Back at the castle, Spike finally finished his book, sat down, and sighed.
"Still nothing", he commented miserably to himself, "you'd think there'd be at least something about wingless dragons, but no. What if I'm the only one? What if I don't fit in anywhere?"
He sighed again, then looked around, realised the floor was still a mess and began to slowly stack the books littered across it.
---
Just outside the castle walls, Trixie and Twilight raced past, panting.
"I thought you said we could help you!" Twilight protested, gasping for breath.
Flying about 10 metres ahead of them, Rainbow Dash looked back and laughed. "Yeah, you can, if you can catch me!"
"Rainbow Dash, this isn't funny!"
"Bahahaha -"
SMACK!
Twilight Sparkle and Trixie walked calmly over to Rainbow Dash, who lay on the street in front of a shop wall. Twilight smirked and tapped Dashie's shoulder.
"Caught you", she said, calmly.
"Alright, alright", Rainbow Dash whined, getting back on her hooves and shaking off dust, "you can help build the obstacle course, but I'm still faster!"
---
Twilight and Trixie followed Rainbow Dash to a flat, long, dry strip of land, which Dash had covered in a big pile of large wooden planks and nails. Twilight remembered it being used for the Summer Harvest Parade, but apart from that the area was usually just ignored.
"Okay, this is the place", Rainbow Dash announced, for some reason expecting Twilight and her student to be impressed.
There was a moment of silence before Twilight spoke up.
"So, is there a blueprint or anything?"
"Of course!"
Rainbow Dash handed Twilight Sparkle a scrappy piece of paper with a rectangle on it labelled "field", and a series of boxes and circles in the middle labelled "obstacle course". Twilight squinted at it, trying to make out more detail, before she realised there was no more detail to be found.
After a few minutes of arguing with Rainbow Dash over the difference between "coolness" and "radicalness", Twilight and Trixie finally figured out what Rainbow Dash wanted them to make. With Twilight watching on hopefully, Trixie began lifting the wood.
At first she tried lifting it all at once, but she collapsed from the weight in a couple of seconds. Twilight rushed to help her.
"Trixie!" Twilight gasped, "don't lift it all at once! Even I couldn't do that!"
"But Trixie is great and powerful, she can do anything!", Twilight's student whined back.
"Sometimes we have to know when not to do things", Twilight smiled, remembering what Zecora said last time Trixie was in Ponyville, "now come on, try again, one plank at a time."
Twilight offered a hoof and helped Trixie to her feet.
Trixie thought about snapping some clever insult at Twilight, but for some reason she stopped herself, and followed Twilight's instructions.
Trixie smiled widely as her task now became ridiculously easy. She almost flung the wood into place, so much so that Twilight had to remind her to be careful. In a few minutes, the whole obstacle course was complete. A series of tall poles for Rainbow Dash to fly around, a huge wheel that had to be flown through at high speed to make it turn, a slide 10 pony-lengths high! It was beautiful, it was magnificent, it was -
"Have we done a safety check?", Twilight asked, snapping away the glazed expression on Trixie's eyes.
"The great and powerful Trixie doesn't need to do safety checks!" protested Trixie.
"Trixie, all construction spells need safety checks!"
"Not this one."
"Yes this one!" Twilight said, her mane starting to stand on end as she anticipated all the things that could go wrong without a safety check.
"Fine", Trixie finally gave in, but before she could do anything, Dashie zoomed into the course.
She weaved around the poles, they shook slightly, but stayed standing. Then she zoomed straight through the wheel! WHOOSH! The wheel spun Rainbow up into the air and wobbled side to side slightly, but again stayed standing. Finally, Rainbow Dash zoomed straight down towards the slide! And straight through the slide, into the ground.
Trixie and her teacher nervously approached the miniature meteorite impact crater in the dirt where Rainbow Dash lay holding her wings in agony.
"Owww!" Rainbow complained "that was the opposite of cool! Not even radical!"
Trixie looked guiltily down at the ground. Twilight made sure that Rainbow was alright, before turning to reassure her student.
"Hey," began Twilight, "you did really well, considering it was your first construction spell".
"Yeah right," came a frustrated response, "you're just saying that! Trixie messed up again"
Trixie hid her face in her cloak.
Twilight was a little taken aback by such a non-Trixie-like comment, but she was quick to reply.
"No you didn't, look, how about you give this one more chance, okay?"
After a moment of silence, Trixie looked up at Twilight and replied.
"Alright, Trixie didn't mean to overreact so much".
Twilight smiled and put a comforting arm around Trixie and they began to walk towards Sugarcube corner. She wondered how Celestia ever put up with her own breakdowns.
---
Trixie's mood immediately lightened up when she saw all the decorations inside the shop and a smile spread itself across her face. There were streamers everywhere, confetti cannons could be seen on the walls and balloons were tied to every object imaginable. The only things missing were - the lights!
"HAAAI" Pinkie Pie greeted her visitors in her usual happy, high-pitched voice, "can I interest you in any cakes?"
Twilight was about to say no when Trixie placed a handful of bits on the counter.
"Trixie would like a muffin please."
"Coming right uuuup", Pinkie smiled, as she handed over the dessert.
Twilight Sparkle looked at Trixie confused.
"I didn't know you liked muffins!"
"Well of course she does", Pinkie giggled, "fan favourite characters love muffins!"
This didn't make Twilight any less confused, but she decided to just accept Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie as usual.
"Anyway", Twilight began, turning to Pinkie and changing the topic, "I was wondering if we could help with anything?"
"OoooooOOOOooooh" Pinkie replied, "YES! The lights! I need green ones on the walls, pink ones on the ceiling, and blue ones outside!"
"Alright Trixie", Twilight began, "this is a chance to practice light spells and colour spells at once. Now are you confident with both of those?"
"Of course Trixie is, she uses them all the time for her shows", came the reply.
"Alright then, go ahead!"
Trixie's horn lit up and a series of bright white lights lined themselves around the building. So far so good. Twilight and Pinkie watched on smiling. Then Trixie added the colour. Everything looked just perfect! Except, that is, for one rogue green light on the ceiling. Irritated, Trixie changed it to pink, causing two lights on the wall to become blue.
Trixie stamped her hoof and angrily sent a jolt of magic into the lights, causing the entire setup to start flashing the colours of the rainbow.
Finally, Trixie had had enough. She stomped both her front hooves again and ran straight out the door in tears, and Twilight worriedly chased after her.
Pinkie, meanwhile, didn't realise anything had gone wrong. "Byyyyyyyyyye!" she called out, waving happily, "thanks for the lights! I love the rainbows!"
---
Twilight finally caught up to Trixie at the edge of Ponyville.
"Please", Twilight called out, "don't be upset! It's my fault, I threw all this on you at once, I should have taken it one step at a time!"
"No!" Trixie snapped, "it's not alright! Trixie will never use magic again!"
Trixie used her magic to pick up a rock and throw it away to emphasise the point.
"Please Trixie, listen to me, I know I didn't do a great job as teacher but don't let that stop you! You're a great magician if you'd just use your magic for good! You kicked me out of Ponyville for a whole day remember?"
"That was only because of a stupid amulet!"
"But that amulet amplified your own power! Trixie listen to me!"
"No!" Trixie declared, "Trixie is - I am sick of pretending! I'm useless!"
---
The two of them finally skidded to a halt when they heard Spike running towards them desperately, followed by the rest of the mane six.
"Twilight!" the dragon called out, panting, "where in Equestria were you! There's an... urgent... message!"
Spike flopped onto the floor breathing heavily and Twilight lifted the scroll out of his hand using her magic.
"Twilight Sparkle," she began reading out loud, "I have little time to write this. The dragons are already approaching. Please get here right away. Canterlot is under attack! I repeat Canterlot is - that's all it says".
Twilight's eyes widened.
"We have to get there straight away girls!" declared Twilight, picking up Spike and placing him gently on her back.
"Wait!" interrupted Trixie.
Everyone turned to face her in surprise.
"I'm coming too!"
"Trixie, it's too dangerous!" protested Twilight.
"After all Trixie's done, you forgave her, and tried to teach her", Trixie argued, "besides, Trixie knows you're dragon lunch without someone as great and powerful as her!"
Twilight smiled, the old Trixie was back.
"Alright", Twilight laughed, "but be careful".