Trixie's Gettin' Back On Her Hooves

by Shadow Raikou

Chapter 4: Stitching It Together

"No… Not… Not again…" said Twilight, contorting in terror in her sleep, images of what Discord had put her through flashing through her mind, only this time, no matter what she did, nothing helped, nothing changed anything… "Stop… Leave my friends alone, Discord…P-Please, leave them alone…"

Twilight shot awake when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Panting heavily from fear, she looked over to see Trixie looking back at her in concern. "Trixie…" she said, startled, she looked over to see the clock, midnight, feeling a pang of guilt at awakening the poor mare in the middle of the night. "… Sorry…"

"It is fine, Twilight," said Trixie, her voice honest, even somewhat sympathetic. "… Another nightmare, Trixie guesses? Trixie would have thought that a pony like you would have found a way to deal with a mere nightmare in all of these books."

Twilight sighed, lowering her head in sorrow. "I've done everything I can think of…" she said, her voice a little shaky. "Nothing works…" she muttered, sick and tired of being tormented by nightmares like this. She'd looked up everything she could find, but she still couldn't find anything that worked. She was starting to think Discord had put some kind of spell on her. "I know they're not real…But I just can't make them stop…"

Trixie actually gave a sympathetic look. Twilight thought she looked conflicted for a moment. "Twilight…Believe it or not, Trixie may have the solution to your plight…" she explained in a thoughtful tone.

Twilight blinked in confusion, was Trixie actually helping her? But still, the possibility of being rid of the horrible nightmares she'd been having was rather tempting. "…Really?" she asked, not really able to think of much else to ask.

Trixie nodded, still looking a tad uncertain. "Yes, it's quite simple really."

"… You're not going to sing, are you?"

Trixie's eyes widened and she looked rather confused. "Of course not, why ever would you ask such a thing?"

"Oh, it's nothing… Just when we were being threatened by a bunch of monster trees in Everfree Forest, Pinkie said something like that and burst into song spontaneously," recounted Twilight, then saw Trixie giving her a raised eyebrow. "Nightmare Moon used illusions to try and scare us off, Pinkie tends to explain beneficial insights she has with random musical numbers…along with how to make cupcakes…"

"Trixie understands, she was actually more confused about the monster trees than the singing…Well anyway, it's quite simple…what are you doing?"

Twilight blinked, telekinetically holding a notebook and quill in front of her. "Taking notes…"

Trixie rolled her eyes slightly at this. "Twilight, there's no need to…actually, on second though, Trixie kind of likes that, you may continue," she replied, allowing Twilight to get back to taking notes. "As Trixie was saying; when having a nightmare, look for the parts of it that do not make sense. Dreams are by their very nature imperfect because our minds hastily craft the dream world when it begins, so there's always something that tells us it's a falsehood. Something that doesn't match up with what we know is, or was, the reality, something which has no other explanation apart from being a part of a dream. Even if the nightmare takes place in Discord's chaotic world, there's going to be something that's off. Finding this…glitch, so to speak, will let you know it's a dream, or nightmare, and once you know it's a dream, you can control it with ease. Are you following Trixie, Twilight?" asked Trixie, falling back into a rather theatrical manner of speaking. Not quite as bombastic as her magic show act, but still putting a good bit of energy into her words as well as hoof motions at certain points.

Twilight nodded, hanging on her explanation and taking her notes as she did so. Truthfully, Trixie was pretty fun to listen to when she wasn't talking just to hear herself talk or publicly humiliating ponies. And Trixie seemed to actually be enjoying herself. "Yes, please continue."

"Good. Now let's say Trixie was having a nightmare about an encounter with certain… terrifying… monstrous… s-star covered beast……" said Trixie, a little fear worming its way into her voice. Twilight saw the poor mare give a shudder at mention of the Ursa. She really couldn't blame the poor girl. Regardless, she was surprised as the mare magically created an image of herself running from an Ursa similar to the one she'd created during her original Ursa story at the magic show. "Say she noticed that the Mare In The Moon was still in her prison, or that her own Cutie Mark's colors were reversed, or that those two dumb colts that ruined her life weren't standing right next to her the whole time!" she said, almost shouting at the end, the images changing to match her words…the last of which being her about to hit a cowering Snips and Snails with a mallet. Trixie seemed to catch herself and cleared her throat, wiping away the last image.

"… Anyway, at that point, Trixie knows she's in a nightmare and can take control. So instead of running she-"

"Vanquishes the Ursa Minor?"

"Uh…no…"

"Major?"

"…Maybe…Anyway, do you understand, Twilight?"

Twilight nodded, finishing her notes. It actually made sense to some degree. And it was right up Twilight's alley, logic was of course on of her strong suits. But still, after everything Twilight tried, she was understandably unsure about the method, and Trixie was actually pretty good at making it interesting. "I've never heard something like that… Does it really work?"

"Has Trixie awakened screaming that one of those… c-creatures was trying to eat her?" asked Trixie, doing her best to maintain her theatrical manner.

Twilight blinked and shook her head. "No…"

"Well there you go. Trixie has used this trick since she was a little filly, it works every time. Trust me, Twilight, if it didn't work, Trixie wouldn't get any sleep," replied Trixie, trying to maintain her tone, but giving a yawn.

An angry growl came from nearby. Both girls looked over to see a rather cranky Spike glaring at them from his bed. "You're not the only ones not getting any sleep…"

"Sorry, Spike…" said Twilight, looking at her assistant sheepishly. She then looked over as Trixie climbed back to her bed. "Trixie…Thank you…You're actually a really good teacher."

"You're welcome, Twilight…And thank you as well… Goodnight…" replied the tired mare, slinking into her bed.

Twilight slinked back under her covers, giving a yawn. She really hopped this worked…
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Trixie snarled, scrubbing her mane for the second time this morning. She'd pretty much tried everything she could think of, but her mane was the same shade of pink it'd been since her tomato juice bath the previous day, as was her tail. Trixie just gave a sigh and gave up on that. "Oh well, at least I don't still smell like a skunk…" she stated in annoyance, the horrid stench still rather fresh in her memory. As were her own actions from the previous night.

Trixie gave a small sigh at the thought. "I never thought Twilight Sparkle and I would ever have anything at all in common, let alone that I'd be willingly helping her with the same problem that I used to have…or that I'd actually feel good about it…" she muttered, sure, being the center of attention to the point her "audience" was actually taking notes felt good…but that wasn't the ONLY reason it felt good, just the only reason she really understood. She thought back to her own similar experience that had made her sympathetic to Twilight's plight…
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"Trixie dear, what's wrong?" asked the elderly unicorn mare, looking down at the little filly in front of her, who was half asleep.

Trixie looked up at her with tired eyes. "…It's nothing, grandma, I-" she said, being interrupted by her own yawn.

"Trixie, don't try to hide something from your grandma, she can tell when something is wrong," said her grandmother, pulling the child closer to her.

Trixie gave a sad sigh. "…I've been having lots of nightmares about an Ursa Major attacking the town and trying to eat me…"

"Poor dear, no wonder you look so exhausted," said the wise old unicorn, nuzzling the child. "Want to know a secret for dealing with those kinds of dreams?"

"But daddy and big sister say-"

"I know, I know what your daddy and sister say, don't forget that I raised your daddy from a little colt, I know how he is. But I'm teaching you, not helping you, there's a difference. And she'll never admit to it, but I taught your big sister the same thing when she was your age."

Trixie looked a little confused, then nodded with a sweet little smile. "Alright, grandma! I'll listen!"

Her grandmother nodded with a warm smile. "Alright, now…it's pretty simple, really. When a dream starts, your mind crafts a world for it to take place in, but because it whips them up so quickly, there's always a glitch to find, find that glitch, and the dream is yours to control…"
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Trixie looked at her reflection, finding herself giving a small smile at her memory…

"You need to stop spending so much time around grandma, or you'll turn out just like her; weak and a failure. And you don't want that, now do you?"

Which turned to a frown quickly. Trixie turned away from the mirror with her head low.
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"Good morning, Trixie," said Twilight, seeming especially perky this morning as she made breakfast, Spike already eating some gems.

"Good morning…" said Trixie, blinking in surprise as she descended the stairs. "Trixie sees you are in a good mood, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight nodded, floating food to the table. "Yeah, your advice really worked; once I realized it was a dream, everything was fine," she stated, setting the table, keeping a rather large smile on her face. She couldn't help being in a good mood now that the nightmares that had plagued her for weeks were over. "I haven't had such a good night's sleep in weeks."

"Yeah, neither have I," added Spike, giving a small nod as he consumed another gem. Even if they'd got him up in the middle of the night, it was a relief that Twilight hadn't had a nightmare afterwards to disturb him again (and hadn't had a nightmare at all, for that matter). That and, even though he didn't want to admit it, her advice had helped him with some bad dreams too, involving his last birthday.

"Trixie is glad she could be of assistance," Trixie stated, taking her place at the table, quickly. She actually felt happy hearing that it'd worked…Then shook it off as best as she could. "Trixie… Trixie merely didn't feel like being disturbed every night is all…" Trixie explained, doing her best snooty look to cover for herself.

Twilight frowned slightly. 'It's alright, Twilight, remember how hard it was for you to finally make friends…' she thought, knowing she'd been quite antisocial herself before moving to Ponyville. "Well whatever your reason, I really owe you one…"

Trixie nodded slowly and grinned. There were a great many things that ran through her head at that moment… "Twilight, just to clarify, when you say you owe Trixie one…"

Twilight sighed with an annoyed look. "No, I can't ask Princess Celestia to make you the royal court magician."

Trixie pouted. "Oh well, it was worth a shot…" she muttered under her breath. Though truthfully, she kind of felt glad that was the case. And also truthfully, even Trixie didn't even know why she did, she'd certainly WANTED to be a royal court magician. Whatever it was, for some reason asking such a thing didn't seem proper right now.

"Hey, if she'd do something like that, don't you think Rainbow Dash would be a Wonderbolt by now?" asked Spike.

"Good point…Well will you at least tell Trixie one thing?"

"What?"

"…Did Fluttershy really outstare a Cockatrice?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, it ambushed me and turned me to stone on the way to a friend of mine who lives in the Everfree Forest…I think a snail crawled on my eye…" she said, giving a shudder. Discord was right; being turned to stone was NOT fun. "Anyway, she saved a group of fillies from the darn thing and got it to turn me back to normal. If it weren't for her, who knows how long I'd have been a statue."

Trixie's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Told you so," said Spike with a chuckle.
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Scootaloo rode her scooter at top speed towards her and the other Crusader's clubhouse, wings flapping to provide propulsion. She couldn't wait for what they were supposed to do today, none of them could. She wouldn't stop for anything!

"Hey, Scoots!" called a familiar voice.

Except that.

Scootaloo skidded to a stop, looking up to see Rainbow Dash flying above her. "Hey, Rainbow Dash!" called the little filly, ecstatic to have her idol call for her, no matter what the reason.

Rainbow Dash descended, flapping her wings one last time to soften her landing. She gave the filly a smile. She could always count on Scootaloo, her number one fan. "Hey, could you do me a little favor?"

"Sure, Rainbow Dash! Anything!"

"Alright, you know Trixie?" asked Rainbow, seriously.

Scootaloo gave a growl. "That bully who did that awful stuff to you and Sweetie Belle and Applebloom's sisters? What about her?"

Rainbow Dash nodded, glad at least Scootaloo agreed with her. "She's staying with Twilight, I think she's got everypony else fooled."

"But not you, right?"

Rainbow gave a nod. "Yeah, not me. I've been keeping an eye on her, but I've got some work to do to prepare for the storms we're gonna be getting from that tropical storm. You and the other Crusaders are going to Rarity's, right?"

Scootaloo nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm going to meet up with Applebloom to head over there, why?"

"Well Trixie's got a job working there today, mind keeping an eye on her for me while you're there and telling me what she's up to?"

Scootaloo didn't hesitate and nodded quickly. "Of course, Rainbow Dash, and I'm sure Applebloom will too. After all, Trixie hurt her big sis too."

Rainbow smirked and ruffled the little Pegasus' mane. "I knew I could count on you, thanks," she stated, then flapped her wings to get back into the air. "See yah later, Scoots!" she called, giving a salute and flying off to do her job.

Scootaloo returned the salute. "I've got a mission from Rainbow Dash! And who knows, maybe I'll get a spying Cutie Mark," she said, wondering what one would look like briefly, before remounting her scooter and taking off for the clubhouse.
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"Twilight, Trixie doesn't like this…" said Trixie in a nervous tone as they stood outside Carousel Boutique.

Twilight looked back to Trixie. "Why not?"

Trixie looked at Twilight like it was obvious. She then pointed to her pink mane and tail.

Twilight gave a slightly annoyed sigh. "Trixie, Rarity is not going to make fun of your mane, she's not like that!"

"Twilight, Trixie knows you think the best of your friends, but do not forget the most interaction she's had with this unicorn was turning her mane into a disgusting green mess in front of the entire town!"

"Trixie, Rarity is a lot of things, but one thing she'd never do is insult somepony's bad hair day."

Spike nodded, riding on Twilight's back. "Yeah, Rarity isn't like that… Hey wait, if you could do that to Rarity's mane, how come you can't just use magic to fix your hair?"

Trixie sighed, giving a slightly embarrassed look. "Trixie didn't exactly study that kind of magic beyond how to make somepony's hair a mess… Her main reason for knowing it was to humiliate ponies in her act, so she never saw reason to learn more of that particular type of magic."

"Well don't worry, I'm sure that Rarity won't make fun of you," said Twilight in as reassuring a voice as she could manage. "And if you don't want to, there's foalsitting the Cakes' month old foals with Pinkie Pie."

"Hmm…What kind of foals?"

"A unicorn filly and a pegasus colt."

"Unicorn and pegasus foals…" said Trixie, giving it consideration. "…Are they in that stage?"

"Sporadic magic surges and periods of flight instincts kicking in? Yeah…"

"And Pound Cake is a really strong little colt," explained Spike, looking over to the mare.

"…Trixie will pass, besides, her nose still hasn't recovered from yesterday's skunk incident, she'd prefer not to have to change dirty diapers…" Trixie added, giving a disgusted face at the thought.

Spike blinked and nodded. "I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Trixie on that one, Twi'."

Twilight nodded. "Considering I spent yesterday cleaning up a stink bomb, I know how you feel," she replied, giving a likewise disgusted face. "Besides, I think Pinkie has it covered."

Trixie then gave a sigh of defeat. "Trixie will work for Rarity…. But if Rarity makes fun of her mane, Trixie will say she told you so…repeatedly and at length."

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes, then opened the door slowly with her magic and blinked in confusion at the sight inside.

"Now Applejack, you must see the need for proper attire for such a gathering," pleaded Rarity in an annoyed tone.

"And just what is wrong with how Ah dress?" asked Applejack, rather sharply, glaring back at the unicorn. "Ah don't need no big poofy gown just to show off some apples."

Twilight looked to Sweetie Belle, who was simply watching from nearby. "What's going on?"

"Rarity and Applejack are fighting over some fair in Canterlot," explained the little unicorn filly, looking a little upset. She was no stranger to this, but that didn't mean she liked it.

"Applejack, this is a Canterlot fair, not just any old country fair," replied Rarity, importance in her tone. "You had no problem dressing up proper for the Grand Galloping Gala or Twilight's birthday party."

"Uh, girls," said Twilight, trying to get their attention as Trixie merely watched, somewhat amused, from the sidelines.

"That's 'cause those were big fancy gatherings in the Canterlot Ballroom, not a bunch of farmer ponies showin' off their crops."

"Girls…"

"But it's still in Canterlot, there are going to be tons of important ponies there, the judges are all going to be Canterlot ponies, they will expect you to look your best!"

"Rarity!"
"It's just a farm show, shouldn't how the apples look matter more than how Ah do?!"

"Applejack!"

"They're Canterlot ponies, Applejack, they expect everypony to look their best all of the time!"

"Girls!"

"Well that's just plain dumb!"

Twilight sighed in annoyance as the two continued to argue. She looked to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, would you please get their attention?" she asked, seriously.

Trixie raised her eyebrow as the filly nodded, causing Twilight and Spike to cover their ears. "What's going on?"

Sweetie Belle inhaled deeply. "SIS! APPLEJACK! TWILIGHT WANTS YOU!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, which finally got the two arguing pony's attention.

Trixie just stared wide-eyed in shock, ears ringing before she shook her head to clear it. "My…Trixie didn't expect such a little filly to have such a loud voice…" she stated, looking over to see Sweetie Belle smiling like a little angel, in fact, she was pretty sure she even saw a halo.

Spike chuckled, uncovering his ears. "Just wait until we get all three of them together."

Trixie's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, three of them?"

Twilight nodded to Sweetie Belle with a smile. "Thank you, Sweetie Belle," she said, giving the filly a grateful look, before looking to her two friends and giving them a small glare.

Applejack scratched the back of her head in embarrassment while Rarity gave an ashamed sigh. "I am sorry for being so rude, Applejack… But I was not joking, in Canterlot, appearance is important. The ponies there judge very heavily based on how you look. I only wanted to help make sure you did the best in the fair you possibly could. I know how important it is to you and your family."

Applejack nodded, lowering her head in embarrassment. "Yeah, Ah'm sorry too. Ah guess Ah was just bein' a bit stubborn. Yah know Canterlot a whole lot better than Ah do, after all. And you were able to make me a good dress before, Ah reckon yah can do it again. Just nothin' too girly, alright?"

Rarity nodded, giving a small smile. "I'll do my best, Applejack, but right now, Trixie has come for her job and we have work to do, I will meet you on your farm after I'm done with work for the day."

Applejack nodded, heading out with nod. "Alright, Ah'll be seein' yah."

Rarity nodded, then looked to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, my sewing glasses are on the table in my bedroom, will you be a dear and very carefully fetch them for me?"

Sweetie Belle gave an enthusiastic nod. "Sure sis! I'll be right back!" exclaimed the filly, running off. Any opportunity to actually help Rarity as opposed to cause a gigantic mess wasn't something she wanted to mess up.

"Be careful!"

Trixie blinked, watching AJ leave before looking to Twilight. "Does that happen often? Those two bickering like that?"

Twilight nodded slightly. "Kind of, Rarity and Applejack have differing opinions on a lot of things."

"How do you put up with it?" asked Trixie, a bit confused as she directed the question to both mares. These six used magical charms that literally ran on friendship; she would've expected them to be more…friendly.

"Applejack and I may not always agree on things, but I know Applejack is a true friend," said Rarity, levitating several finished dresses into position near the sewing machines. "She'll always have my back when I need it and I shall always have hers."

Twilight nodded in agreement, looking to Trixie. "Friends fighting doesn't mean they're not friends, it just means they've got a problem to work out. It's like I told Discord, friendship isn't always easy, but it's worth it no matter what."

Trixie looked confused about this for a second. Then she looked somewhat sorrowful. "…It must feel good to have ponies that care so much about you…"

Twilight frowned. "Trixie, is something wrong?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Oh! Nothing! Nothing is wrong, Trixie was just lost in thought is all," answered Trixie quickly, before looking to Rarity, desperate to change the subject. "What job will Trixie be doing?"

Rarity looked at Trixie, focusing solely on her for the first time since her arrival. "Well I need a little- Oh dear, Trixie, whatever happened to your mane and tail?"

Trixie sighed, having expected this. "Trixie, er…She had a rather…unfortunate encounter with a skunk yesterday…" she said, blushing with embarrassment before bracing herself for what she perceived as inevitable.

"Oh, that's quite unfortunate, tomato juice and white hair just do not mix," said Rarity, sympathetic in tone. "Well I will just have to do something to fix that, won't I?"

Trixie blinked in complete shock. "Say what?"

Twilight gave Trixie a reassuring look. "Trixie, Rarity is the Element of Generosity, remember? It's what she does."

Rarity nodded, giving a smile. "Quite right," she stated. "That is if I may do you this service, Trixie. I am not pitying you. Pink just clashes horribly with your coat; it isn't your color at all. And I am a fashionista after all; it is my duty to make ponies look fabulous."

Trixie hesitated. She'd tried everything she knew, was it wrong to let somepony whose job was fashion do a job that was theirs to do? And she'd rather not walk around Ponyville with pink hair if she could help it. That and if Rarity was going to try to take revenge, she might as well get it over with while her hair was a mess anyway. "Alright… You may try, Trixie supposes…" she said, closing her eyes. She felt the telltale feeling of magic rippling through her mane and tail. She carefully opened her eyes and looked in a mirror, fully expecting to find it the same messy green disaster she'd made Rarity's, instead finding her mane and tail not only their proper color. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, it looked better than ever.

Trixie looked at Rarity in complete shock. "You… You actually did it…"

"Of course, why ever would I not?" asked Rarity, giving a genuinely confused look.

"Why…why not?" asked Trixie, completely shocked. "I called your mane a rat's nest, goaded you into a rigged contest, turned your hair into a disgusting green mess, humiliated you in front of the entire town, and then bragged about doing it! And before that I publicly humiliated two of your best friends!"

"Which you also bragged about," added Spike simply, looking through a pile of discarded gems Rarity set aside for him. She normally let him have the gems that she couldn't make use of herself.

"Exactly!"

"Yes, you did do all that," said Rarity, giving a small glare, which then turned into a small smile. "But I would never willingly defile another mare's mane, especially not that of a friend."

Trixie's eyes went wide in shock. "F-friend?!"

Rarity nodded sincerely, no hint of falsehood anywhere. "You're a friend of Twilight's, I think that much is clear. No matter what you did to me, I trust her judgment; if she's chosen to trust you as her friend, then I see no reason I shouldn't as well. Besides, circumstances have punished you far more than what you deserved; doing anything more to you now would be cruel. I think we should just let bygones be bygones."

"Here you go sis!" called Sweetie Belle, stampeding into the room and tripping, sending her sister's glasses failing into the air, which were thankfully caught telekinetically by the older unicorn.

"Thank you, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity, hurrying over and helping her little sister up. "Now do please try to keep out of the way, I know you mean well, but sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth."

Sweetie Belle blinked in confusion. "I thought you were making dresses."

"It's an expression, it means having too many ponies working on one thing, even if they're all good at it, can cause it to turn out badly," explained Rarity, trying to be gentle with her baby sister. Even if Sweetie Belle tended to cause more harm than good in the boutique, she didn't want to outright tell her she couldn't help because of it. "And Trixie needs this job, you understand? Plus I am trying to get finished early to spend time with you later."

Sweetie Belle gave an understanding nod, though looked a little disappointed. "I understand, sis..."

Trixie looked to Twilight in surprise. "Twilight… You consider me-er- Trixie your friend?"

Twilight nodded sincerely, giving a warm smile to the unicorn. "Yes, Trixie, I do. I admit, I wouldn't have been the first one to say it a few days ago, but now that I've actually gotten to know you, I honestly consider you a friend. Especially after how you helped me last night."

Trixie looked conflicted and uncertain as Twilight said that. Desperate to change the subject to something less awkward, she looked to Sweetie Belle. "T-Trixie didn't know Rarity had a little sister…"

Twilight nodded, allowing Trixie to change the subject. "She doesn't live here, but she visits a lot. Her name's Sweetie Belle."

Trixie watched Rarity nuzzle her little sister and vice versa, they looked very happy together. Trixie's ears lowered in sadness as she watched the happy siblings. She shook it off as best she could. She walked over. "R-Rarity… What job should Trixie do?"

Rarity turned and looked to Trixie. "It's quite simple," she said, showing her to a sewing machine. "Simply stitch these patches onto these dresses," she explained, showing patches with symbols on them and a number of very beautiful dresses, each decorated with gems of all types, as was Rarity's style. One was essentially covered in sapphires. "They're labeled by names and the dresses have an outline where the patches go, so if you pay attention, nothing should go wrong," she explained, having been extra careful to make sure nothing went amiss. She'd normally only do work herself, but in this case, she'd make an exception. "I need to get this work done quickly; I have a client coming by to pick up their dress later today. Then I have to help Applejack prepare for a very important fair in Canterlot afterwards so I can take Sweetie Belle and her friends on a camping trip," she said, giving her little sister a smile.

"Camping?" asked Trixie, surprised clear in her face that. "Isn't that a little…dirty for your tastes? Last time Trixie saw you, you ran for the hills from having your hair a little messed up."

"It is a tad unclean, and I don't particularly enjoy getting dirty," admitted Rarity, before looking to her sister. "But my sister matters more to me than getting my hooves a little muddy."

Sweetie Belle nodded, smiling up at her big sister. "Rarity and I do stuff like this all the time!… Well, ever since the Sisterhooves Social."

Twilight saw Trixie's confusion at mention of the Social. "It's a yearly competition between teams of sisters at Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Belle and Rarity came in second last time…is something wrong?" she asked, noticing Trixie looking rather upset and distant at that mention.

"Oh… N-nothing, n-nothing wrong, T-Trixie was simply lost in thought…again," said Trixie, shaking it off.

"Wait, I thought you were Trixie…" stated a rather confused Sweetie Belle.

"That's right," said Trixie, looking back at the confused filly with a raised eyebrow.

"Then why do you keep talking about yourself like you're another person?" asked Sweetie Belle with a raised eyebrow of her own. Trixie wasn't sure she was mimicking her or just equally as confused.

"Trixie speaks in the third person, Sweetie Belle," explained Rarity, looking to her little sister.

That just caused Sweetie Belle to look even more confused. "But there's only one of her!"

Rarity gave a sigh, but understood her little sister was still a filly. "Third person means she talks about herself like she's a different person, like how when Princess Luna was here she called herself 'we' instead of 'I', it's just a specific manner of speaking."

"Oh…" said Sweetie Belle, before giving a small smile. "Ok, I think I get it…That's actually kind of cool!" she exclaimed, much to Trixie's visible surprise.

Rarity then turned to Trixie. "Shall we get to work?" she asked, heading over to the sewing machine and getting to work, floating her sewing glasses onto her face.

Trixie went over and her jaw dropped when she saw the names listed. "Sapphire Shores?! Hoity Toity?! Spitfire?! Octavia?!" she exclaimed in utter disbelief. "You… You're making dresses for all these famous ponies?!"

Rarity gave a slightly prideful nod. "Yes, I get quite a few famous clients here, though Hoity Toity ordered designs in bulk for his new fashion line, second year in a row, so he's got quite a few. And Sapphire Shores is a regular customer, that's why I always keep a big supply of sapphires around. I must also admit that I was recommended to Octavia by Pinkie Pie of all ponies, I didn't even know the two knew one another."

"She's also a personal friend of Fancypants," bragged Spike, standing as close to Rarity as he possibly could, Rarity didn't mind either action.

"F-Fancypants?! The Fancypants?!" asked Trixie, jaw dropping almost to the floor.

"Well personal friend may be a tad strong, but I do know him quite well," said Rarity, smiling lightly at Spike. "But be that as it may, we have work to do, Trixie," she stated, before Spike's bragging gave the poor mare a stroke, as much as Rarity enjoyed it.

Trixie shook off her shock. "O-of course…" she said, going to the sewing machine and getting to work.

Trixie actually did fairly well at the work, much to Spike's surprise. "You know how to sew?" he asked, watching her work the sewing machines.

Trixie nodded slightly. "Yes, it's a useful skill for somepony who lives on the road to know. Trixie didn't have time to stop at a tailor every time a curtain or her clothing became torn or ripped. So it paid to have such a talent."

Spike nodded. "Well, you're good at it."

Trixie smiled proudly as she finished sewing another patch on. She set the dress back on its model so it wouldn't wrinkle. "Thank you, Trixie takes pride in her work."

"Well you're doing pretty good this time," said Spike, though naturally, having Rarity endorse Trixie had a rather sizeable say in his own opinion. "Where'd you learn?"

"Grandmother taught Trixie," explained the unicorn mare as she continued to work. "It was one of those things Trixie had no interest in at the time but she said would come in handy, and it most certainly has."

Spike gave a small nod. "Yeah…So…you learn a lot from your grandma?"

Trixie gave a true smile, as true a one Spike had seen her give to be honest. "Yes, Trixie did…" she said, continuing to work. She heard the same biting words clawing their way into her head again, but this time, she felt her mind becoming conflicted and decided to change her train of thought ASAP. "…Why has your opinion of Trixie changed so much, Spike?"

Spike blinked in surprise. "Uh…n-no reason, just thought I'd give you a chance is all…"

"Does this have anything to do with the fact a certain mare has accepted Trixie?" Trixie teased, she'd seen how the little dragon behaved around Rarity, hung on her every word as if they came from Celestia herself.

Spike looked shyly and blushed. "Well…maybe just a little…" he said, getting a little chuckle from Trixie.

"Wow, Rarity, your new line is beautiful!" said Twilight, who was now browsing through ALL dresses laid out.

Rarity smiled, continuing her work. "Thank you, Twilight, I've worked very hard on them all, all that's left is to sew these patches on," she said, concentrating more on her work than anything else until the thread ran out completely. "Oh, out of thread," she said, trotting out of the room to get more.

"Well I'm sure your clients will love them," replied Twilight, looking them over carefully as Rarity left the room, Twilight didn't notice.

"My big sister always makes great dresses," said Sweetie Belle, smiling from ear to ear with pride.

Twilight smiled down at the little filly. "She sure does," she said, happy to see Sweetie Belle brag about her sister. "So how are you and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders doing, my little pony?"

"We're good, we have a lot of fun," said Sweetie Belle, smiling widely. "Yesterday we tried being Cutie Mark Crusader Tennis Players."

"Really? How did that go?"

Spike looked over and noticed Trixie's long hair was resting on the very dress she was sewing. The mare hadn't had a manecut in quite some time and her hair had grown out a fair bit. "Uh, Trixie, you may want to-"

"You can relax, Spike, Trixie knows what she's doing," replied the unicorn, continuing as she was.

"But-"

"Trixie doesn't need any help, she can handle this!" replied Trixie, getting a little angry. She switched to the next dress, one with a checker board motif with the theme being rather regal. She began to sew on as normal… until she noticed the name on the dress tag, eyes going wide and a chill going down her spine. 'Her? N-no, it c-can't be…' she thought, then read the name again, her heart racing in terror. 'I-it is her!' She seemed to just freeze up, staring at the tag in fear.

Spike blinked. "Um…Trixie?" he asked, not getting a reaction. "Trixie?" he asked, putting his hand on her side, a tad concerned.

Trixie screamed in surprise, pushing the dress forwards sharply…and let out another scream as her mane got caught up in the sewing machine.

Spike cringed and covered his eyes. "I tried to warn yah."

Trixie's struggled, trying to pull her mane out of the machine, only succeeding in making the situation worse. Spike grabbed her tail and tried to help her pull her mane out of the device.

"…so we had a lot of fun, even if we can never go back to the tennis court again," finished Sweetie Belle with a smile to a rather confused Twilight. She then heard the ruckus from Trixie's accident and looked over. "What's going on?"

"Huh?" Twilight asked, looking in direction of the noise. She then saw Trixie's plight. "Trixie!" she yelled and ran over to her. Twilight grabbed Trixie and pulled, trying to help her dislodge her mane with Spike's help. Trixie's tangled mane finally gave way, causing her to stagger backwards and hit Twilight in the face with her hoof. Twilight was sent backpedaling and right through a window with a scream while Trixie continued backwards into a shelf, knocking it over into a bunch of manikins, which knocked one another over like dominos, setting off further chaos in the process.

Rarity walked back into the room as the resulting disaster ended. Rarity gave a gasp, looking around the ruined room in shock. "W-wh-what happened?" she asked in surprise and with a slight eye twitch. Her eyes then fell on Sweetie Belle with a slight glare.

Sweetie Belle blinked in confusion, before realizing what was going on, glaring in return. "Hey! It wasn't me this time!" she exclaimed, her and Rarity jumping as the sewing machine burst into flames.
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Trixie looked down guiltily as Rarity fixed up her hair, the room still a disaster. "Rarity… Is Twilight alright?" she asked, honest concern in her voice.

Rarity nodded lightly, working on getting the tangles out and cutting some split ends. "She will be, don't worry. She just got a few scrapes and bruises, she's had worse. She's just going to the hospital to get checked out and make sure."

Trixie nodded, but looked almost sick to her stomach with guilt. "Looks like Trixie messed up again…" she said with a miserable sigh, leaning forwards and letting her forehead slam into the wall, not moving otherwise.

"Oh it's nothing, darling. Sweetie Belle has made bigger messes and I really need to stop setting up my shop in such a way that one little thing toppling over somehow sets off a chain reaction that wrecks the entire room…" said Rarity, trying to choose her words carefully. She knew Trixie didn't mean to do this; it was an accident and nothing more. But she could practically feel the mare's guilt, something she never thought she'd see from Trixie of all ponies. From the conflicted look on her face, Rarity doubted that the blue unicorn expected it from herself either. "Besides, you did get about a quarter of the dresses done, which is still a help…"

"The sewing machine burst into flames…" Trixie said in a completely deadpan voice, not moving her head from its spot resting against the wall.

"Oh that… D-don't worry, I've got another one and it was just because your mane clogged up the machinery…I think…" said Rarity, looking at the burnt up machine, and the burnt dress which she'd now have to remake. "But it does mean you can't do anything more today I suppose… But I shall pay you for the work you already did, I cannot blame you for an accident."

A knock came on the door, prompting Rarity to give a growl. "Oh what now?!" she asked, opening the door, only for an orange and yellow streak to fly by her.

"HEY RARITY!" yelled two excited fillies as they flew past the mare.

"Oh… Hello girls," said Rarity, getting a little nervous.

"HEY SWEETIE BELLE!" exclaimed Scootaloo and Applebloom, skidding to a stop in front of Sweetie Belle.

"Hey Applebloom! Hey Scootaloo!" yelled Sweetie Belle, smiling widely.

Scootaloo looked around the place. "Wow, it looks like a tornado tore through here!"

"Or an earthquake…" said Applebloom, likewise looking around.

"Or a tornado AND an earthquake…"

Both fillies then gave Sweetie Belle a look. She gave a glare back. "It wasn't me this time! Why does everypony automatically assume I was the one who wrecked Rarity's shop?!"

The two simply gave her a raised eyebrow.

Sweetie Belle got a sheepish look in response. "Oh yeah…But how was I supposed to know what the red button did?!"

"It was a wrecking ball! What else was it supposed to do?" asked Scootaloo with a small glare.

"I didn't know we were in one! We were supposed to be Cutie Mark Crusader Basket Weavers!" replied Sweetie Belle with a glare of her own. "Not Cutie Mark Crusaders Demolition Ponies!"

Applebloom blinked, giving a perplexed look. "Yah know, she's got a good point… How did we even end up in that thing anyway?"

Scootaloo was about to respond but blinked, rubbing her head in confusion. "I don't know…"

"Well, yah got bored and said basket weavin' was dumb, then there was that bird..." said Applebloom, cringing at that part along with the other two.

"Fluttershy wasn't too happy about that..." reminded Sweetie Belle in a sheepish tone.

"Yeah, I was afraid she'd use the Stare on us..." muttered Scootaloo with a nod.

"And Ah don't even know how that one ended with us covered in tree sap..." said Applebloom, rubbing her head in confusion.

Scootaloo nodded. "Ever notice that a surprising amount of our Cutie Mark attempts end with us covered in tree sap?"

Sweetie Belle nodded, equally as confused. "Yeah…But it really wasn't me this time!"

Trixie sighed miserably, finally moving her head from the wall to look at them. "Trixie is afraid it was her fault…"

"Should've known it was you," said Scootaloo, glaring daggers at the mare. "See Applebloom! I told you so!"

"Ah guess you were right about her bein' trouble, Scootaloo," replied Applebloom, likewise glaring at her.

"Wait… Applebloom?" asked Trixie, blinking in confusion. She then cringed in realization. "Let Trixie guess… You're related to Applejack?"

"Yep, Ah'm her little sis."

"And you're still mad at Trixie for publicly humiliating her?"

"Yep, that's about right."

Trixie gave a sigh. "Of course…"

"Hey, don't worry about her," interrupted Sweetie Belle, trying to settle things down a bit. Truth be told, she really didn't see anything wrong with Trixie personally. She'd made worse messes of the shop herself. And Rarity forgave her after all, she can't be all bad. "Remember what today is?"

"Oh yeah," said Scootaloo, giving a wide grin.

"How could Ah forget?" asked Applebloom, smiling wide as well.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CAMPING TRIP WITH RARITY!"

Trixie was nearly knocked off her hooves by the massive yell of the trio of fillies and dazed for a moment by the volume of it. She shook her head to get rid of the ringing in her ears. "Now Trixie knows what Spike meant…"

"Um girls…" said Rarity with a sad look, trying to approach this as carefully as possible. "I'm afraid we may have to cancel the camping trip…"

"Aww, why?"

"Yeah, what's goin' on, Miss Rarity?"

"Yeah, sis, you promised!"

Rarity sighed miserably, trying not to look at the three hurt fillies looking up at her. "Well… I was really relying on Trixie's help to finish everything in time so we could go…" she said, not wanting to put the blame on the poor mare, any more than the trio already HAD. "And the sewing machine she was using…"

"Burst into flames…" muttered Trixie, lowering her head in embarrassment. Rarity couldn't help feeling she looked…scared.

"Yes… So I'm going to have to do everything myself," continued Rarity with a sad sigh. "I'm afraid we're going to have to cancel the camping trip…"

The three fillies all looked down in disappointment.

"But sis-"

"I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle, but I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do…" replied Rarity, looking sadly at her sister, heart practically breaking at the sad look in Sweetie Belle's eyes.

Scootaloo and Applebloom both gave Trixie a glare. "Gee, thanks a lot for ruining our day," spat Scootaloo bitterly, glaring straight at Trixie.

"Yeah, yah had to go and wreck our campin' trip! Yah have any idea how long we've been waitin' for this?!" asked Applebloom, anger clear in her voice.

"Now girls, you've got a clubhouse and I'm sure you can find plenty of things to do without bothering Trixie…it wasn't her fault, it was an accident," said Rarity in a stern tone. She noted Trixie seemed rather hurt by their words, something Rarity had never expected from her.

"Come on, girls, let's go," said Scootaloo with a growl, leading the way out of the shop, the other two following suit.

Rarity sighed. "I'm sorry about that, Trixie… I know it wasn't your fault…" she said, giving Trixie a sympathetic look.

Trixie looked up at Rarity. "Trixie isn't sure if it was or not, Rarity…" she muttered. "Trixie will leave you to your work…" she stated, heading out of the store with her head low.

Rarity shook her head. "I hope the poor dear will be alright," she said, looking around her ruined shop, which she'd have to fix up quickly as possible to be able to help Applejack in time. She went over the ruined dress. "Now which dress was this?" she asked, levitating the burned, but still legible tag. "Checker Monarch… Oh no! She's coming to pick it up today! I mustn't be late on this one, she won't tolerate tardiness on my part!" she exclaimed, getting to work on a replacement dress before she even finished the sentence.
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"I guess I'll just go back to the library and wait for Twilight…" muttered Trixie, trotting along with her head low. "…Why do I feel so rotten?" she asked, thinking about it long and hard. "This was an accident, I didn't do anything wrong…It's not my fault, why should I feel so guilty?" she asked lowly, her mind completely and utterly conflicted. "I have publicly humiliated dozens upon dozens of ponies all over Equestria, from Manehatten to right here in Ponyville, without any remorse…So why is it NOW that I feel like a complete and utter heel?" she asked, letting her long hair almost touch the ground. "And why did seeing I ruined those filly's play date…scare me?" she asked, remembering the chill that had gone down her spine at that point. Why had she managed to frighten herself doing that but none of the other things she'd done before had ever registered that way? "Is it because Twilight and Rarity are so kind to me?" she asked, thinking over the two mares who had declared her their "friend". "But that doesn't explain why I was scared when I found out I ruined those filly's camping trip with Rarity…Seeing her name makes sense, but…or maybe that's exactly why it scared me…"

She then heard voices coming from nearby. "Huh?" she asked, poking her head through a nearby bush.
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"Well this is just great, I told you that Trixie was no good!" said Scootaloo, her and the other Crusaders in a clearing.

"Yeah, you were right, Ah guess," replied Applebloom, kicking a rock. "Ah was really lookin' forwards to that trip too…"

"Wait, Rarity said it was an accident," said Sweetie Belle, trying to be the voice of reason if at all possible. "We shouldn't be mad at her for a mistake, should we?"

"Oh wake up, Sweetie Belle!" said Scootaloo, as if Sweetie was crazy. "Trixie is no good; she probably did it on purpose!"

"How do you know?" asked Sweetie Belle with a raised eyebrow.

"'Cause Rainbow Dash told me!" replied Scootaloo, proudly. "She told me Trixie's got the others fooled, but not her!"

"Besides, Sweetie Belle, ain't yah sore with her for hurting your sis?" asked Applebloom, confusion clear in her voice.

Sweetie Belle looked a little confused. "Well…yeah, I guess…Anyway, what are we going to do now?" she asked, trying to change the subject before they went too far down that path.

"Simple," said Scootaloo, smirking rather mischievously. "Rainbow Dash showed me this really neat spot; let's just go camping on our own!"

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" replied Applebloom, giving a smile.

Sweetie Belle thought about it for a second and nodded. It sounded like a decent idea to her. "Yeah, let's do it…Where's the spot?"

"In the Everfree Forest."

"The Everfree Forest?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle and Applebloom at the same time.

"Scootaloo, that forest is full of all kinds of monsters," said Applebloom, giving a shiver at her memory of past adventures there. "What makes you think campin' there is a good idea?"

"Oh don't be scared, Rainbow Dash showed me the trail, I know how to get us there easy," said Scootaloo in a confident tone reminiscent of the rainbow haired mare herself. "What's wrong, you two chicken?"

"No! Ah ain't chicken!" replied Applebloom, glaring. Nopony called an Apple Family pony a coward.

Sweetie Belle looked apprehensive, once more trying to think with common sense. "You're sure you know the way?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah, like the back of my hoof! And everypony knows the monsters in the Everfree Forest don't come out until after dark! Why do you think Twilight always goes to visit Zecora during the day?"

"Ah guess that makes a good bit of sense…" said Applebloom, still thinking about it. "Alright, let's go…"

Sweetie Belle hesitated a moment before nodding. "Sure, I guess it'll be alright…But we don't stay after dark, ok?"

"Sure, we'll be out before dark, promise," said Scootaloo, smiling. The two others nodded.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CAMPING TRIP! YAY!"

The trio gleefully trotted off on their way.
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Trixie fell backwards outside the bush as the fillies screamed, still unseen by the trio, ears once again ringing. "They're going into the Everfree Forest?!" she asked aloud, thinking about it with dread. She gave a shiver, remembering one specific creature there more than anything else. She then shook it off as best she could "Oh well, I'm… I'm sure everything will be fine…They know the way, what's the worst that could happen?" she asked aloud, trying to settle herself if at all possible. She then resumed her path towards the library. "They're just three fillies going camping in a forest… They're just going camping, that's all…alone…in a dark…unnatural…deadly…monster infested forest…" she muttered to herself, getting more and more apprehensive with each word, dread building in her heart.

Trixie gave a sigh and turned around, heading after the trio. "Of all the days for me to start actually caring about somepony else's well being…" she muttered, following the girls towards the Everfree Forest.

Comments

[tubaguy]

when twilight said "That's what she does"
I thought "Crabcakes and lawnmowers, that's what maryland does"
I've been brainwashed by Nitro Circus

[Thespurgin]

never let it be said that the CMC are not capable of defending themselves... They have the megashout attack.

Poor trixie... I hate seeing ANY MLP character despondent... well maybe save Gilda but even she isn't beyond salvaging.

[Shadow Raikou]

Chapter 4 art by Paraderpy

th09.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2012/032/c/3/trixie__s_lesson_by_paraderpy-d4ocjo6.png

[Csquared08]

Another solid chapter. I hope Trixie can save them in time...

[Nyn77]

Ouff, I feel sad for Trixie nao, very good writing and everything. 2 for it.

[rainbowstarthepony]

MAN! I hope nuten happens to Trixie

[Swashbucklist]

After that wreckage scene, I though things would go like this:

Rarity: "W-wh-what happened?"

Sweetie Belle: "Okay, I know this looks bad, but, right hoof to Celestia, this time it was everypony in the room BUT. ME."

[Flame Runner]

Nice chapter! And excellent art work as always!

[CommanderX5]

" Twilight sighed, lowering her head in sorrow. "I've done everything I can think of…" she said, her voice a little shaky. "Nothing works…" "

Oh come on, Twilight and her friends saved Luna from being Nightmare Moon, Luna rule dream world, would not it be good idea to ask Luna for assistance in this, pfff, Luna herself should come to back up Twilight and her friends in time of need, not only it is her duty as she call it, but also she own them a lot. ( Episode with Scootalo and RainbowDash on camp prove it ).

" "It is a tad unclean, and I don't particularly enjoy getting dirty," admitted Rarity, before looking to her sister. "

If I remember in episode with camp, Rarity forced Sweetie bell ( or tricked her ) into hauling all Rarity stuff and doing all hard labour for her, heh, stuff Rarity make her carry all around was more heavy then Tom Rarity and Twilight carried when Discord attacked.

So yea, I totally not liked Rarity in this episode, and from this episode I call Sweetie Bell, Sweetie Bot, she is so strong and tired-less.

[Kurtispj]

Damn. This is the point where Trixies third person use starts to be unreadable. Otherwise, I like the writing. Good luck with any other stories.

[Duke Moon]

Chapter 4

Note: You tend to end your sentences with commas sometimes. It's really no big thing but its something to point out.

"Oh, it's nothing… Just when we were being threatened by a bunch of monster trees in Everfree Forest, Pinkie said something like that and burst into song spontaneously," recounted Twilight, then saw Trixie giving her a raised eyebrow. "Nightmare Moon used illusions to try (to) scare us off (and )Pinkie tends to explain beneficial insights she has with random musical numbers…along with how to make cupcakes…"

Rainbow gave a nod. "Yeah, not me. I've been keeping an eye on her, but I've got some work to do to prepare for the storms we're gonna be getting (from that tropical storm)<---omit this part.. You and the other Crusaders are going to Rarity's, right?"

Twilight nodded slightly. "Kind of(.) Rarity and Applejack have differing opinions on a lot of things."

Trixie hesitated. (She'd tried everything she knew, )<----dont know about this one. was it wrong to let somepony whose job was fashion do a job that was theirs to do? And she'd rather not walk around Ponyville with pink hair if she could help it. That and if Rarity was going to try to take revenge, she might as well get it over with while her hair was a mess anyway. "Alright… You may try, Trixie supposes…" she said, closing her eyes. She felt the telltale feeling of magic rippling through her mane and tail. She carefully opened her eyes and looked in a mirror, fully expecting to find it the same messy green disaster she'd made Rarity's(.) (I)nstead (finding)<---(she found) her mane and tail (were) (not only)<---omit this.... their proper color. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, it looked better than ever.

"Does this have anything to do with the fact a certain mare has accepted Trixie?" Trixie teased, she'd seen how the little dragon behaved around Rarity, hung on her every word as if they came from (Princess) Celestia herself.

Note: I think you should mention that Spike went to the hospital with Twilight.

I sent these corrections to Kendell2.

[SilverShimmer]

"Wow, Rarity, your new line is beautiful!" said Twilight, who was now browsing through ALL dresses laid out.
/quote]

All caps wasn't really necessary here.

[Forlong]

You could say the situation got...HAIRY!
dash.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/132907967893.png

[Godiswithus3]

I gotta say that I literally felt Trixie's pain when she realized that not only had she accidentally hurt Twilight and caused property damage in the Carousal Boutique, but that she is responsible for cancelling the camping trip Rarity had with the fillies. I was down during that whole scene.................

on another note:

Trixie gave a sigh and turned around, heading after the trio. "Of all the days for me to start actually caring about somepony else's well being…"

Yep. That always seems to happen. When a character starts to redeem themselves and start caring about others, circumstances gets thrown at them to test their newfound virtue, and it looks like Trixie will have her time to shine. Yay. (sarcasm)