Tall Timber. Snow Peak. Icicle Pop. Cindy Spruce. Mud Tail. Fleethoof. Six ponies unaccounted for at the emergency meeting. Six ponies who would probably never be seen again. Six ponies that had been the subject of a month long search. Those six ponies who came to Trixie every night. Not to berate or insult the one who had failed them, but merely to ask the simplest of questions. Why couldn't you save us?

Trixie had been spending each night of the last three weeks in a tent. The search for the plant which had taken their friends had spread from the borders of the Frozen North, to Smokey Mountain in the south. Even to the very last day, she clung onto the distant hope that a single shred of evidence as to their whereabouts would turn up. But it never did.

"Trixie, what are you doing?" Starlight found herself watching from the doorway as Trixie packed the few items she had into her saddlebags. She had only been back a few days, and that was due to sickness contracted by many of the ponies, including her. Now it seemed very likely that she was planning to leave, without even giving herself time to recover fully.

"Trixie... Is going to Canterlot." The first words that Starlight had heard from her friend in three days. And that was it. She planned to go to Canterlot. After how hard she had worked to make herself a part of Vanhoover, and especially so soon after the terrible incident, she was just going to leave. It didn't seem like Trixie at all to give up so easily.

"Look dear. I know that it's been hard. But I think Fleethoof would have taken it even harder if you were the one lost. He is a very strong pony, both in body and mind. I'm sure he'll find a way to come home. You need to have faith." Trixie snorted as her prized hat settled into place. This wasn't about redeeming herself, or trying to get over her guilt.

"Trixie isn't leaving because of what happened. She is leaving because of what might happen. She has been unable to save her friends twice now, that must change." The fact that she had suddenly begun referring to herself in the third person didn't seem right at all. Starlight could only move closer. There wasn't anything deeper than a close friendship between them, at least that they had decided on, but Trixie had been so caring of Thistle. It was hard to imagine going back to life without her friend.

The saddlebags were filled by then. Trixie seemed hesitant to get going however, staring down at her bed. "Trixie, listen. This wasn't an isolated incident either. Canterlot was attacked by an enormous one on the very same day. They found a small one in Ponyville, which already was almost impossible to defeat. And Manehatten, Fillydelphia, Los Pegasus, even Appleloosa have all had similar attacks. What you did that day saved Vanhoover from what could have been a far worse ending. We only lost six ponies, not sixteen or sixty."

Only six? Trixie could appreciate that Starlight was trying to get her to focus on the positive outcomes. But 'only' six was unfair. Only one would still be unfair. She could have saved every single one of them. But she didn't. When things had gone sour, did she try and change her life at first? She had given up and decided to sit under a tree in the rain. And the price for her laziness had now been paid.

She had a plan for the future, but Starlight deserved better than just watching her walk away. "I... Trixie may or may not come back. But she needs to learn how to use magic properly, and not just for party tricks. Until then, Trixie cannot guarantee the safety of anypony. And that's not good enough." The last words that left her mouth had a bitterness to them. Aimed at herself.

To her own surprise, she found her hooves around Starlight in a tight hug. It had been more instinct than thought. But it provided the comfort she so desperately needed at that time of decision. Another surprise came as she felt a weight on her back. She released her hold to look around properly, only to see that her saddlebags had been placed on her back already.

"Take care of yourself Trixie. If you feel this is what you need to do, then I wouldn't be a good friend if I tried to keep you from that." Neither pony wanted to let the moment devolve into awkward silence. So instead, they made their way outside. Starlight paused in the kitchen to give Trixie a few apples for her journey, joining her as she waited at the border of the town. "Good luck in Canterlot."

---

Luck was exactly what Trixie needed on her way to Canterlot. Magic School wouldn't be free, and even if it were she still needed enough funds to feed herself. So, her journey to the city was occupied with a variety of simple shows, as well as the odd job in towns she travelled through to earn whatever she could. It took her two months to reach the city itself however.

Canterlot had changed since the last time she visited. Of course, that had been when she purchased the infamous alicorn amulet, on a dark and rainy day. Today was very different. Not only was it a bright day, but there seemed to be some sort of celebration going on up at the castle. It didn't concern her. What did grab her attention was the long awaited sight of the school she would hopefully be attending.

"Big wedding going on, and they're from Ponyville of all places." Trixie jumped upon hearing the voice behind her. She turned with great haste, only to jump again. It was definitely one of the head teachers of the school, possibly the headmaster himself judging from the mark. What he said alerted her to just how odd Canterlot had felt. There was a noticeable lack of activity on the streets, most would probably be at that wedding.

"Oh, Trixie's apologies. She was not aware of any wedding, nor a meeting with one such as yourself. Trixie came to hopefully learn a few basic spells. And she has enough to cover the costs." She removed one of the money pouches from her saddlebag and presented it. The headmaster waved his hoof to her surprise. Had she misunderstood something about the payment?

"Your costs have been covered in advance. We received a letter from Vanhoover, along with the money, that informed us that you would be arriving." A range of confused expressions cycled through Trixie's face. Vanhoover... Oh Starlight, why do you have to care for everypony so much? Maybe she wouldn't have to get a job after all, which would allow for more time to study.

The sheer generosity of her close friend was still overwhelming to comprehend. "Well, Trixie had no idea that this had been done. But, if somepony else was generous enough to help cover Trixie's fee, then she'd like to put that to good use right away." Not a second concern for the wedding, beyond the fact that they were from Ponyville. Yet another sign pointing towards Twilight perhaps? Or just another painful reminder of just why she was there in Canterlot...

End of Part One.