“Are you sure that you’re up for this?”

Twilight Sparkle nodded. “The only way I’m going to understand these notes is by learning some illusionary magic. And who better to ask than a friend who specialises in the field?”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Trixie said. She straightened out her hat and stood tall before Twilight Sparkle. “Very well then. Trixie shall teach you the basics of illusionary magic. To begin, what is your current skill level?”

“I read some books back in Celestia’s school,” Twilight answered. “The subject was never in any of my classes so I didn’t focus so much on it, but now I’ve found this really interesting book that I can only understand if I know some-”

“Yes yes, Trixie heard you the first time. Then for your first test, please observe the Great and Powerful Trixie.” Twilight nodded her head and stared intently at her friend. “… So we’ll have to start from the very beginning.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked with a confused look. “What do you mean? Did I mess up or something?”

Trixie reached into her cape and pulled out a piece of black cloth. “For your first lesson, Trixie wants you to walk around Ponyville and go about your daily life with this blindfold on.”

Twilight’s confusion only grew. “Uh… I don’t see how that will-”

“Lesson one on illusionary magic,” Trixie said as she used her magic to apply the blindfold over Twilight’s eyes. “Illusions work by attacking the senses of the caster’s target. To break through one, you must hone all of your senses.”

“But I don’t want to break through one,” the now-blindfolded Twilight said as she looked up into the air. “I just want to know the basics of casting them.”

“Before Trixie teaches you how to cast them, she must first be satisfied that you can break them,” Trixie said in a serious tone. “Otherwise you may risk being trapped in your own illusion.”

“Well, that does sound bad…” Twilight shifted her head left as she heard the sounds of giggling. “So you’ve cut off my sight so that I can build up my other senses? But that will take too long!”

“You’d be surprised,” Trixie returned. She used her magic to spin Twilight around. “Now get going. Trixie will check on your progress one week from today.”

Twilight slowly lifted a hoof forward, followed by another, and another, as she gradually made her way back towards Ponyville.

Trixie turned to her other two pupils struggling to lift weights on their backs behind her. “Alright, that’s enough warming up for you two,” she said as she lifted the weights off of the two colts, causing them to sigh in relief as they collapsed to the floor. “Today, Trixie will send you on a scavenger hunt.” Trixie levitated two sheets of paper towards the two foals.

“A scavenger hunt?” Snips asked.

“Can we rest first?” Snails followed.

“Yes, and no. As you can see the riddles are so simple that even the two of you should find zero difficulty solving them. The issue comes with obtaining the items at their locations, which will require the use of a specific type of magic. You must figure that part out for yourselves.”

“Just… give us a minute…” Snips pleaded through haggard breath.

Trixie turned around to leave. “The last one to find me with all of their items will have to lift two times the weight you lifted today.” Trixie glanced over her shoulder to find the foals both running as fast as they could to their first locations. “Now that that is out of the way, the Great and Powerful Trixie has some business to attend to.”

SLURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP!

Rainbow’s eyes were fixated onto the space in front of her as she continued to drink the air remaining inside of her empty glass. The straw lifted as she clenched her teeth and she spat it out with a sigh. “This sucks…”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow bolted at the sound of her name being called and lifted her head to find Rarity looking cross as she held the previously discarded straw in her magic. “Honestly! I thought that you knew better than to litter!” The straw was levitated towards a nearby bin and deposited gently inside.

“Oh. Hey Rarity,” Rainbow Dash said as she settled back down into her seat. “What’s up?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Of course. Why d’you ask?”

“I can’t help notice that you’re looking a little ‘down in the dumps’.” Rarity used her magic to bring out a large couch from her side. “Would you like to borrow my dramatic fainting sofa?”

“No thanks. I’m fine, really.” Rainbow Dash noticed movement behind Rarity and tilted her head to find… “Is that Twilight?”

Rarity turned around and found the very purple alicorn in question wobbling towards them with a blindfold over her eyes. “Indeed it is. Though there’s… something different about her today.”

Twilight reached around herself with her wings as her head remained pointing skywards and her hooves stretched all around looking for suitable places to land. She heard giggling in front of herself and felt something hit her right foreleg and tripped face-first into the ground.

“Hey, watch it!” Diamond Tiara shouted as she turned to Twilight, who had climbed to her hooves and was dusting herself off. She and Silver Spoon immediately bowed. “Er, Princess Twilight.” The two foals quickly took off with excitedly squeals. “Oh em gee, she totally touched me!”

Rainbow Dash and Rarity both watched Twilight quizzically as she slowly walked past them. “… Okay, I’ll bite.” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and hovered to just in front of her friend. “What’s up, Your Highness?”

“Oh, hi Rainbow Dash!” Twilight waved as she looked to her left. She felt a pair of hooves shift her head so that she was facing directly forward. “Oh. Eheheh…”

“Whatever are you thinking, walking around with your eyes covered like that?” Rarity asked as she tugged at the blindfold with her magic, only to feel another force fighting back.

“No, don’t remove it! It’s part of my training!” Twilight said, bringing her hooves up to assist her magic holding the blindfold tight.

“Your ‘training’?” Rarity asked. “Twilight, dear, I thought you were over trying to read five books at once?”

“Yeah. Even you can’t read a book you can’t see,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I’m not training for that!” Twilight told them. “And clearly you’ve never heard of ‘brail’.”

“Then what’s this about?”

“I found a really interesting notebook written by Starswirl the Bearded’s son, Starswirl the Clean-shaven, that talks about the unity of magical elements to create a new type of spell capable of-”

“The version for non-eggheads?”

Twilight frowned. “I found a new notebook, but to understand some of what it talks about I need to have experience in illusionary magic, so I asked Trixie to teach me some of the basics.”

“And she sent you around Ponyville wearing a blindfold?” Rarity asked.

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. “It… sounded legitimate when she explained it to me…” Twilight quickly shook her head. “No, Trixie’s a friend, and friends trust each other! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to- OW!”

“Are you okay?!” Rarity asked as she rushed to her friend’s side. Twilight rubbed her head after colliding with the lamppost in the street and then shook off the pain.

“I’m fine,” she said as she wobbled forwards. “T-Totally fine! Don’t worry about it!”

“… This will end badly,” Rarity said. “Still, I suppose one cannot fault her for lack of devotion to her studies.”

Rainbow’s ears flattened. “Yeah… she’s totally determined, isn’t she?”

Rarity turned around and put a hoof to her chin. An idea presented itself to her and she took Rainbow’s hoof in her own. “Rainbow Dash, dear, I can tell that something is bothering you. Why don’t you come and tell me all about it, hm?”

“I told you, there’s nothing-”

“We can discuss it over cake.”

“… Well, maybe there’s a little something on my mind.”

Applejack lined up her shot, angled herself just right, rested her hind hooves against the bark of the tree and lowered herself. “This’s it,” Applejack said to herself. “Fifty-three apples on this one tree. An’ ah’m gonna get ‘em all with jus’ one buck, beatin’ Mac’s record and earnin’ me braggin’ rights for a whole week.”

Applejack pulled in her hind legs, aimed her kick over her shoulders and accounted for the wind. All conditions were perfect. All that was left was to buck-

“Hey Applejack.”

-Trixie’s face?! Applejack halted herself just short of her hooves making contact with the showmare’s features.

“W-What are you doing?!” a startled Trixie asked as she teleported to safety behind the tree.

“What am ah doin’?! Ah’m not the one blinkin’ in front of a buckin’ pony!”

“Well there’s hardly a need for that kind of language,” Trixie said.

“No, ah mean that ah was about ta buck that tree y’all are hidin’ behind!”

Trixie examined the apples on the tree and the buckets lined up beneath it. “… Well maybe you should warn ponies in advance. Wear some sort of uniform so they know that you’re working?”

“Or maybe y’all could just look before ya leap- … Y’all really are jus’ right for Dash,” Applejack sighed as she rubbed her head.

“Oh, right. Trixie came to talk to you about Rainbow Dash.” Trixie looked around. “She’s not napping around here, is she?”

“If she is, she’s bein’ sneakier than usual,” Applejack said. “Hasn’t come talk ta me, either. Somethin’ wrong?”

“Not… particularly.”

Applejack shook her head solemnly as Trixie’s eyes shifting and hoof scuffing the ground made her lie very apparent. “Y’all ever hear of the girl who cried ursa?”

Trixie’s eyes shot venom at the grinning farmer. “How long do you intend to use that against Trixie?”

“Jus’ so long as ya keep doin’ stupid things. C’mon, tell me what’s on yer mind. Ah should probably be takin’ a break ‘round about now anyway.”

Trixie sighed and gave a simply shrug as she used her magic to collect an apple from a nearby basket. “It’s an issue that even the Great and Powerful Trixie has been mulling over for some time now. Do you really think that you can help?”

“Do ah need ta point out ah’ve been in a relation a lot longer than you?”

“… Fair point.”

“Y’all will have ta pay for that,” Applejack said as Trixie took a bite out of her apple. A bit flew out of Trixie’s cloak and into Applejack’s hoof.

“Well, maybe it’s just Trixie’s imagination, but Dash has been acting rather off lately.”

“How d’ya mean ‘off’?”

“Distracted. Maybe even concerned? But when Trixie asks her what’s wrong and she says nothing, it doesn’t seem like she’s lying, but at the same time it still seems like something’s weighing on her mind.”

“Hmmm… Can’t say ah’ve noticed anythin’ out the ordinary. Maybe she’s jus’ tired?”

Trixie shook her head. “Her snoring has kept Trixie up at night. Trust me, she gets enough sleep.”

“Is there anythin’ else y’all have noticed?”

Trixie hesitated before answering. “Dash has been… acting distant, too… Trixie is worried- Well, more like concerned, just a bit-”

“What?” Applejack pushed.

“… Maybe Rainbow Dash is… losing interest in our relationship?”

Applejack’s eyes widened, before she quickly gave a reassuring smile. “Now ah’m sure that ain’t it.”

“Well it certainly seems that way sometimes,” Trixie huffed. “She acts distant, she doesn’t fully listen when Trixie speaks, and she always tries to end conversations before they can even begin.”

“Ah’m sure there is somethin’ on Rainbow’s mind, but ah don’t think y’all should be jumpin’ the gun like this.” Applejack tapped a hoof to her chin as she thought. “It ain’t like Dash ta jus’ leave y’all hangin’ if she does wanna… end things between ya, but then ah also can’t see her keepin’ quiet for this long about a problem.”

“It’s over between us, isn’t it?” Trixie asked as she glared angrily at the apple in her magic before taking an aggressive bite out of the fruit.

“What did ah jus’ say ‘bout jumpin’ the gun? Now you listen here. Ah’ve seen the way you an’ Dash have been gettin’ along an’ lemme tell ya, there’s more chemistry between ya than a… well, a chemical… reaction?”

“… Nice.”

“Point is, ah don’t know what’s goin’ on in Dash’s head, but there’s somepony that does.”

“Yeah? Who?”

“… Rainbow Dash?”

Trixie fell silent for a moment before clearing her throat. “Trixie knew that.”

“Now if there’s one thing ah’ve learned from mah own relationship with Rarity, it’s that ya should speak ta the other pony and tell ‘em your concerns, an’ then get them to share their own.”

Trixie slowly nodded. “Maybe you’re right, but-”

“An’ if they don’t wanna tell ya, ya nag an’ nag an’ nag and NAG…”

“Well Trixie has her own methods, but thanks for-”

“And then when that doesn’t work y’all whine an’ whine until FINALLY I cave in an’ tell her, even though it really wasn’t anythin’ big an’ was hardly even on mah mind! Honestly, ah’m a grown mare! Ah don’t need ya ta act like a mother towards me!”

Trixie backed away slowly. “Well then, the Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you for your time. Uh, I’ll just be going now…”

Trixie’s words went unheard by Applejack. “An’ enough with the hoofkerchief already! It was cute at first but now it’s jus’ annoying! Why wipe mah face when it’ll just get dirty again anyway?! An’ mah hat doesn’t need straightening every time there’s a simply gust o’ wind!”

“Big sis?” Applejack jumped and slowly turned around to find Apple Bloom staring at her.

Applejack’s face flushed red and the sound of a clock ticking echoed in her head as time seemed to halt for the farm mare. “… Ah’ll take one week of yer chores if ya forget what ya jus’ saw.”

Apple Bloom gasped in excitement, before quickly collecting herself and filing her hoof with a disinterested look. “Well, ah mean, sure. But ah’ll still remember what ah heard.”

“… Three weeks of chores.”

“Deal!” Apple Bloom turned and walked away with a spring in her step.

Applejack meanwhile slammed a hoof into her face and grumbled angrily. “Note ta self: stop talkin’ ta self.”

Rarity stirred her hot tea with her magic and blew into it gently, ensuring that it was just the right temperature before bringing the beverage to her lips. Sitting at the opposite end of the table, Rainbow Dash was downing the last of her second can of soda before wiping her lips and slamming the can onto the table with a refreshed sigh.

“Now then, what is it that’s troubling you?” Rarity asked as she gently lowered her teacup. “You may think of me as just a simple tailor, but I want you to understand that I am your friend and, though you may not realise it, plenty wise beyond my years. If you’re having any troubles, especially of a romantic nature, I would be delighted if you would come to me for help.”

“Uh… sure. Okay,” Rainbow Dash said in an unsure tone. “Actually, this does kinda have something to do with me and Trixie.”

Rarity leaned forward at almost the speed of light with stars in her eyes. “I knew it! Well then, let’s hear it!” Rarity felt her tail wagging and willed it to stop, causing her to realise what she was doing and to quickly pull back and regain her dignified air. “… So that I can help you, of course.”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Are you… just lookin’ for some gossip?”

“Why, whatever do you mean?” Rarity laughed as she waved her hoof dismissively. “Rainbow Dash, you can be so silly!”

Rainbow Dash leaned back with a frustrated groan. “I knew it wouldn’t be this easy. Maybe I should just go talk to Applejack…”

“Now hold it right there!” Rarity demanded, stomping a hoof onto the table. “I am the leading authority on romance in this circle of friends! If you are having troubles with your love life, you should always come to me first!”

“It’s not even about Trixie!” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s about… the Wonderbolts…”

“The Wonderbolts?” Rarity gave her friend a deadpan look. “Rainbow Dash, dear, I know that you spoke about dating all of the Wonderbolts at one time, and I didn’t think I’d need to tell you this, but that’s simply not going to happen.”

“It’s not that,” Rainbow Dash told her friend in a flat tone. “And you don’t know that,” she added in a mumble.

“Then what is it?”

“Well… Okay, here’s the deal: the course I’m on now is the slow one, right? Four years at the least is the minimum requirement before I can take the final initiation test into the Wonderbolts, and I go up there every weekend. The faster course is only a year long, but to do that, I need to spend all of my time at the academy.”

Rarity nodded her head as she listened to Rainbow Dash’s story. “Is that so? I never knew that.”

“And, well, I’ve been thinkin’ lately… that at the rate I’m goin’ now, it’ll be a long time before I become a Wonderbolt. But joining them has been my dream for as long as I can remember! I swore I’d be a Wonderbolt right after I left flight school, but now I’m almost twenty-three and I’m still just a weatherpony!”

“Well there’s certainly no need to rush things, darling.”

“Isn’t there? The Wonderbolts take only three new ponies every year, and each time they do the expectations from new recruits get higher. Looking around, all of my friends are already living their own dreams, and I’m still stuck teaching teenagers the difference between a raincloud and a thundercloud!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that we’ve all met out dreams yet,” Rarity argued. “Why, I’m still a long way from living in the Canterlot Royal Palace with my dear, sweet Prince Charming.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you with Applejack?”

Rarity flicked her mane with a huff. “What, a mare in a relationship can’t still dream?”

“… Anyway, you might not be at the top of the ‘fashion world’, but you’re still getting your name out there to big-time ponies like Photo Flash and Who’s-it-Toity, and even that Prancypants guy.”

“Rainbow Dash, if I’m going to help you, I’ll have to ask that you stop making a mockery of the world I live in.”

“Even Pinkie Pie takes her dream seriously. She moved away from the family she loves so that she could be somewhere that’s easier to do… what she does. Fluttershy poured her savings into the land she built her cottage on, just so she could be near her animal friends, Applejack gave up good money for her apple bucking, and Trixie kept fighting on her own for a full year without giving up her travelling showmare gig.”

“Though that did lead to her almost being possessed by an evil ancient artefact and almost declaring war on Princess Celestia.”

“And then seeing Twilight today just made me wonder: how far am I gonna go for my dream? How much do I really care about being a Wonderbolt?”

Rarity paused for a second before leaning in and motioning for Rainbow Dash to continue. “Well? How much do you care?”

“Like I said, it’s been my dream for as long as I can remember. It still is.”

“But now there’s something in your way,” Rarity surmised.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “I only came to Ponyville to get a part-time job and work up some money after my dad cut me off. Bit of a… rebellious phase, back then. But the longer I stayed here, the more fun I had. Everypony welcomed me almost immediately, the mayor had been such a riot with town events, and I kinda liked hanging with my team when shifting the weather. If I take the fulltime course, I’m not gonna be able to come back to that for a full year! It might not seem like that long, but…”

Rarity waited until she was sure that Rainbow Dash was finished. After taking the last sip of her tea and lowering her cup, Rarity spoke up. “Well, one year away from your friends is certainly a long time. I can fully understand why you would be hesitant to go. But if I may just offer my own opinion on the matter? Your friends, Rainbow Dash, will always be here when you return. Your dream, on the other hoof, might not wait for you.”

Rainbow Dash remained silent as she simply stared down at the table beneath her.

“I’ll admit that I was fortunate enough to be able to start up my business in my hometown, so I cannot say that I know what you are going through. But whatever decision you make, you will have my – and all your friends’ – full support.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head. “But what about-”

“Trixie?” Rarity asked. “Yes, that would be where the biggest problem seems to lie, now wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, I cannot help you there. You must decide for yourself just how important your dream is to you.” Rarity extended a hoof to hold Rainbow’s. “But before you decide anything, I must insist that you speak with Trixie, first.”

Rainbow Dash looked down at the white hoof touching her own, and then looked up at the face owning that white hoof and nodded. “Yeah… Of course you’re right…” A nervous smile spread across Rainbow Dash’s face. “Heh. It’s strange. I was kinda hopin’ you’d talk me out of it.”

“Sorry I couldn’t have been more help, then,” Rarity said with a grin. “Would you like another refreshment while you take a moment to think things through?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No thanks. I thought things through just now… and I need to go find Trixie. Thanks again, Rarity.”

“Not a problem,” Rarity said as she watched Rainbow Dash leave, hearing the sounds of her door opening and closing a few seconds later. “… That being said, if Applejack were to tell me she was going to leave for a full year, I know what my answer would be,” Rarity muttered to herself with a smile.

The Great and Powerful Trixie had felt like she had searched the entire country by the time she found herself outside of the town hall again, tired and out of breath. Rainbow Dash was known for napping on clouds so naturally she made sure to search high, too. Her rented balloon popped on a sharp weathervane and she had to drag the thing back to its owner and pay off the damage.

Rainbow Dash was also nowhere to be found on the ground, either, or at least not whenever Trixie had checked for her. Trixie wiped the sweat from her brow as she decided to take a break. “Think, Trixie… if you were a lazy featherbrain with your head in the clouds all the time, where would you be?”

“Right behind you.”

Trixie’s face fell as she turned around to see a less-than-impressed-looking Rainbow Dash floating above her with her forelegs folded. “… Trixie meant the other pegasus that she was looking for. Um… Rain… mo… Hash…”

“Uh-huh.” Rainbow Dash lowered to the ground in front of Trixie. “So, you were lookin’ for me?”

Trixie nodded her head slowly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has something that she wishes to discuss.”

“Yeah, I kinda do, too… Y’see-”

“Hold it!” Trixie reached into her cloak and pulled out a long sheet of paper from within. “Before you say anything, Trixie has compiled a list of reasons why you may wish to reconsider dumping her. Number one, Trixie is great.”

“Wait, wha-”

“Number two, Trixie is powerful.”

“Trixie, what’re you-”

“Number three, Trixie can cook. Number four, Trixie is cute.”

“Trix, I’m not-”

“Number five! Trixie has a funny sense of humour!”

“Trixie, I’m not dumping you!”

Trixie threw her list to the ground and glared venomously at Rainbow Dash with tears in her eyes. “Fine, throw away the greatest thing that ever happened to you! See if I care! … Wait, you’re not?” Trixie turned around and took deep, heavy breaths. “Oh thank Celestia,” she muttered to herself, taking her time to compose herself before turning back to face Rainbow Dash again. “… Trixie knew that. You’re too smart to do something so dumb.”

“Right…” Rainbow Dash deadpanned. She then gave the showmare a worried look. “Why would you think I wanted to dump you?”

Trixie, her face red and sweating, shifted her gaze for a few seconds from left-to-right. “It was… merely a theory to explain why you had been acting so distant lately. Almost like you were losing interest in the Great and Powerful Trixie, as ridiculous as that seems.”

Rainbow Dash gave a depressed sigh as her ears fell. “Darn it. I’m so dumb.”

“No arguments here,” Trixie agreed. “Then, you’re not losing interest in Trixie?” Trixie was answered by a hoof coming down onto her head. “Ow! W-What was that all about?!”

“That’s for being as dumb as me!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Look, I’m not losing interest in you. If anything, I like you more than when we first started goin’ out!”

Trixie was taken aback by the sudden confession. “Uh, Dash?” The showmare motioned with her eyes to look around, and Rainbow Dash obeyed.

When the pegasus found that many eyes were looking at the two of them, her face exploded a furious red colour. “L-Let’s go!” she shouted as she took to the air, grabbing Trixie beneath her and moving her to someplace else. “Use your spell!”

“Which one?” Trixie asked.

“The cloud walkin’ one!”

“Oh. Already done.”

Rainbow Dash set herself and Trixie down onto a nearby cloud, checking first to make sure that they were indeed alone this time. Satisfied, Rainbow Dash decided to continue where she had left off. “Look, Trix, I’m… sorry if I’ve been actin’ kinda weird lately, I’ve just had some stuff on my mind…”

“Things more important that the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Rainbow Dash didn’t respond, but the look on her face told Trixie everything. “Oh, this is serious. Well then, why don’t you talk it over with Trixie who, in her infinite wisdom, will help you however she can!”

“That’s just it,” Rainbow Dash said. “I need to talk to you. You remember what I told you about the Wonderbolts courses, right?”

Trixie nodded. “Trixie remembers. What about it?”

“… I… I’m thinkin’ I wanna… move to the fulltime course.”

Trixie simply stared for a few seconds. “Oh,” was all that she said after the awkward silence had passed.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Is that it? You do know what that means, right?”

“Trixie understands what it means, but if that’s what you want to do…”

“It is,” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s been my dream my whole life. I can’t let this chance slip by when I’m still young… I’ve gotta do this.”

“Then that’s all that there is to it.” Trixie leaned against Rainbow Dash, who reacted by wrapping a wing around the showmare, and closed her eyes. “Trixie will admit that a year without you sounds bad, especially after she had just started to get used to you.” Rainbow Dash gave a playful nudge at the comment. “But Trixie also knows what it is to pursue a dream at any cost… and also what it feels like to miss out on a dream.”

“Trixie…”

“That’s why… Trixie wants you to do whatever you feel is best.” Trixie felt her hoof shaking and she used her magic to lower the brim of her hat over her eyes. “Follow your dream. If you don’t because of me, I’ll just feel bad for the rest of my life…”

Rainbow Dash could only stare in wonder at the shaking mare leaning against her shoulder. She tightened her grasp around Trixie and leaned in closer with a smile on her face. “… Thanks,” she said in a soft, gentle tone. There was very little cloud coverage in the sky at that time, and the view of Ponyville from above, illuminated by the sun high in the sky, almost helped to steady Rainbow’s beating heart. “Hey, let’s stay like this for a bit, ‘kay?”

Trixie simply nodded her head, and the two sat there for a long time until the two of them fell asleep together.

“Alright, it has been one week now. You may remove your blindfold.”

Twilight reached her hooves behind her head and fiddled with the knot keeping the blindfold attached. To her left, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy were waiting in anticipation for the results. “I can’t believe she honestly went a full week without sight,” Rarity said in an amazed tone.

“Ah can’t believe this wasn’t jus’ some trick that Trixie was pullin’,” Applejack returned.

The blindfold came off and Twilight opened her eyes. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Trixie nodded. “Then I shall repeat the same test as before. First, observe Trixie.”

“I will, just as soon as you turn off your illusion,” Twilight said with a confident grin, surprising her friends beside her.

“An illusion?” Rarity asked, turning to face Trixie.

“It sure looks real enough,” Applejack said.

“It did to me, too,” Twilight admitted. “And that’s why I failed. Because I couldn’t tell that Trixie was using an illusion. But this time…” Twilight turned to her right, where she could just make out a shimmering shape staring at her with an impressed look.

“Very good,” Trixie said as she disappeared, the shape taking her form moments later. “Though don’t get too cocky, Twilight Sparkle. The Great and Powerful Trixie was merely holding back for your sake. Had it been her full power, you never would have seen through it.”

“It didn’t look like Twilight was acting cocky,” Fluttershy whispered to her friends.

“Ah think she was jus’ trying ta protect her ego,” Applejack whispered back, earning a nod from Rarity.

“Now then, for your next lesson, we shall-”

“Hey guys!” Everypony looked up to find a rainbow trail hanging in the air. Upon looking down Twilight took a step back as Rainbow Dash suddenly appeared in a cloud of dust in front of her. “I’m back! What’d I miss?”

“Twilight passed Trixie’s test and is movin’ onto the next part of her trainin’,” Applejack summarised, tipping her hat and sending a smile to the pleased-looking alicorn.

“Way to go, Twi!” Rainbow Dash said as she offered the princess a hoofbump. “Though I knew you’d do it. You have a knack for magic, after all.”

“Well, I wouldn’t quite put it like that,” Twilight said, her face beginning to flush red as she rubbed her forehooves together. “Though I guess it’s an accurate statement, given my cutie mark… and my degrees in Magical Theory and Magical Practice from Celestia’s School…”

“Hey, bragging is Trixie’s department!” Trixie shouted as she approached the two mares, stopping as she turned to face Rainbow Dash and remaining silent for a few seconds. “… So?”

Rainbow Dash gave a nervous smile as she reached behind her head with a wing. “Uh, right… So, I talked to Spitfire- Uh, Captain Spitfire, and… I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

Everypony but Trixie and Rainbow Dash gasped at once. “You’re leaving?” Twilight asked.

“For how long?” Applejack followed.

“A year,” Rainbow Dash said. “And I won’t be able to come back except for a few holidays.”

“A whole year without ya.” Applejack lifted her hat and scratched her head beneath it. “Ah dunno. It just don’t seem right…”

“But if it’s what she wants…” Fluttershy said.

Rarity nodded in agreement. “We can’t very well stop her if she has made up her mind.”

Twilight, however, didn’t look as sure. “But what if you fail? You’d have to redo the entire course again.”

Rainbow Dash returned Twilight’s concerns with a confident gaze. “That won’t be a problem, ‘cause I’m not gonna fail!”

“Well there you have it, then,” Trixie said as she approached her marefriend and leaned into her side. “The future Captain of the Wonderbolts. Get your autographs while you can!”

“Oooookay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves!” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s at least wait ‘til I’m a Wonderbolt before we start talking ‘bout me bein’ a captain,” she added with a laugh.

“So if y’all are leavin’ tomorrow,” Applejack began, “What’re ya gonna do tonight?”

“… Well, I need to pack my things obviously, but I was gonna ask if you guys wanted ta hang out one last time first.”

Twilight smiled. “Of course we would. I’ll go find Spike and Pinkie-”

Everypony froze and Trixie looked around quizzically. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“… Somepony has ta tell Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said, and immediately everypony but Trixie touched a hoof to their nose.

“NOT IT!”

Trixie looked around even more confused, before simply shrugging and agreeing to the task of tracking down Pinkie Pie and telling her that one of her best friends forever was going to be gone for an entire year- “… Oh horseapples.”

After a long, schizophrenic party thrown by Pinkie Pie, in which the host would continue to flip-flop between excited, happy, betrayed and outright angry, the girls decided to call it a night so that Rainbow Dash could get a good night’s rest for her big day to come.

On their way back, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel that Trixie’s silence was speaking louder than the showmare had intended it to. She continually stole glances only to find Trixie quickly averting her gaze each time. “Hey, you’re okay with this, right?”

“What do you mean?” Trixie asked. “As Trixie had stated before, this is your dream to pursue.”

“Yeah, but you seem kinda… bothered by it…”

Trixie sighed. “Well, Trixie won’t deny that she is concerned about how the length of time that you’ll be away. This is the first relationship that I’ve ever been in. Trixie’s come to trust you so much that she’s even divulging secrets like this! A year is a long time. What if it messes things up?”

Rainbow Dash spread her wings and held a hoof to Trixie’s face, bringing their eyes to a meeting point as she gave a deep, reassuring gaze. “It won’t,” she said. “Trust me, it won’t change a thing. Not from my end, at least. We may only be able to talk through post, but I’ll be waitin’ for the day I graduate.” Rainbow Dash leaned in and kissed Trixie, pulling back after a few moments to ask, “Will you wait for me?”

Trixie, her breath now halted, could only nod slowly, as if placed under some spell. Her breath came back with a confident smile, before changing it to a dismissive harrumph. “The Great and Powerful Trixie had endured greater hardships than you can imagine before she ever met you. One measly year is nothing.”

“Riiiight. You can sleep just fine on your own,” Rainbow Dash said. “Or if you want, you can ask Scootaloo to lend you her stuffed Rainbow Dash toy,” she added with a snicker.

“You just worry about yourself,” Trixie retorted, her horn become alight with magic. Rainbow Dash jumped and gasped a moment later. “You sure you can survive on just your hooves for a full year? If Trixie finds you’ve cheated on her, you’ll wish you were in Tartarus.”

Rainbow Dash, her face fully red and panting quickly, grabbed Trixie’s shoulders. “Hey, we’ve got one last night before I leave. I think we should make the most of it.” Rainbow glanced over her shoulders to the large lake in the distance behind her. “Ever done it out in the moonlight?”

Trixie’s facial complexion mirrored Rainbow Dash’s tenfold. “Y-You can’t be serious…”

Rainbow Dash proved that she was by lifting Trixie off of the ground and fluttering towards the lake. “Yep.”

“W-W-What if somepony sees?”

“Don’t you like putting on free shows?”

“What if we get bitten by a snake?!”

“Wrong time of year.” Rainbow Dash lowered Trixie down to the ground beside the lake. “C’mon, let’s make this a night to remember,” she said as she bumped her muzzle against Trixie’s, planting a passionate kiss on the showmare’s lips that turned to quick, soft kisses down Trixie’s neck that caused her horn to spark.

“O-Oh my…”

“Well guys, I guess this is it,” Rainbow Dash said as her chariot came down for a landing by the lakeside. All of her friends and her marefriend had gathered to see her off. Rainbow Dash kept a brave face as she turned to face her friends, though it became increasingly more difficult when Pinkie Pie grabbed her by the collar band began to shake the pegasus back-and-forth.

“I CHANGED MY MIND! DON’T GO! I’LL BAKE YOU FOUR- NO, FIVE CAKES A DAY TO STAY WITH US FOREVER!”

Twilight’s magic dragged Pinkie Pie away from the startled Rainbow Dash. “We’ll be just fine,” Twilight said. “We’ll certainly miss you, but you have our full support.”

Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a small horseshoe-shaped pendant coated in six different colours – blue, pink, white, orange, yellow and purple. “Here. It ain’t much, but we all got together last night ta make this for ya after the party.”

Rainbow Dash lowered her head and allowed her friend to put it on. “Thanks. I’ll look after it while I’m up there.”

“This is just so weird,” Spike said. “Ponyville’s gonna be so quiet with you gone.”

“Ah, c’mon! Good ol’ Ponyville? Something exciting always happens here.” Rainbow Dash turned her attention to Scootaloo, who was kicking at the dirt with her head down. “You gonna be okay on your own?”

Scootaloo looked up with, surprisingly to Rainbow Dash, a smile. “Oh, it’ll be fine!” she said in a shaky tone. “I mean, it’s not like I’ll be alone alone. I’ve got Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle here!” Scootaloo fumbled with her hooves for a bit before reaching into her saddlebag and pulling out a small red hoofkerchief with the Cutie Mark Crusader emblem on it. “Here. Whenever things get tough, I always look at my cape and remind myself that a Cutie Mark Crusader never quits!”

Rainbow Dash took the hoofkerchief and returned it by roughing up Scootaloo’s mane, earning a giggle from the filly. “Wait a minute,” Rarity said, leaning in to examine the piece of fabric. “Where did you get the material for this?” she asked as she lifted it to find that the underside was golden.

Scootaloo gave a sheepish grin and moved behind Rainbow Dash. “Uh… I kinda asked Sweetie Belle if I could borrow some…”

Rarity frowned at the filly’s answer. “Of course you did,” she sighed. “… Well, I suppose I shall let it slide-”

“Phew.”

“-With you and Sweetie Belle cleaning the front of my store this afternoon.”

Scootaloo’s face fell and the crowd broke into cheerful laughter. Fluttershy noticed that Trixie seemed distracted by something behind and turned to look, only finding the empty lakeside stretching for quite a distance. “What are you looking at?”

Trixie jumped and her eyes shifted from the spot of shame that had drawn her attention the moment that she had arrived with Rainbow Dash at the lakeside that morning. “N-Nothing!” she said quickly and loudly, earning confused stares from all of her friends and a sly grin from Rainbow Dash.

“Rememberin’ last night already?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“S-SSSSHHHH!” Trixie hissed urgently, earning even more confused looks from her friends. “A-Anyway, shouldn’t you be on your way now?!”

Rainbow Dash looked back to the pegasi ‘patiently’ waiting for her to load her luggage and herself onto their chariot. “Yeah… I guess I’d better…”

Trixie approached Rainbow Dash and stopped just short of the other mare. The two stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments, before both glaring at the crowd watching them from the side.

“We’re not lookin’!” Applejack said quickly as she and the others turned around.

“… Well, guess I’ll see ya ‘round Hearts Warming,” Rainbow Dash said.

Trixie nodded. “Trixie will be sure to let you know how her show in Baltimare turns out in her first letter.” The showmare leaned in and the two shared a quick kiss that seemed to last a decade. As Rainbow Dash parted, Trixie could already feel her heart fluttering and the urge to stop her rising.

“RAINBOW DASH, DON’T LEAVE MEEEEEEE!” Pinkie Pie cried as she latched onto Rainbow Dash’s leg. “… I mean… good luck,” she said as she let go and wiped a tear away with a sniff. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too. All of you.” After seeing a few more tears shed from her friends, and feeling like her own waterworks were starting up, Rainbow Dash knew that it was time. She turned around quickly and hopped onto her waiting chariot. “Bye guys! Stay cool!”

“Goodbye Rainbow Dash!”

“Good luck, darling!”

“Stay safe!”

“Don’t forget to write!”

“Don’t forget us!”

“DON’T GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Pinkie Pie screamed as she jumped into the air in a futile attempt to grab the leaving chariot. Pinkie Pie quickly shook her head. “No! I have to be strong! This is Dash’s dream! … I MISS HERRRRRRRRRR!”

Twilight collected Pinkie Pie in her magic and faced Trixie. “Are you alright?”

“Hah!” Trixie laughed as she walked past Twilight. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is not as weak-hearted as the rest of you! She will be totally fine…”

“Oh, that’s good, then!” She looked around and exchanged knowing glances and nods with her friends. “By the way, the girls and I are having a slumber party tonight. You wanna join us?”

Trixie stopped and considered the offer. She took a moment to wipe her face before answering, “… Sure. That sounds nice.”