.
"Ooh, I just know that things have gone bad!" Pinkie cried, jumping around in distress. "It's heartbreak, I can feel it! If only I had gotten the party ready sooner!"
"Dang it," Applejack muttered. "Ah was hopin' it hadn't come ta that." She took off her hat and rubbed her head for a moment before putting it back on. "Arrite. Twilight's upset. Where can she have gone? Spike, where does she usually go when she's upset?"
"Uh, Sugarcube Corner?" Spike ventured. "Wait, no. When she's really upset and doesn't know what to do, she usually goes home."
"Ya think she's run home ta Ponyville?" Applejack said skeptically.
"No…" Spike said, thinking as hard as he could. "I don't think so. She just goes into the library and hides in a book fort. It's this thing she's been doing since she was little." He chuckled at the memory for a moment.
"Ah," Applejack said knowingly. "Ah know 'sactly where she is."
The currently attending librarian at the reception looked up from her work into the face of smiling pinkness. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"Hi, have you seen our friend?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Purple, princessy, probably perturbed?"
"Oh. Her," the librarian said with distaste. "Third floor, section 513, Arithmetic. Tell her to be more respectful of our books. Being royalty is no excuse."
"Okay, thanks!" Pinkie said and dashed off towards the stairs, friends following.
Finding Twilight was easy. A wall of books rose tall between the stacks, no doubt causing great hindrance to Manehattan's many arithmetic aficionados. Literal battlements crested the top, and the gate was blocked by a raised drawbridge built from a slim journal on the subject of prime numbers. Within, the muffled sobs of the fort's sole occupant could be faintly heard. Spike just stared at the construction for a moment, silently asking himself, not for the first time, what kind of pony he was living with.
Then he shook his head and pushed the inevitable questions aside for later. He knocked on the book wall. "Hey, Twilight?" The sobbing continued. "Hey, I need to talk to you. Applejack and Pinkie Pie are here too. We're worried about you." More sobbing, no answer. "Come on. The sooner we talk about this, the sooner we can get back on track on getting Trixie to love you."
The sobbing stopped. For a moment, there was silence. Then Twilight said quietly, "She doesn't love me."
"Ah, she's just playin' hard ta get," Applejack said. "She's milkin' it for what's it's worth, havin' the two of ya after her. Trust me, she'll come around."
"No she won't," Twilight said quietly. "She said we're through. She said it was all a game to us. She said she wants nothing to do with me. Or Cheese Sandwich. She doesn't want either of us."
Applejack took a sharp breath. "Oh mah stars and garters… Twilight, ah'm so sorry."
"That stupid cloud sculpture pissed her off that much?" Spike said.
"...I don't think so," Twilight said after a brief silence. "It made her angry, but… then she got sad. She said I didn't get it, that nopony got it. Like I missed something important…"
The wall suddenly fell apart, and Spike would have been buried in books if Twilight hadn't caught them in her magic and dropped them in piles by the sides. Twilight, her eyes red with tears, laid her hooves around him. "What did I miss, Spike? What did I miss? What is it I'm not getting?"
"Well, I don't know!" Spike said. "You're supposed to be the smart one here, remember?"
"No idea here neither," Applejack said. "Ah've no idea what goes on in that crazy pony's head."
"Hmm…" Pinkie mused. She plucked a cupcake out of her mane and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Hmm, hmm, hmm. Something you're not getting. Something we're not getting. What could it be? I don't get it. Which is, of course, the problem here. So there's something about Trixie we're not getting. Something something something. What do we know about Trixie?"
"She's beautiful, smart, gifted…" Twilight began.
"Sugarcube, please," Applejack said. "Ah know she's dear to ya, but let's be realistic. She's Trixie, not some livin' miracle. She's a pony like the rest of us."
"Yeah… a pony just like us…" Twilight mused. Her eyes widened for a moment. "I… no, I… Argh! I thought I had something there, but…"
"Can't we just ask her what the deal is?" Spike said. "Seriously, this is worse than some of the lessons Celestia gave you. Why does she have to be so obnoxious?"
"Wouldn't be Trixie is she wern't a bag o' trouble," Applejack said, laughing a little.
"I've got it!" Pinkie cried. She was immediately hushed down by nearby library patrons. "I mean, I've got it," she continued in a lowered voice. "Trixie knows, so if I'm Trixie, I'll know too!"
"Say what?" Spike said.
"Just roll with me, Spike," Pinkie said. "Okay, I'm going for it. I'll try to be Trixie. Twilight, I know you love Trixie, but please try to restrain yourself while I'm Trixie or we'll just be feeling awkward afterwards, okay?"
"I'll… do my best," Twilight said carefully.
"All right! Here goes!" Pinkie announced. She stood up straight, pushed her mane back, and stuck her muzzle into the air. She took a deep breath. "Behold! The Great and Powerful Trixie!"
"Hush! Be quiet!" a nearby pony shouted.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie will not be quiet!" Pinkie proclaimed. "Trixie is far too great and powerful for that!" She strutted back and forth, occasionally rearing back on her hooves to throw about nonexistent fireworks.
"That's… actually not how she really acts," Twilight said. "That's just how she is on stage."
"Yes! But all the world is a stage, and Trixie loves her stage persona!" Pinkie said. "Well, maybe not always. Sometimes the Great and Powerful Trixie likes to step out a bit… and just be herself. A little."
"Okay, good," Applejack said. "So what are ya like, Trixie?"
"Trixie is the greatest stage magician in all of Equestria!" Pinkie boasted. "Except not really. She knows she's not as great as she wants to be, but she tries. Because… because she wants to be great. Because she wants there to be somepony who is great and powerful… because if there isn't, the world is a lesser place."
"Trippy," Spike said.
"Trixie travels all over Equestria so ponies everywhere can delight in the wonder that is the Great and Powerful Trixie!" Pinkie boasted. "Because Trixie loves everypony! And she wants everypony to love her! But ponies don't always love Trixie. And they don't always love the Great and Powerful Trixie either, because they're jealous of her power and accomplishments. But the Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't care about the neighsayers, because she can just move on with her wagon! ...But then she lost her wagon. And she couldn't be Great and Powerful, and she wasn't herself. But then she got it back! And everything was right again."
"Yes!" Twilight said triumphantly. "Ah, sorry. So Trixie wants to be loved, right?"
Pinkie sniffed imperiously. "Trixie may… agree to be with somepony, if she likes. But Trixie is the Great and Powerful Trixie. She must be. She can't not be. And if she can't be, she won't agree, see?"
Twilight stared wide-eyed at her friend. Within the depths of her mind, something fell into place. "I understand now."
"You understood that?" Applejack said incredulously. "Ah've been lost since the start."
"It's not about big showy gestures, it's…" She facehoofed. "I've been a complete fool. Pinkie. Pinkie! You can stop being Trixie now!"
Pinkie shook her head, reeling a little. "Oh, that felt funny. What happened? Did Twilight ravish me in a fit of passion while I was Trixie?"
"Uh, no," Spike said, giving her a curious look.
"Oh," Pinkie said. She sounded just a little bit disappointed.
Twilight grabbed her pink friend by the shoulders and shook her enthusiastically. "I get it now! I really do! One more try! Oh, but it has to be just right! Pinkie! How soon can you get the party started? The one you've been talking about?"
"Oh, it's going to be a whopper, but my girls have everything ready!" Pinkie said. "Tomorrow noon sound good?"
"Why not right now?" Spike said. "Why wait?"
Twilight winced a little. "I should probably give Trixie a chance to calm down first. Tomorrow is fine."
"I'm on it!" Pinkie bounced over to a window and opened it. "Partybirds Are Go!" She leapt out.
"She knows we're on the third floor, right?" Spike asked.
"I'm sure she's fine," Twilight said confidently. "Let's go tell the others." She walked off towards the stairs, a confident bounce in her steps.
Applejack gazed thoughtfully after her friend. "Hmm… sure hope this works." She sighed and followed. "Can't help but wonder if Trixie will find some way to buck it up…"
Trixie ran.
She didn't know where she was running to, or where she was running from, or even where she was running at the moment, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that she ran.
"Trixie…" a honey-sweet voice crooned from somewhere above her. "Trixie, my Trixie, where are you?" Trixie risked a glance upwards through the (tree branches? Streetlights?) and caught a glimpse of a massive purple body floating through the air. A huge head swiveled around, and enormous lavender eyes stared at her. "Trixie… I love you. I need you. I want you. I'll have you. Please be mine…"
"Leave me alone, Twilight!" Trixie cried, keeping her eyes on the (dirt road? Forest path? Pavement? Floor?) to keep herself from tripping. "I want to be alone! I'm not yours!"
"I love you, Trixie," Twilight crooned. "I love you. I want to have you forever and ever…"
Cheese Sandwich danced before Trixie. He wasn't running, but she was; nonetheless he was right before her. "Hey, Trixie! Let's have fun!"
"Get out of the way, Cheese!" Trixie cried. "I'm trying to run away!"
"Ah, running's no fun; wanna dance instead?" Cheese said.
Trixie tried to run past him, but to no avail. The dancing party pony was always in her way. And he did nothing to save her from the princess. "Cheese, please! I'll dance with you, if you can stop the princess!"
"Ha ha! I don't understand!" Cheese said, dancing merrily and pointlessly.
"I don't understand," Twilight said from above.
Trixie felt her legs collapse under her, and she fell to the ground. "You don't understand…"
Trixie landed on the floor of her wagon. She blinked a few times in the darkness, wondering where the strange place had gone. A dream… just a dream. Still tired and with dried tears on her face, she crawled back into bed. I can't go on like this. I can't.
Tomorrow.
In an abandoned warehouse somewhere in the Manehattan docks, a group of ponies were having a clandestine midnight meeting. From the secrecy, one could infer that they might have been members of a crime ring, or cultists plotting the rise of ancient evil. But even criminals and cultists wouldn't dare bother these ponies. For they were, in fact, party ponies.
Pinkie Pie pulled a clipboard and a pencil out of her mane. "Right. Girls, you know why I've gathered you all here. To throw the party to end all parties."
Surprise gasped in surprise. "You want to end parties? I won't let you! I'll fight you to the end!" She dropped into a fighting stance.
"Later!" Pinkie said. "Plan first, duel later. So, what've we got? Vinyl?"
Vinyl Scratch, the famous DJ-Pon3, tilted her glasses meaningfully. "We got the sickest musicians in all of Equestria, P-girl."
Pinkie shrugged. "Get them some penicillin, they'll be fine."
"Will do," Vinyl said. "Anyways, Octy made me put together a playlist she says is definitely gonna make the Mission Objective weak in the knees. I've looked it over, and it's not too bad. Could use more metal, but eh."
"Yeah, if she says this will work on Trixie, I say give it a go," Pinkie said, making a few notes on her clipboard and drawing a duck for good measure. "We're critical stage here, girls. End game. Pull out all stops, hold nothing back, don't hoard those megalixirs. Minty? How's the food front?"
"Cupcakes and candies and cookies and carrot dogs!" Minty said, overly energetically. She had clearly been sampling the more sugary wares. "Ciders and shakes and funny drinks with funny names that will guarantee that you'll wake up in funny places! Apple fritters and orange meringues and berry punch and carrot cakes and cherry jubilees!"
Pinkie Pie frowned. "Are those dishes, or the caterers you hired?"
"Yes!" Minty crowed. "We'll have enough junk food that all of Manehattan will have to go on diet for months!" Minty grinned widely, her pearly whites a defiance of the laws of dental physics.
"What is this 'diet' thing you speak of?" Pinkie said, making some more notes. "Never mind. Surprise! What's the sitch?"
Surprise saluted proudly, looking spiffy in her Partybolts uniform. Which was also her Wonderbolts uniform, to save expenses. She was a proud member of the most prestigious organization in all of Equestria, but being a Wonderbolt paid the bills. "Decorations are ready to go up at a moment's notice – balloons, banners, streamers, you name it. Plus party favors galore!"
Pinkie Pie made another note, then threw the clipboard into the shadows, never to be seen again. "All right! Now we just have to find somewhere to host this shindig!"
There was a sharp record scratch, courtesy of DJ-Pon3's turntables. Which had been there the entire time, even if nopony had seen them before.
"Wait, what?" Minty said.
Vinyl Scratch took off her glasses and threw them into the shadows, never to be seen again. "What, you haven't secured a venue?"
"Pinkie, the food's gonna spoil if we wait too long!" Surprise said. "We need to get this party started ASAP!"
Pinkie Pie bounced angrily. "Hey, don't go spouting your military buzz words at me! I've been busy! But yeah, we need to find someplace, because we're going live tomorrow noon!"
Unseen by them behind a stack of crates, a grey pegasus made a few notes on her own before stepping into the shadows, never to be seen again.
"Noon?" Vinyl said incredulously, adjusting her glasses nervously. Which had also been there the entire time, no matter what the narrator had claimed, the lying bastard. "Talk about cutting it close. Gonna be a challenge… I like it!"
"Yeah, but where in Manehattan can we hold a party this large?" Minty said.
There was the distinct sound of a hoof hitting the floor. The four mares spun around to see a mysterious pony standing in the shadows, his identity hidden. "Perhaps I may be of assistance…" the pony said in a distinctly stalliony voice.
Pinkie gasped. "You!"
The sun rose over Manehattan. While the general populace readied themselves for just another day of work and life in the Big Orange, one small group of ponies (and a dragon) prepared for festivities… and romantic conquest.
"So, you really think today's the day?" Rarity said, bringing down the brush on Twilight's mane. Today they were making actual use of their expensive hotel room; Rarity had brought out the big guns for the task of prettying up Twilight all the way. "The day your dream comes true?"
"I hope not," Twilight mused with a smile. "I don't want to fall out the window…" She shook herself. "I mean, yes. Yes! I'm sure of it. I've got her figured out now." She giggled excitedly.
"If you think so," Rarity said. "I have to say, I was quite upset when I heard about how yesterday's picnic turned out. Makes me wonder if she really is worth all this effort… still." She smirked as she adjusted Twilight's mane just so. "You have a plan, and we all know you're unstoppable when you do. Especially once we've dressed you up properly. How's the dress coming along, Fluttershy?"
"Just a minute," Fluttershy said from where she was carefully ironing out a few errant wrinkles on a lovely blue dress. "Oh, this is so exciting, I could just scream. Eeee!" she added quietly.
Spike chose that moment to finally wake up, yawning loudly. "Haah… oh, you're all up already," he said sleepily.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Twilight tittered. "Time to get ready for the party."
"Did I miss breakfast?" he asked. "Hey, where's the others?"
"Applejack went to tell Coco about the plans last night," Rarity said. "I haven't actually seen her since then, so who knows what she's doing now. Selling apples, fighting crime… maybe she went on a date." She shrugged, indicating that either scenario was equally possible as far as she was concerned.
"A date, huh?" He got a sly look on his face. "Say, Rarity…"
"Pinkie is of course setting up the party," Rarity continued, apparently not hearing him. "And Rainbow Dash is off to get Trixie."
Spike fished out a box of snack gemstones from Twilight's luggage for a quick breakfast. "Is it really such a good idea to send her?"
"She insisted," Fluttershy said.
"Don't worry, Spike," Twilight said happily as Rarity struggled under the weight of her biggest makeup kit. "Nothing could possibly go wrong."
Manehattan's skyline was bright and clear of clouds, thanks to the valiant effort of the local weather ponies. Weather ponies who, as it turned out, had a whole lot of nasty things to say about hotshot visitors making a mess of their weather, and didn't enjoy unseasonal thunderstorms in the middle of their fair city. Rainbow Dash still felt bad about it, and Applejack's tongue-lashing afterwards hadn't helped. Even if it was Lightning Dust's fault to begin with. But then, Lightning Dust was kind of an idiot. Whereas Rainbow Dash was a sensible, responsible pony, and thus had to take full responsibility.
Being responsible sucked.
Still, Rainbow decided as she trotted down the busy street with her darkest shades covering her eyes – definitely not because she worried somepony might recognize her, no siree, just feeling like a nice, calm walk – things seemed to finally work out. After today, they'd finally get to go home and she wouldn't have to cater to Trixie's silly whims or Rarity's weird schemes anymore. Best of all, Pinkie had promised a truly awesome party for today. She just had to go find Trixie and get her there, one way or another.
She just had to find Trixie. Who lived in her wagon. Which was parked in the lot before her.
The empty lot.
"Ponyfeathers," Rainbow whispered. She scrutinized the scene of the crime. This was definitely where Trixie had lived; the large spot on the ground where the wagon body had kept rain and sunlight away, the depressions where the wheels had settled into the dirt, and the posters still pasted on a nearby lamp post. Hay, Rainbow herself had been here only a few days ago. No question about it. This was the place. Except there was no wagon there, and no Trixie either.
The magician had pulled another escape act.
"That little idiot!" Rainbow growled. She tore her shades off and beat her wings forcefully, taking to the air for a better view. Gilda had always bragged about the hawk-like sight of griffons, but pegasi were no slouches either, since no flier who couldn't see properly lasted long in the air. (Except maybe Derpy. But she was kind of an exception, and made up for it by being really durable, apparently.) And Rainbow Dash's crystal-sharp peepers could see for miles.
Spotting a gaily painted wagon headed westward towards the mainland was no challenge at all.
"You're not getting away this time!" Rainbow Dash cried. She dove.
Trixie ran.
Unlike last night's dream, she was perfectly aware of where she was, and what she was running from. And where.
Stayed too long. Should've left long ago. Too comfortable. Couldn't last.
West it was. She just had to cross the bridge, and she was out of Manehattan and scot free. Once she was out on the mainland, she could go anywhere. Hollow Shades, Dodge Junction, Las Pegasus. Maybe the Crystal Empire would like her act, given how out of date that place was. What kind of shows did they have a thousand years ago? Or maybe she could go to Saddle Arabia, or the Griffon Kingdoms.
Anywhere she didn't have to deal with Twilight Sparkle.
Her belly twinged and ached a little from the exertion of pulling the wagon at this speed. Evidently she had let herself go… grown fat and complacent. Nothing a few weeks on the road couldn't fix, with lean rations and regular exercise. Really, it was just as well she left. Wouldn't do for the Great and Powerful Trixie to get pudgy. Stallions in the business could let themselves go, even become old and decrepit, and the audience would still admire them, but nopony took a homely showmare seriously.
Her hooves thundered against the pavement as she ran. They'd ache something terrible later, but that was then. This was now.
For a while she had almost fallen for it. Entertained the notion that Twilight could have been… could have been something. Or Cheese, maybe. It was crazy and impossible, but Trixie did the impossible for a living. It might have worked. But no. It didn't work. It couldn't. She should have known from the very beginning. She should have made it clear right away, instead of playing along and giving Twilight the false idea that they might love each other. The false idea that anypony could love Trixie. That way, at least she wouldn't have had to leave Manehattan so soon. She felt bad about leaving Coco Pommel like this; the dressmaker had put in so much effort to support her every step of the way, and what had she done in return? Nothing. Sure, recommending her to others in need of tailoring services, but that was just business. She should have done something special for her… her friend. Not leave her in the dust like this.
On the other hoof, she was the Great and Powerful Trixie. And the Great and Powerful Trixie didn't have friends. Who'd want to be friends with her?
"TRRRIXIEEEE!" a voice bellowed from behind. Trixie's pupils widened in fear. She didn't have to look to know who it was. She recognized the voice, and it was angry. Adrenaline rushed into her legs, and she ran faster.
"Trixie, you stop right now, or Celestia help me, you'll get to see what a Sonic Rainboom looks like at point-blank range!" Rainbow Dash cried furiously.
"No!" Trixie cried back. "Leave me alone! Get out of the way, everypony, runaway carriage!" Passersby threw themselves aside to dodge the wagon as it barreled down the road.
"You can't get away, Trixie!" Rainbow cried, catching up to the wagon's side. "I'm the fastest flier in all of Equestria!"
"Anything you can do…" Trixie let out a grunt as her horn flared, and the wagon's wheels started spinning with magic-induced power as the contraption came alive. The sudden acceleration lifted Trixie off the ground and threw her roughly into the driver's seat. "…I can do better," she finished weakly.
Rainbow Dash had barely a second to react as the wagon accelerated, and only just managed to latch on to the roof. "Darn it, Trixie! Stop… being… stupid!"
"I'm not being stupid!" Trixie cried, sweat pouring down her forehead. "This is the smartest thing I've done in days!" The wagon lurched to the side and clipped a newsstand as it barely dodged a screaming mare, sending today's headlines into the sky.
"Then you're really stupid, you idiot!" Rainbow Dash shouted back. "Twilight just wants to talk to you one more time!"
"I don't care! I don't want to see her!" Trixie protested as cabbage leaves drifted through the air. When had they run into a cabbage stand? What is this, a farmer's market? She kept an eye out in case two ponies tried to cross the road with a pane of glass.
"You can't keep this up, Trixie! You'll… bleah!" Rainbow had to stop to spit out a piece of cabbage. "You'll run out of power long before I fall off! Just stop!"
"Trixie… will… take… that… challenge!" Trixie spat, sweat soaking her entire coat as she called on every reserve of strength she had, and some she didn't actually think she had. She might not have had the sheer amount of power Twilight had, but her spells were fine-tuned and economical, and she knew how to get the most out of them at the least cost. "You'll… love… Las Pegasus!"
Even so, Trixie knew that she wouldn't make it anywhere that far. Unless she could convince the tenacious pegasus to give up – and there was an impossible challenge if she ever saw one, given what she knew of Rainbow Dash – she would collapse and get dragged back. It would take a miracle to avoid that.
Funny thing about miracles; they're not always as pleasant as you'd hope.
A pony appeared on the road ahead. Unlike the rest of Manehattan's citizens, this one did not panic or run away. Instead, she stood perfectly still, facing the runaway wagon head-on, as if daring Trixie to run her over.
For the briefest of moments, Trixie considered just heading forward, hoping that the pony on the road had the common sense to dodge. But something told her that this one wouldn't. With one massive telekinetic push, she shoved the wagon to the side, passing the standing pony by mere inches. The wagon went up on two wheels, jumped onto the sidewalk, and crashed into the building.
For a long minute, all was silent. Am I dead? Trixie thought. That would save me some trouble. No, you're not supposed to ache this much if you're dead… are you? Unless you can still hurt in the afterlife. That would suck.
Her blurry vision coalesced into a pair of grey hooves standing before her. "Stop lazing around, Trixie," they said. Funny, that voice sounds familiar too. Who…?
The hooves picked Trixie up roughly and stood her back up. Before her stood a grey earth pony mare with a black mane, wearing a bowtie. "You took a nasty spill there. Anything broken?" the mare asked.
"No…" Trixie mumbled, checking herself over quickly. She had taken a beating, but no serious injuries. With some luck she might only get a few bruises. She looked at the mare again, and realization struck. "…Melody?"
"That's 'Octavia' to you." Suddenly Trixie received a sharp slap across the face. "You idiot!" Octavia roared. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!"
"Bwuh?" Trixie said unintelligibly, rubbing her cheek.
"You're so stupid!" Octavia said angrily. "What did you have to prove this time? That you're the most obstinate and contrary pony in all of Equestria? You blithering madmare."
"Oh dear, you're all dirty," Coco said, starting to brush Trixie's coat clean. Trixie was not all that surprised to see her there, all things considered. If Nightmare Moon had walked up to shake Trixie's hoof, she wouldn't have batted an eye. It had been a strange few weeks.
"Me… Octavia," Trixie began. "What are you doing here? And why did you crash Trixie's wagon?"
"I'm fine, by the way," Rainbow Dash's voice was heard somewhere in the direction of the wreckage. "Not that anypony cares. Jerks."
"I heard that a certain self-important unicorn was being courted romantically, and since you're incompetent at that, I had to get here and make sure you don't ruin everything for yourself." Octavia frowned. "You nearly succeeded."
"Hey!" Trixie protested. "Who are you to come here and tell Trixie what to do? Trixie doesn't recall giving anypony rights to run her life!"
"I'm your friend, Trixie," Octavia said bluntly. "I have every right to keep you from bucking yourself up."
Rainbow Dash poked her head out of the wagon. "Friend?"
"Trixie, you never told me you're friends with the famous Octavia Melody!" Coco exclaimed.
"We're… more like acquaintances," Trixie said diffidently, scuffing her hoof against the ground. "Used to assist her band, back in Canterlot. That was before I went on the road, before Ponyville, before coming here… we haven't talked in years."
"Yes, and whose fault is that?" Octavia said, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't matter. You've been my pal since you saved my flank from that mugger. Remember?" Octavia smiled a little.
Trixie racked her brain for a moment. "No, I don't."
"Well, you were pretty blitzed at the time," Octavia said. "He nearly stabbed you and you didn't even notice."
"I thought you didn't drink, Trixie," Coco said accusingly.
"I don't," Trixie said. "Anymore. It makes me do stupid things."
"Like anypony could tell the difference," Octavia said mockingly.
"Watch it!" Trixie said angrily. "Fine, so maybe we were friends. Maybe we are friends. That doesn't mean you can just come here and mock me, or tell me what to do! Trixie is in charge of her own life!"
"And that's going so fine," Octavia said. "Running from a girl who actually loves you, just because you can't commit."
"Yeah, what's up with that?" Rainbow Dash said. The pegasus had finally managed to extract herself from the wreckage, looking none too happy about having been left to her own devices. "I mean, you're a jerk and a show-off and all, but you've never been a coward. You're actually kinda brave. It's, uh…" She shifted uneasily. "It's one of the things I actually respect you for. It's pretty cool."
"Agreed," Coco said.
"You didn't complain when we escaped from Dimondia," Trixie said tersely.
"Yeah, but that was different," Rainbow said. "The Diamond Dogs wanted to keep you so you could find gems for them. They wanted to lock you away and… and… oh, sweet Celestia's sunny…" She thumped her hoof against her forehead. "Is that it? Is that what you're worried about? You think Twilight's going to hide you away and never let you out of her sight? Never let you do what you want?"
"She's a princess," Trixie said quietly. "She can do whatever she wants. She's made it clear that she wants to have me, and she'll do anything to accomplish it. And I've never, ever, been able to stand up to her. Why shouldn't I be… why shouldn't I be afraid?"
"Trixie…" Rainbow Dash said, horrified. She hugged Trixie and clutched her tightly to her barrel. "No. No, no, no. That's not how she is. She's never been that. Twilight is nice, and friendly, and caring, and she's never let her title go to her head. Hay, she protests whenever any of her friends calls her 'princess'. She's just a pony, just like the rest of us."
"No, she's not," Trixie said quietly.
"Yes, she is, and she knows it," Rainbow said. "She thinks you're just as important as herself or anypony else. More than that, since she's completely bonkers for you. I mean, seriously. You're okay, but the way she sees you… well… yeah."
"Promise?" Trixie asked.
"Promise," Rainbow said. She gestured crazily. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
"Okay," Trixie said. "You can stop hugging Trixie now."
"Oh." Rainbow quickly detached. "It was either that or slap you."
"In that case, Trixie prefers hugs, Octavia," Trixie said, shooting a meaningful glare at her newfound old friend.
"You need both," Octavia said unapologetically.
"Wrecking Trixie's wagon was painful enough," Trixie pointed out. "That was a little over the top, don't you think?"
"You had plenty of opportunities to stop," Octavia pointed out. "You were just so set on a dramatic climax. Who was I to deny you the opportunity to go out with a bang? Besides, wagons can be fixed. Relationships are trickier." She gave Trixie a level look. "Ready to see the princess again?"
"I… I…" Trixie's rear legs gave out, and she slumped to the ground. "I don't know. I don't know what will happen. Even if she… I don't know."
"And you never will if you don't find out," Octavia said. "Seriously, when the hay did you lose your spine, Trixie?"
"Yeah, seriously, shape up, Trixie," Rainbow Dash said. "Time to be awesome, okay? You're making us show-offs look bad like this."
"Take the chance, Trixie?" Coco suggested. "For my sake?"
Trixie gave her a bemused look and chuckled. "I keep telling myself I should do something nice for you, in return for everything you've done. But I never do. I'm a rotten friend."
Coco smiled and shook her head. "No, you're not. You don't have to do anything to pay me back. You've needed me, so I've been there for you. Simple as that. Generosity means helping ponies in need without expecting anything in return. Rarity taught me that, once."
"Yeah, and friendship is magic and stuff," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. "So let's go see Twilight, okay?"
Trixie sighed. She retrieved her hat from the wrecked wagon, placed it on her head, and stood up with a determined look on her face. "She gets one more chance. She'd better not waste it. Where is she?"
Coco smiled and pulled out a bundle from her bag. She unfolded it, revealing it to be a dress in shades of lavender and blue, covered with stars and silver embroidery. "Get dressed, Trixie. We're going to a party!"
"Are you kidding me?" Trixie asked.
Coco smiled wider and brought out a hay shake. "Hmm?"
"…Fine." Trixie grabbed the drink and gulped it down thirstily. "Come on, help me put this thing on."