Another bright and beautiful morning marked Trixie’s second awakening in what had become her new home. After spending some time with her parents the previous night, she found out about this thing called the ‘internet’, and used it to perform some research on her new home. In particular, about the customs and mannerisms of ‘humans’, as she had learned they were called.

After changing into her clothes – a feat much easier than the day before, though this time she knew what a ‘bra’ was and put it on with some minor difficulty – Trixie examined herself in her mirror and picked up the brush resting on her table, ready to tidy up her hair for another day at school. She had to look good for her new friends, after all.

“Huh, that’s odd,” Trixie muttered as she saw the mirror shimmer before her eyes. “Are human mirrors supposed to do that?”

“Is it working?” a voice asked. Trixie stopped her brushing immediately and looked around for the source.

“Hold on, I see something,” another voice said, this one sounding very familiar to Trixie.

Moments later, Trixie turned back to the mirror. She yelped and jumped back as she saw not her own reflection, but the faces of three very familiar ponies staring at her from within the glass. One was Twilight Sparkle, the purple unicorn-turned-alicorn who had inadvertently sent her life into a downwards spiral that ultimately brought her to where she was now. The second pony was Princess Celestia, there were no doubts about that.

The final pony, standing in-between the two… was Trixie herself. It was Trixie back when she was a pony, only this Trixie looked cleaner, and her hair and fur were more tidy.

“It worked!” the Trixie from within the mirror shouted. “That’s my body!”

“W-What’s going on?! Why is the Great and Powerful Trixie seeing herself?!” Trixie demanded. “Well, obviously that’s what you see in a mirror, but usually in the same form that you’re currently in!”

“Please calm down, both of you,” Celestia said to both Trixies. “It seems that my plan worked, but I do not know for how long. The Elements of Harmony might only be able to keep the link open for a few minutes, or perhaps a few hours. Whatever the time limit, we should act fast.”

“Oh, Trixie sees,” the human Trixie said, calming herself down and giving her pony counterpart a friendly smile. “So you’re just using magic to talk to Trixie. And? How is life in Trixie’s old world? Have you mastered the art of magic yet?”

“Not yet,” the pony Trixie said.

“Trixie would be surprised if you had. Still, keep at it. It’s your dream to master the magical arts, no?”

“About that… I kind of had a change of heart…”

“Oh?” the human Trixie asked, her smile fading into unease as she lowered her brush and listened to what her counterpart had to say.

“You see, I… I thought that this was what I wanted, and maybe it still is, but… but I don’t think I was ready to make the sacrifice I had to in order to fulfil my dream.” The pony Trixie gave a solemn sigh. “I’m not ready to say goodbye to everyone I know yet. Mum, dad, my friends…”

The human Trixie hummed in contemplation. “But you were told that you were to pay a price for this ordeal, were you not?”

“I didn’t think it through properly,” the pony Trixie replied. “I made a mistake, I admit. And trust me, that’s not an easy thing for Trixie to do.”

“Admitting you made a mistake?” Twilight asked.

“No, making a mistake in the first place,” the pony Trixie replied. “Anyway, I was kind of wondering… if we could switch back?”

“There’s no guarantee, but my theory is that the magic that swapped the two of you around was reversible,” Celestia explained to the human Trixie. “In other words, if the two of you agree to the swap, it should theoretically be possible for you to return to your original worlds.”

“Interesting,” the human Trixie said, holding her hand up and examining her fingernails. “… And if Trixie doesn’t want to go back?” she asked with a grin.

The pony Trixie gasped. “B-But before, you said it was my choice. You didn’t care one way or the other if you switched! You-”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie had a change of heart,” the human Trixie cut off with a flick of her hair. “Trixie quite likes it here. The weather’s nice, the food’s good, once you get past the dead animals, and the people are friendly towards Trixie.” A knock came from Trixie’s door, and Trixie’s grin grew wider. “And best of all, they’re here, too.”

“My parents,” the pony Trixie said.

“They’re my parents now,” the human Trixie told her in a cold tone. “You had your chance. You had your shot to be a part of this world, and you threw it away. Now, this is my home, not yours.”

“Y-You can’t!” the pony Trixie pleaded. “Please! I just want to be with my friends and my family again! I’m begging you! I won’t leave again. I won’t desire power out of my reach, so please, just-”

“Trixie,” Trixie’s mother called from behind the human Trixie, “are you almost done chang-”

“IN A MINUTE!” the human Trixie shouted, startling both her mother and the three ponies.

After a brief moment of silence, a shaking voice came from behind the door. “O-Okay. I-I’ll just be downstairs… if you need me…”

“Hey! Don’t yell at my mother!” the pony Trixie shouted, baring her teeth and glaring at her counterpart.

“She’s my mother, now,” the human Trixie replied, grinning at her angry counterpart, and the two disapproving glances from the princesses beside her.

“Please,” was all that the pony Trixie, now sweating bullets as she continued to glare at the human Trixie, could say. “Please, just… just let me go home. Please.”

“No,” the human Trixie said flatly. “And you know what? This conversation is starting to bore Trixie, so she’ll be hanging up now?”

“Hanging up?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow. “But how-”

“Ciao.” With a flick of her hand, a red wave of energy washed over her mirror, shocking the three ponies on the other side. As the image in the mirror slowly turned back to just her own reflection, Trixie laughed. She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and grasped the broach around her neck as she filled the room with maniacal laughter.

“That was the Alicorn Amulet!” Twilight shouted as soon as the image of the human Trixie faded in the mirror. “There’s no doubt about it! Just as she waved her hand, I saw the amulet around her neck!”

“I saw it too!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, standing with the rest of the group behind Twilight and to the side.

“Me too,” Applejack said, the rest of the group nodding in agreement. “But, it looked different somehow.”

“It was only partially there,” Rarity pointed out. “Just one wing and the head, from what I could tell.”

“What could this mean?” Fluttershy asked, a worried look spread across her face.

“It means… that I finally have an answer to all my questions,” Celestia told everybody in the room, bringing confused and questioning looks to their faces. “I know now how the two Trixies were able to swap places like they did.”

“Uh, excuse me,” Trixie said, raising a hoof, “but what’s an ‘Alicorn Amulet’, exactly?”

“The Alicorn Amulet,” Twilight started to explain, “is a cursed magical artefact, thought to have been locked away centuries ago. It was designed with the purpose of matching Princess Celestia’s power, and it does just that. With it, the wielder will have the power of an alicorn in whatever magical discipline they can use.”

“Magical discipline?” Trixie asked.

“In other words, if the pony is an earth pony, they will become so in tune with nature, they can manipulate it. Earthquakes can be conjured with just a stomp of their hooves, and trees will follow their orders and attack living creatures.

“If the pony if a pegasus, their power of flight and weather manipulation is increased. They can form hurricanes strong enough to level Canterlot with just their own two wings and could create a lightning storm from just ordinary, non-storm clouds.

“And finally, if a unicorn wields it, they can perform any spell they wish, with no effort whatsoever. It is the ultimate magical artefact, but it comes with a terrible cost; whoever wields the amulet is corrupted by its darkness, and the longer they wear it, the more their mind becomes corrupt.”

“Trixie wore it once before,” Spike told the Trixie before him. “She tried to use it to get revenge on Twilight for some… events, not really important right now.”

“And you just let her keep it?” Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No! Of course not!” Twilight assured her. “The only way to remove it is for the host to remove it willingly. After tricking her into taking it off, Princess Celestia locked it away.”

Celestia nodded. “I did, and I used my most powerful seals in order to do so. However, it would seem that the power of the amulet is far greater than I ever could have imagined. It broke out of its confinement at some point, and found its way back to Trixie, its previous and still-compatible host.”

“You talk like it’s alive or something,” Rainbow Dash said.

“It might as well be,” Celestia told her. “When the Alicorn Amulet is worn by somepony for the first time, it forms a bond with them. After that bond is formed, for reasons beyond our current understanding of the object, the amulet will try to stay attached to that pony until the day they die. It is undoubtedly trying to do the very same to Trixie, but I never feared for Trixie’s safety.”

“Why not?” Applejack asked.

“Because I knew Trixie when she was a filly,” Celestia explained. “If Twilight’s reports were anything to go by, then the Trixie of today shares with her the same quality that shined most bright within her as a foal: a will that can never be broken. A strong resolve and the determination to never give up.”

“I’d have guessed ‘ego’,” Spike said, “but that works too.”

“She certainly seemed ta be holdin’ up well after we got that amulet off of her,” Applejack noted.

Rarity nodded in agreement. “Even after all that had happened, she was still smiling when she left Ponyville.”

“That is why I was never worried for her,” Celestia said. “I had no doubts that the Alicorn Amulet could not take over her mind a second time. Not after she had experienced its treachery and corruption once before. She would simply not allow it, and thus her magic would put up a strong shield against its influence.”

“Her magic put up a shield?” Twilight asked, to which Celestia nodded. “Wait, if her magic was defending her, then…”

“Precisely,” Celestia said. “If her magic was her defence against the amulet, then what the Alicorn Amulet needed to do was to send Trixie to a place where she could not use her magic. And as fate would have it, such a place existed, with another Trixie, and both Trixies wanted nothing more than what each other’s worlds had to offer.”

“I’m… not sure I’m followin’ here,” Rainbow Dash admitted, scratching her head in confusion.

“Put simply,” Twilight said, “the Alicorn Amulet took advantage of the two Trixies wanting to switch to make it happen. After that, Trixie – our Trixie – was placed into a world where her magic couldn’t protect her!”

“After that, it wouldn’t take long,” Celestia said in a grim tone. “Her determination would only hold up so long on its own, and the amulet, though exhausted, would recover fairly quickly. Now, it seems that its takeover of Trixie’s mind had already begun. And unlike Trixie, the amulet can use magic.”

“Not just unlike Trixie,” Twilight pointed out. “Unlike that entire world!”

“This is bad,” Celestia muttered. “That entire world may be defenceless for all we know. Even if they aren’t, magic is something new to them, and the Alicorn Amulet is a power that even I fear.”

“So what do we do?” Applejack asked. “We can’t just stand around doin’ nothin’!”

“My family,” Trixie said, her legs shaking as she stared blankly into the mirror beside her. “My family’s in danger! I have to help them!”

“But the portal’s closed!” Twilight reminded everyone. “How are we going to get there?”

“I have a plan,” Celestia announced. “It’s crazy, and that’s exactly why it might just work.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“The portal is closed, and linking worlds together is no easy feat,” Celestia said, receiving a nod from Twilight. “Even the Elements of Harmony were only able to open a line of communication.”

“Right, so what can we-” Rainbow Dash began, only for Celestia to interrupt her.

“What we need, is somebody who can make the term ‘impossible’ a nonsensical notion,” Celestia said. “Somebody who doesn’t care for order. Somebody who doesn’t care for what makes sense, and just breaks every single rule that the rest of us are forced to follow.”

“… Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Think grander,” Celestia said. “And with the power to make his delusions a reality.”

Twilight’s ears fell against the sides of her head as her brain pieced the puzzle together. “No. You don’t mean-”

“Enterrrrrr… DISCORD!”

Everybody jumped in surprised as a ball of confetti exploded above their heads. All eyes turned to the centre of the room. Standing there, in a fancy black tuxedo and a wearing a top hat, monocle, and a cane, was the nonsensical master of chaos himself.

“Discord!” everybody besides Trixie scolded at once.

Discord simply shrugged towards the far wall as a cheeky smile crossed his face, laughter sounding around him as he held that pose.

“Who?” Trixie asked, not quite sure what to make of the strange creature before her. “What is that? A Dr. Seuss reject?”

Celestia sighed. “Trixie, allow me to introduce you to Discord. The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.”

“… Spirit?” Trixie asked. “Like a deity?”

“Unfortunately,” Celestia said with a solemn nod. “And as such, I am quite sure he already knows who you are. Now, Discord, how did you get here so fast? Were you eavesdropping again?”

“Why, most certainly not!” Discord scoffed, his cane disappearing into a puff of smoke and being replaced by a candy cane, which her proceeded to such the red stripes off of as though they were spaghetti. “And I resent the allegation. I was merely saving time by appearing now and foregoing the need to explain how you summoned me here.”

“… What?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Makes sense to me,” Pinkie Pie said with a proud smile.

“As I said, Discord doesn’t give a crap about making sense.” Celestia immediately clasped her hooves over her mouth and turned the brightest shade of red anybody in the room had ever seen on another living creature. Meanwhile, everybody gasped at the princess’ sudden use of foul language. “DISCORD!” Celestia shouted, steam shooting out of the two kettles suspended behind her head by magic to give the illusion that they were coming out of her ears. “I have told you, countless times, not to put words in ponies’ mouths!”

“Well, you told me I needed a hobby,” Discord said as he straightened out the hammock he had made out of Twilight’s books and lay down on top of it, “and ventriloquism is such a fine, beautiful art, don’t you think? Personally, I think I have it down to a T. Speaking of…” Discord used his magic to bring the kettles behind Celestia’s head towards himself and then summoned a cup, into which he poured tea from one of the two kettles. “Tea’s ready! Anypony care to join me? Or anydragon, not to discriminate against poor Spikey-wikey.”

“Don’t call me that!” Spike shouted, crossing his arms and glaring at Discord. “Only Rarity can call me that.”

“Discord, we have a serious matter on our hooves,” Celestia said in a stern tone, using her magic to reorganise Twilight’s bookshelves and narrowing her eyes at the loafing draconequus.

“Oh, you are such a wet blanket, Celestia,” Discord said as he teleported himself closer to the princess.

“The Alicorn Amulet has found its way into another world,” Celestia told Discord as he placed a cigar stick into his mouth and lit it with a fire on the tip of his thumb. He then pulled the cigar out and breathed out rings of multi-coloured smoke. “Discord!”

“I heard you,” Discord said with a sigh. “Honestly, you never let me have any fun.”

“There will be time for fun after an entire world has been saved.”

“But that’s so much work, and I’m over two thousand years old.” Discord snapped his fingers, and in a flash of light his formal attire had been replaced with a bathrobe and a newspaper, the cigar in his mouth now a pipe that released bubbles. “I’ve got my retirement to be thinking about.”

“Discord, I believe we had a deal?” Celestia said in a cautionary tone.

“Indeed,” Discord said with a grin. “The deal was that I, Discord, would be allowed to roam about free and use my powers as much as I desire so long as it does not disrupt the lives of the common citizens. In return, I must report for duty if and when I am summoned by either you or your sister, to use my powers for the good of Equestria.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“But you don’t. You see, the Alicorn Amulet isn’t in Equestria.” Celestia’s brow furrowed. “Using my powers to open a pathway between two worlds isn’t an easy task, you know? It doesn’t really appeal to me to do it for free.”

Celestia sighed. She had made sure to be very careful in the wording of her contract with Discord, but evidently she had not been careful enough. “Very well then, Discord. What do you want?”

Discord threw the newspaper behind himself and gave the princess a devious smile. “Oh, not much. I would just like a day where I’m in charge of the day and night skies.”

“You must be joking,” Celestia said, hopeful that he was.

“Well, if you can’t do that-”

“Okay!” Celestia said quickly, sensing that Discord was about to leave. “I will have to talk about it with Luna, but… it shall be done.”

“Excellent!” Discord cheered, confetti exploding from the ceiling once more as he jumped for joy and threw his arms around Celestia. “But there’s still one problem,” he told her as he backed away. “I don’t even know if I can link our two worlds.”

“What?!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “After all that, you still don’t know if you can even do it or not?!”

“Well, nothing ventured nothing gained,” Discord said in a dismissive tone. “To be quite frank, entering the Celestial Plane shouldn’t at all be a problem. If Celestia can do it, I most certainly can. The problem comes with opening two simultaneous doorways, which will act as the passage between the two worlds. Even with all of my power, I’m not sure if it can be done.”

“This isn’t one of your big jokes, is it?” Applejack asked.

Discord put his bear paw over his heart and raised his eagle claw into the air. “Scout’s honour.”

“You were in the Scouts?” Fluttershy asked. “You never told me that.”

“Oh yes. I joined just last week,” Discord told her. “Lovely group, though I can’t shake the feeling they keep staring at me. I wonder why?”

“In any case,” Celestia said, trying not to let the conversation steer off topic, “we don’t have any other choice. If your power isn’t enough, then I’m not sure what is.”

“What about the Elements of Harmony?” Trixie suggested, drawing the group’s attention. “Can’t you, you know, use those and Discord’s power? Wouldn’t that, like, double our chances or something?”

“… The Elements and I working together?” Discord pondered. “That might just be crazy enough to work!”

“Indeed,” Celestia agreed. “If the Elements of Harmony are used along with Discord’s powers, then we might be able to open a pathway that will last for some time. The issue is timing. One will have to be used right after the other, or else the powers of harmony and chaos will simply cancel each other out.”

“And then after that portal’s open, we’ll just go in there and get Trixie to remove that amulet!” Rainbow Dash said.

“No,” Celestia responded. “Only Twilight may go.”

“What?! Why?!”

“For the same reason as before, right?” Applejack asked, receiving a nod from Celestia.

“No sweat!” Spike said with a smile. “I got her back.”

“I’m afraid not,” Celestia said. “This mission will be too dangerous for you, Spike. Especially since, if it is anything like your last visit, you will have no means to defend yourself.”

“But I was just fine last time!” Spike insisted.

“Yes, but the difference here is your opponent. Sunset Shimmer was willing to take a hostage, but somepony wearing the Alicorn Amulet is willing to harm their hostage.”

Spike froze and gulped at Celestia’s warning, delivered in a tone that lowered the temperature in the room by a few degrees.

“So it will just be me?” Twilight asked, worry clear in her voice.

“You and your Element,” Celestia corrected. “With it, you will need to awaken the part of Trixie’s mind that resists the amulet’s hold and convince her to remove the Alicorn Amulet.” Celestia turned to Trixie. “The portal will open fairly close to where the possessed Trixie will be at the time. However, if you run through after Twilight, you should be able to get away whilst my student has the other Trixie’s attention. It is entirely up to you, but be warned that this time, there really will be no going back. Not until the natural portal is open, at least. Do you still wish to return?”

Trixie looked around the room. She looked at Spike, her first new friend she had made in this world and the one she felt she could connect with the most. She looked at Twilight, who had offered to teach her magic despite still being in the middle of her own studies herself, and who had offered her a place to stay and friendship, all without asking for anything in return. She looked at Rainbow Dash and Rarity, two people who were her friends in one world, but complete strangers in this one.

“It will certainly be hard to forget all of you,” Trixie said, “and it would be a lie to say I won’t regret leaving this world behind. Leaving you all, and my chance to learn magic. But that world is my home. It’s where I belong, where all my friends and my family are.”

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said, “not to pry or anything, but weren’t you thinking of hitting the road anyway when you got older?”

“Of course,” Trixie said, “but I never intended to never see my home again. I had every intention of returning home to see my family every now and then.”

“But magic’s been your dream ever since you were a child,” Twilight said. “Are you sure you want to give up on that when you finally have the chance to learn it?”

“Well, it’s not like I’ll never have another chance,” Trixie replied. “Thirty moons is a long time, sure, and the portal is only open for a few days. But when that time comes, let’s all hang out again, and maybe at that time, I can finally get the hang of the levitation spell.”

Pinkie Pie gasped and pulled a calendar out of her mane. “It’s totally a date! … How long is one moon?”

Trixie giggled at Pinkie’s random behaviour. “And besides,” she continued, “I’m still in high school. I’ve got my whole life ahead of me. I don’t need to master magic just yet. I’d much rather spend as much time with my friends and family as I can, while I still have the chance.”

Everypony in the room exchanged smiles as Trixie’s words rang through their ears. Discord yawned and did his best to look uninterested, and Spike simply approached Trixie silently.

“… I guess this is goodbye then,” Spike said. “Um, I-”

Trixie leaned down and wrapped her forelegs around the baby dragon. “It was nice to get to know you,” she said as she felt Spike return the hug. “Thanks for the dinner yesterday,” she whispered.

“I-It was fun,” Spike said as the two parted. “Um, good luck with you show and all…”

“Thanks.”

“It sure was nice meetin’ ya,” Applejack said as she and the other mare walked towards Trixie. “Even if it was only for a short while.”

“Do take care now,” Rarity said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make you those clothes that you wanted.”

“Well, just try to get them ready for the next time Trixie comes to visit,” Trixie responded with a grin.

“Be safe out there,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

“Be cool,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Be happy!” Pinkie Pie chimed in as she gave a balloon with a smile drawn on it to Trixie.

“Be quick!” Discord shouted, startling the mare as her suddenly burst out from inside of the balloon. “I do have other things to be getting on with today, you know?” Discord snapped his fingers and his clothes changed once more, this time into white golfing attire. “I’ll have you know I’m due for a match with Prince Blueblood in one hour.”

“I must agree,” Celestia said. “Every second is vital when the Alicorn Amulet is concerned. The longer Trixie wears it, the harder it will be for her to resist its power.”

“Alright, let’s do this!” Twilight said. Her friends nodded and moved into position, forming a semi-circle around Discord.

“Discord, you take the lead,” Celestia said. “Girls, make sure to fire the Elements as soon as Discord’s power creates the initial tear.”

“How will we know when?” Applejack asked.

“You’ll know,” Discord assured her with an unnerving grin. “Trust me, you’ll know.”

“Spike, you stay behind me,” Celestia ordered. “Trixie, you be ready to run in.”

“Well then, if everypony is ready,” Discord said, “let’s begin.”

Derpy Hooves hummed a tune as she hopped off of the school bus and skipped down the pathway towards the school’s front doors. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Trixie smiling at her and sporting a new piece of jewellery around her neck. “Oh, good morning! Nice necklace.”

“It’s not a necklace,” Trixie corrected, placing her hand over the half of the Alicorn Amulet around her neck, “it’s an amulet. And good morning to you too, Derpy. I take it you enjoyed Trixie’s show yesterday?”

“Yeah! It was great!” Derpy said, stopping for a moment as she noticed a red glow in Trixie’s eyes.

“Something wrong?” Trixie asked as she stopped after Derpy.

“What? Oh, no. Nothing,” Derpy said, deciding that she must have been seeing things.

“By the way,” Trixie said, “there will be an encore show tonight. The Great and Powerful Trixie needs you to help her round up an audience.”

“Tonight?” Derpy asked. “That’s… sort of short notice. And I’ve got a meeting with my baking club after school today.”

“Is that a no?” Trixie asked, her smile fading and her brows furrowing as she took a step towards Derpy.

Derpy saw the glow in Trixie’s eyes once more and backed away, starting to feel fear from the cold glare being sent her way. “I-I…”

“You know,” Trixie said, holding up her hand as it glowed the same red aura as her eyes, “you could choose some silly baking club over your dearest friend, but then again, it’s not easy to bake with burned hands now is it?”

“Trixie? You’re scaring me…”

“GET AWAY FROM HER!” Trixie tilted her head to find a girl running towards the two from behind Derpy. She seemed familiar to Trixie. “Don’t you dare lay a hoof- hand on her!”

“Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked as the purple girl wearing a large golden tiara stopped beside Derpy. “This world’s Twilight, huh? No, there’s something about you… Something magical. You’re the Twilight Sparkle from Equestria.”

“That’s right,” Twilight confirmed as she turned to Derpy. “Get out of here. That’s not the real Trixie right now.”

“Not the real Trixie?” Trixie asked. “I’m as real as you, I assure you.”

“She’s not in her right frame of mind,” Twilight told Derpy.

“W-What should I do?” Derpy asked, turning to Trixie with a worried look.

“Just get someplace safe. I’ll save her, I promise you.” With a hesitant nod, Derpy turned around and ran as quickly as she could towards the crowd of students around them.

“I’ll deal with the traitor later,” Trixie said as she kept her focus on Twilight. “For now, the Great and Powerful Trixie has an old score to settle.”

“Trixie, I know you’re in there somewhere,” Twilight said as she steeled her nerves, “and I’m going to get you out.”

“Oh? How will do that when your legs are all tied up?” Trixie asked as she flicked her hand. A moment later, two long vines shot forth from the ground beneath Twilight Sparkle and constricted around her legs, preventing her from moving and causing her to scream as she felt her bones being crushed.

“Stop that!” Trixie gasped as she felt two arms wrap around her body, holding her tightly in place and pressing into her stomach with such force that her focus on the spell affecting Twilight was broken.

“Who’s there?!” Trixie demanded as she looked over her shoulder. What she found was herself. Or rather, a version of herself not wearing the Alicorn Amulet. “The inferior Trixie? Fool! You should have stayed in Equestria!” With a wave of her hand, a red light pulled the other Trixie into the air and threw her towards the crowd of students behind her. Most of the crowd parted, but two students acted quickly to catch Trixie so that she wouldn’t crash into the ground.

“Trixie!” Twilight shouted as she watched the scene in horror. “I told you to find somewhere to hide!”

“She has guts, Trixie will give her that,” the possessed Trixie said as she turned back to Twilight Sparkle with a sadistic grin on her face, “but guts can only take a pony so far.”

Twilight gasped as she noticed that the amulet had grown in size since she first arrived at the scene. It was now almost complete; all that was missing was the left wing. “I will save you,” Twilight assured Trixie as she took a step forward.

“I don’t think so,” Trixie responded as she waved her hand once more, this time creating a powerful gust of wind that circled around Twilight, preventing her from moving forward any further. “You won’t be interfering. I won’t give you the chance.”

Twilight was forced to close her eyes in response to the powerful wind keeping her trapped, and whimpered as she tried desperately to think of a way out of her current predicament. ‘If only my friends were here…’ A bright light shone from Twilight’s crown, startling Trixie for a moment before it flashed even brighter. Twilight felt the wind come to a sudden stop, and opened her eyes to find…

“Well ah’ll be,” the orange-haired girl said as she smiled and reached a hand out towards Twilight.

“This is so cool! I knew we’d see each other again, for sure!” the rainbow-haired girl said as she extended a fist towards Twilight.

“I hope you’re alright,” the pink-haired girl in the yellow dress said. “That looked scary.”

“I thought it looked fun!” the other pink-haired girl in the pink dress cheered.

“I must disagree,” the purple-haired girl said in response to the previous girl’s comment. “But it is good to see you again, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Y-You guys,” Twilight said in utter disbelief as she looked over all five of her friends. “You guys saved me…”

“You think we’d just leave a friend hangin’ like that?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Um, we didn’t really do anything,” Fluttershy said in a timid manner.

“Wrong,” Twilight assured her with a warm smile. “You girls resonated together with my Element. The six of us, together, we’re the embodiments of friendship itself, the most powerful magic there is. Without you guys, I would never have been able to free myself… Thank you, everypony.”

“You mean everybody,” Rarity corrected, earning a giggle from Twilight.

“Yes. Everybody,” Twilight amended, taking a moment to laugh with her friends before a cold feeling down her spine reminded her of Trixie’s presence.

“How touching,” Trixie said, glaring towards the six friends with both of her glowing hands at the ready, “but the Great and Powerful Trixie has a class to attend, so we’re going to have to close the curtain on this little act a bit early.”

“Indeed,” a voice behind Trixie called out. Trixie looked over her shoulder to see Sunset Shimmer approaching her from behind.

“Ah, the other Equestrian girl,” Trixie noted with a grin. “And? What exactly have you got planned?”

“Oh, you know me,” Sunset Shimmer said as she examined her fingernails. “I don’t like to get my hands dirty. I have lackeys who do that for me. Snips, Snails!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Snips and Snails shouted in unison as they jumped out of the crowds from either side of Trixie, running towards her and grabbing her legs.

“What? Let go!” Trixie ordered as she raised a hand into the air. The two boys closed their eyes and whimpered as they awaited their punishment, but all that they heard was a whistle. Trixie turned to the source of the whistle – Rainbow Dash – only to find a round, black-and-white object flying towards her at a high speed.

As the soccer ball collided with Trixie’s face, Trixie’s magic faded and she was forced to bring her hands to her face as she cried out in pain.

“Bullseye!” Rainbow Dash cheered as she smiled proudly at her accomplishment.

“Now’s yer chance, Twilight!” Applejack told her friend, who nodded and immediately made her way towards Trixie, crown glowing all the while.

“You!” Trixie shouted in a venomous tone as she reopened her eyes and found Twilight Sparkle standing directly in front of her.

“Don’t worry, Trixie,” Twilight said as she placed her hands on Trixie’s shoulders and closed her eyes, “I’m coming to save you.” The light from Twilight’s tiara exploded into a bright flash.

Twilight Sparkle was no longer standing outside in front of Canterlot High, that much was clear. Where she was now was dark, gloomy, and almost eerie. If Twilight Sparkle didn’t know for a fact that ghosts were a scientific impossibility, she would be willing to bet that the place she was in now was haunted.

A cold wind blew down Twilight’s back, making her fur stand on end. “YAH!” Twilight screamed as she turned around immediately, shaking on the spot as she stared down the dark, endless corridor before her. “T-There’s no such thing as ghosts. All scientific knowledge and theory proves that ghosts are an impossibility.” Twilight lifted a leg to move forward and suddenly realised that she was a pony again. “But I didn’t go through the portal again. I guess this really must be Trixie’s mind…”

Twilight wondered if all minds looked as Trixie’s did. Dark, cold, lifeless… She appeared to be in some kind of medieval-styled castle, only one that had not been cleaned for decades. In fact, the more she observed her surroundings, the more she noticed similarities between this place and the old castle ruins in the Everfree Forest. “Why is it so dark? Is it the amulet’s corruption, or is this just how her mind is?”

To her right, Twilight noticed a wooden door. Deciding that standing around would do no good, she approached the door and reached towards it. It was locked, but there was a keyhole, meaning that she could pick it with her magic. Concentrating, she attempted to do just that. However, before her spell could finish, the door did something unexpected; it zapped Twilight’s horn, sending a shock through her system and forcing her to back away with a yelp.

“D-Did the door just attack me?!” Twilight shouted, her voice echoing through the empty corridor, followed by the walls around her shaking. “… L-Let’s just move on.”

The next door that Twilight found was also locked, so she ignored it and continued on. The third door wasn’t locked, but as it opened, all that Twilight found inside was an angry lion charging towards her at a high speed. She quickly slammed the door shut and ran away. It didn’t seem that the lion was following her, so after taking a few moments to recover, Twilight continued on.

Many other doors were either locked or held similar dangers behind them. There were doors that lead to angry lions wasting no time attacking Twilight, and there were some doors that held intricate traps for anypony who dared step through them. Some such traps involved magical shocks, darts being fired from the walls, floors crumbling away, and armoured ponies attacking Twilight with spears.

“What is with this place?!” Twilight shouted as she came to another stop after running away from yet another ferocious lion. “Why are all of these doors here if there’s nothing behind them but dangerous traps?”

“You should just surrender,” a voice called out from further down the corridor. Twilight tensed and slowly crept further along her path until she could see who the voice belonged to. “You’re the last one left. What chance do you have?”

“I won’t give up! There must be a way to stop you!” Twilight stopped and stared at the two ponies before her facing each other off. One was a large pony with both wings and a horn, her mane-style and cutie mark similar to Trixie’s, but her coat was covered by thick purple smoke. The other pony, the one who had spoken last, was a small blue filly, who resembled Trixie in every way save for the lack of cutie mark on her flank.

“I have a special cell for you,” the alicorn pony said as sparks of red formed at the tip of her horn.

In one swift motion, Twilight used her magic to teleport herself to the filly’s side, and then teleported again to move herself and the filly out of the way of the alicorn’s sudden magical attack. “Are you okay?” Twilight asked the filly as soon as they reappeared.

“Twilight Sparkle?!” the filly shouted in utter shock and bewilderment.

“An outsider?” the alicorn asked. “Interesting, but I have no use for you. You can just die right here.”

“Hold on tight,” Twilight instructed as she used her magic to lift the filly onto her back. She then turned around completely and started to run as quickly as she could down the corridor. Twilight didn’t even have to turn around to know that she was being chased. “What is that thing?!” Twilight asked. “And for that matter, who are you?”

“That’s the corruption brought on by the Alicorn Amulet,” the filly answered, her tone surprisingly calm for a filly being chased by a powerful alicorn trying to harm her. “As for me, I’m Trixie’s innocence. You can just call me Innocence if you like.”

“Trixie’s innocence?” Twilight asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“Let’s see, how to make this simple enough for you to understand?” Innocence muttered, bringing a frown to Twilight’s face. “Simply put, we’re inside Trixie’s mind right now. And inside here, there are a bunch of Trixies of all different appearances and personalities, but ultimately the same pony, who incorporate various aspects of who Trixie is. Take a left.”

“What?”

“LEFT!” the filly shouted. Twilight found herself coming up to a fork and followed Innocence’s command, turning left. “So there’s a Trixie here who incorporates Trixie’s greed, and one that incorporates her logical reasoning, and many more.”

“So you’re like Trixie broken down into her base components?” Twilight asked.

“Something like that. One second.” Innocence turned around closed her eyes. Her horn lit up a faint purple light, and the next second, the walls began to shake. The roof caved in mere inches behind Twilight, shocking and forcing her to run faster as she looked back to see what had happened. “That should slow it down. It still hasn’t got used to this place yet.”

“Y-You could have killed me!” Twilight shouted.

“Relax. I had it all planned out,” Innocence said. “Would you like to see the diagram I made?” she asked, holding up a crayon drawing of a purple blob carrying a blue blob and a bunch of brown circles falling behind them.

“When did you even- Never mind. Listen, I’m here to save Trixie, but so far all I’ve found are these doors that are either locked or just want seem to want to kill me.”

“The locked doors are doors that Trixie herself locked at some point in her life,” Innocence explained. “They’re doors that lead to either memories or feelings that she doesn’t wish to share with anypony else. As long as Trixie is wearing the Alicorn Amulet, they won’t be opening any time soon.”

“What do you mean by ‘memories or feelings that she doesn’t wish to share’? There sure are a lot of them!”

Innocence sighed. “Unfortunately, Trixie’s pessimism has been fed a lot over the past year-and-a-half. She’s locked away many doors because she feels there’s no benefit to lingering in the past, and she’s locked away others simply because she does not wish for anypony else to see what lies beyond them, ever.”

“So what about the doors with traps?” Twilight asked. “Are they also Trixie’s doing?”

Innocence shook her head. “Those are the rooms where fragments of Trixie’s personality are locked away,” she explained.

“So the traps are to keep them from leaving?” Twilight asked.

“In that case, why not just lock the doors?” Innocence retorted. “No, the traps are to stop the amulet from reaching them. Think about it: lions, armoured knights… If the amulet were to lock away a piece of Trixie’s heart, then it doesn’t matter even if the amulet is removed, she’ll never get it back. Therefore, they all scattered and hid themselves, setting up traps to keep the amulet from taking them.”

“Did any get captured?” Twilight asked, worried about what the answer may be.

“Only one did,” Innocence answered. “As long as the fragments of Trixie’s personality remain hidden, the amulet doesn’t care about them. Both last time and this time, the amulet only focused on one aspect of Trixie. The last time it was here, Trixie removed the amulet before it caught her. This time, however…”

“Which aspect was that?” Twilight asked.

“The only one that can defeat the amulet,” Innocence told her. “Hope.”

“And what about you? Why weren’t you hiding?”

“‘Cause I don’t hide from the face of danger!” Innocence proclaimed. “I don’t care how powerful that thing is! I don’t care if I’m on my own, or if I’m the weakest of all us Trixies, there still has to be a way that I can win!

“… Some of the others call me ‘Naivety’… but I am who I am. I’m not going to surrender to anything. I’m going to stand strong and protect Trixie’s mind, not matter what!”

“That’s why I’m here,” Twilight said. “I’m here to save Trixie from the amulet’s hold. You told me that those captured by the amulet are locked away for good, but does that account for my Element of Harmony?”

Innocence put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Not sure,” she admitted. “I mean, we never even considered an Element would find its way into Trixie’s mind. I guess it’s worth a shot.”

“It might be the only shot we have,” Twilight told her in a solemn tone. “Where is Trixie’s hope? We’ve got to find it and set it free.”

“Even if you do that, will it be strong enough to defeat the Alicorn Amulet?” Innocence asked.

“It will be,” Twilight said. “Or rather, it has to be. We don’t really have any other choice… and this time, I’ll be here, too. I won’t let Trixie lose hope, no matter what.”

Innocence smiled and leaned down, planting a kiss on Twilight’s cheek. “Thank you,” she said as she leaned back up. “Also, we’ve passed Hope’s door already. Three doors back.”

Twilight skidded to a halt and groaned as she turned around. “Say something that important sooner!”

Innocence giggled, though it was short-lived as she and Twilight soon came face-to-face with the alicorn once again. They had made it to Hope’s door, but if the alicorn was here with them, then there wasn’t much that Twilight could do.

“Go inside,” Innocence whispered. “I’ve got an idea.”

“Can I see the drawing first?” Twilight asked in a tone half-joking to keep her spirits up, and half-serious as she was truly concerned about the filly’s plan.

“Just trust me,” Innocence pleaded. Twilight nodded. “Now!”

The alicorn made a move to stop Twilight as she galloped towards the door. However, it was pushed back as Innocence used her magic to open the next door down, causing an angry lion to jump out and pounce the alicorn standing just outside of it.

Twilight quickly opened the door and ran inside, slamming it shut without any hesitance. “I’ll hold it off!” Innocence announced as she jumped off of Twilight and pressed her body to the door. “Free Hope!”

“Right!” Twilight confirmed with a nod as she ran further into the room. It wasn’t a big room, so it only took a second for Twilight to see what she assumed to be ‘Hope’. It was a pony who resembled Trixie in every way, but who also had clear, translucent wings growing out of the sides of her head. “What the…”

“That’s Hope,” Innocence told her. “The wings represent Trixie’s freedom. The more see-through they are, the more trapped she feels.”

Twilight noticed that the blue mare before her looked almost dead. Her head was staring constantly at one spot on the floor and had not budged an inch even with all of the noise that Twilight and Innocence were making. Furthermore, her forelegs were chained to the wall behind her, and her hind legs were shackled to the floor. Her horn had a metallic ring around it that Twilight suspected repressed her magic, and her coat was so dark, so dim, that one would think the mare simply hadn’t bathed for weeks.

Something slammed against the door from the other side, startling Twilight and grabbing her attention. “What are you doing?!” Innocence shouted. “I can’t hold it back for long! Get Hope out of there!”

Twilight nodded and turned back to Hope quickly. “Hope… Trixie, can you hear me? It’s Twilight. Twilight Sparkle?”

Hope remained silent and motionless.

Twilight sighed and closed her eyes. “Please, Element… Please help me to snap Trixie out of it…”

The jewel on Twilight’s tiara shined for a brief moment. When it ended, Hope moved ever-so-slightly before slowly lifting her head and looking into Twilight’s eyes. “… Twi… light?”

Twilight opened her eyes and smiled, lunging forward to wrap her forelegs around Hope. “You’re awake!”

“W-What are you doing here?” Hope asked. Her attention was drawn to the door as another loud banging sound echoed through the room. “Innocence?”

“Twilight, get those chains off of her!” Innocence shouted. “We need her to defeat the amulet!”

“The amulet!” Hope gasped before her face fell and she stared down at the ground once more. “… No, I can’t,” she said.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “You aren’t saying that you’re going to just give up, are you?”

“You can’t!” Innocence told her. “Think about all the Great and Powerful performances we’ve yet to give!”

“Kid, face it,” Hope said, “nopony really cares about any of that. Stop fooling yourself and look at the reality of it all.”

“The people at Canterlot High beg to differ!” Innocence retorted.

Twilight noticed Hope’s wings brighten up for a second, before they dimmer right back down again. “… Yeah, but how long will that last?” Hope asked with a sigh. “Even if they look past Trixie’s actions today, the Trixie who actually belongs here has returned. How much attention will they give to just a copycat?”

“Even so, that doesn’t mean you’ll never belong,” Twilight assured her, to which Hope simply scoffed at the notion. “I know for a fact that Princess Celestia herself had high regards for your skill.”

“… S-She did?” Hope asked, her wings lighting up a little brighter once more.

Twilight nodded. “That’s right. And she said that your determination was a quality of yours that she truly admired.” The wings grew even brighter, and the shackle holding Hope’s left hind leg down shattered.

“… But what of the others?” Hope asked. “Sure they might just follow suit if they hear that the princess is impressed with Trixie’s skills, but that wouldn’t be genuine admiration.”

“Then you make it real,” Twilight told her. “You can’t impress anypony by sitting around here moping for the rest of your life, but if you show them what you can truly do, then I’m certain that you’ll find plenty of ponies that look up to you.” The shackle binding Hope’s right hind leg shattered.

“But Trixie’s tried that before,” Hope pointed out. “Nopony will even give her a chance.”

“I will,” Twilight told her. “And so will my friends. We’ll give you the chance that everypony deserves, and the friendship too.”

“HURRYYYYYY!” Innocence pleaded as she felt her hooves slipping against the floor.

“And think about it,” Twilight continued, “nopony’s ever beat the Alicorn Amulet before. You’ll be the first to do so. Now wouldn’t that be a story you’d want everypony to hear?”

The two chains binding Hope’s forelegs shattered, and her wings were now illuminating and spreading warmth throughout the entire room. “What was that part about being Trixie’s friend again?”

Twilight smiled. “Well, the others might need a little time to warm up to you, but everypony needs a friend or two in their life, right?” Twilight put a hoof to her chin and looked around, taking note of the degraded stone and the moss hanging around everywhere. “A friend might be able to help you clean this place up a little bit. Maybe repave the floor, make a few windows…”

“Are you making a joke right now?” Hope asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yep,” Twilight giggled. “That’s what friends do. They joke when things look bleak to keep each other’s spirits up. Don’t you like it?”

Hope simply stared at Twilight blankly for a few seconds, before she had to put a hoof to her mouth to stifle a laugh. “You can’t be for real.”

“As real as you are,” Twilight assured her.

“And if it turns out your other friends don’t like Trixie?” Hope asked with a smug grin.

“Then that’s their loss,” Twilight answered. “I don’t only pick the popular ponies as my friends. I’m too much of a ‘dork’ to have that luxury.”

Hope laughed at Twilight’s response, so much so that it actually started to hurt her stomach. As she laughed, the ring around her horn shattered, and her wings started to pulsate as they glowed so bright that Twilight had to avert her eyes.

The door broke down at just that moment. Innocence made a quick retreat behind Twilight, who stood her ground and glared at the alicorn approaching the three with a menacing look on its face.

“Allow me,” Hope said, using her magic to grab Twilight’s tiara and bring it over towards her own head.

“What are you-” Twilight began, but was cut off by a purple light shining from the tiara’s jewel. “No way…”

“What did you expect?” Hope asked. “This is Trixie’s head, which means that whatever Trixie decides will happen, will happen.”

“Oh yeah,” Innocence said, “I forgot we could do that.”

“Furthermore,” Hope continued, “the Great and Powerful Trixie will never allow an outsider to run rampant inside of her own mind without repercussion, nor will she allow her new friend’s life to be place in jeopardy.”

“Uh, thanks, I guess,” Twilight said as she watched the light from the Element grow brighter and brighter. The alicorn backed away, shielding its eyes from the intense light as it hissed.

“Now, you foul demon,” Hope said as she stepped towards the alicorn, “AWAY WITH YOU!”

“GAAAAAAAAH!” the alicorn cried as the light washed over it, its body evaporating into thin air and its voice growing quieter until it disappeared completely. As Twilight stared at the spot where the alicorn was previously standing, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, and her eyelids growing heavier as all faded into black.

“Trixie?” Trixie groaned and opened her eyes slowly, using a hand to block the intrusive sunlight entering her eyes. “Are you okay?”

Trixie saw a purple blur slowly come into focus and take the shape of a purple girl with striped hair looking down at her. “… Who are you?” she asked.

Twilight gasped. “Y-You don’t remember?” Trixie shook her head. “I-It’s me. Twilight?”

“Who’s Twilight?” Twilight looked as if she had taken a strong blow to the gut as she stared disbelievingly at Trixie, whose mouth slowly curved into a smile as she brought a hand to Twilight’s shoulder. “Just kidding. Trixie thought you had a sense of humour, but apparently not.”

Twilight’s nerves settled, and she gave an exasperated sigh as Trixie chuckled in front of her. “Gee, thanks,” Twilight said in a flat tone as she rose to her feet. “Yeah, seems like you’re fine. But then, why are you still wearing the amulet?”

“I’m what?” Trixie asked as she looked down at her neck, finding that the Alicorn Amulet was indeed there. “Huh. How strange… but Trixie doesn’t feel its influence on her right now.”

“What about its power?” Trixie answered by holding her hand up and harnessing a faint purple aura. “Guess that answers that.”

“I don’t feel any corruption, though,” Trixie reiterated, grabbing the amulet and removing it without much effort. “It comes off easily, too.”

“Maybe Princess Celestia can tell us something,” Twilight suggested. “… You will be coming back, right?”

Trixie thought about it for a second before nodding. “It’s probably for the best,” she said. “And Trixie is curious as to what this friendship with you will be like.”

“I won’t let you down, then,” Twilight said with a smile. “I don’t know how long the portal will remain open for, so-”

“Hold that thought.” Trixie turned to face the seven girls standing behind her. In particular, she focussed on the blonde girl in the centre. “Derpy?”

“Y-Yeah?” Derpy asked.

“… S-Sorry for before,” Trixie said. “For scaring you like that and all…”

“It’s okay,” Derpy told her. “You… weren’t yourself, right? Um…”

“It was fun,” Trixie added, to which Derpy nodded in agreement.

Twilight felt a wave of energy passing through her mind, followed by a voice: “Twilight! The portal is closing! Hurry up and return or you’ll be trapped there!”

“Trixie!” Twilight shouted. “We have to leave, now!”

“Take care you guys!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“Don’t be strangers now!” Applejack said.

“Though do try to bring less darkness and demonic power with you if you ever come back,” Rarity requested.

“It was great to see you all again,” Twilight said as she looked over her five friends. “I’m sorry it wasn’t a more casual visit.”

“Hey,” Trixie called out to her other self, “other me. Can you… say goodbye to my- your parents, for me?”

“Of course,” the other Trixie nodded. “And they’re just as much your parents as they are mine.”

“It was nice to see them again,” Trixie continued. “I only wish I could have spent more time with them… but I guess I have some place else I belong, huh?”

Twilight grabbed Trixie’s hand with her own and gave her a reassuring smile. “Let’s go home.”

“Lead the way,” Trixie said as she and Twilight waved one final goodbye to their otherworldly friends. Together, the two jumped into the portal, neither one looking back as they crossed the Celestial Plane back into their own world.

Upon their return, Twilight was welcomed back quite enthusiastically by her friends, who all tackled her immediately upon seeing the librarian stepping out from the portal. Whilst Twilight’s friends attempted to suffocate her with their hugs, Trixie followed after Twilight through the portal and met Celestia’s eyes. Now she wasn’t sure what to do other than wait for the princess to have the first word.

“Welcome back,” Celestia said, catching Trixie off guard. “I see you chose your old home over your new one.”

“Y-Yeah,” Trixie said, glancing over towards Twilight for a moment before turning her attention back to Celestia. “Trixie decided to find her own friendship, rather than take somepony else’s. Guess we’ll see how smart a move that was…”

“I think it was a very brave move,” Celestia told her, “and I’m certain that my student will not let you down.”

“It’s not her,” Trixie explained. “It’s the others. Everypony else in Ponyville, and in Equestria. Twilight might accept Trixie, but-”

“You aim quite high,” Celestia interrupted, “but you are impatient. Canterlot was not built in a day, you know? Rather than worry about impressing everypony all at once, you should start with just the ponies you really care about… and work your way up from there.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said, herself and her friends now off of Twilight so that the poor mare could breathe again. “Even I had to start with just impressing Fluttershy and… another friend, before I could move on and spread my talent across Cloudsdale. Then I moved to Ponyville and showed Applejack here what I got, and slowly worked my rep all around the town!”

“Unless you’ve forgotten,” Trixie said, “Trixie’s ‘rep’ isn’t starting fresh here. She was already popular once, but her fame was destroyed when that ursa minor crushed her trailer.”

“Well then, we’ll jus’ fix it up,” Applejack responded. “Old Apple family sayin’: ‘Ain’t nothin’ can’t be fixed with a lil’ hard work an’ a good friend by yer side’.”

“You think that Trixie hasn’t already tried to fix her reputation?” Trixie asked.

“You ever tried it with friends helping you out?” Twilight countered.

“… Touché.”

“Well then,” Celestia spoke up, gathering the group’s attention, “Discord and I must be returning to Canterlot soon.”

“Thank you for all your help, princess,” Twilight said, bowing along with all of her friends.

“Before I leave, however…” Celestia approached Trixie, motioning for her to rise. “I can’t help but notice that you are still wearing the amulet.”

“Oh, that,” Trixie said with a nervous smile. “It isn’t corrupting Trixie, though.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Celestia said. “It was the bond that you forged with Twilight, amplified by her Element, that allowed you to overpower whatever evil lurks within the Alicorn Amulet. However, it is still a dangerous artefact, and the corruption may still spread to anypony else who may wear it. It is for this reason that I would like to keep it safe within Canterlot. Of course, you paid good money for it, so the decision is ultimately yours.”

“… It does grant Trixie great power,” Trixie muttered, just loud enough for Twilight to hear.

“But you don’t need it,” Twilight assured her. “You’re great just are you are.”

With a smile, Trixie removed the amulet and offered it to Celestia. “And that’s all that Trixie needs to hear. If her friend says that she doesn’t need this power, then Trixie will trust her judgement.”

Celestia took the amulet with her magic, keeping it at a distance from herself as it was held in the air by a golden aura. “I sense that you will all be just fine.” Trixie and Twilight exchanged glances and nodded together. “Well then, I’ll be looking forward to the report.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow as Celestia walked by her and left the library, turning to Twilight with a puzzled look. “What report?” she asked.

“I’ll explain later,” Twilight said. “But first, I think some introductions are in order.” Twilight turned to her six friends standing beside her, ready to introduce each one properly to the showmare.

“Hey, Shimmer!” Sunset Shimmer stopped and turned in the hallway. She saw Trixie Lulamoon catching up to her and stopping by her side. “The Great and Powerful Trixie heard that you convinced the other Trixie to go along with Trixie’s show whilst she was here. Trixie would like to thank you for that.”

“I wasn’t trying to help you,” Sunset told her, “I was trying to embarrass you.”

“But it backfired,” Trixie said with a grin. “You’re losing your touch.”

“I’m sorry, did you want to thank me, or did you want me to hurt you?” Sunset asked, an annoyed expression crossing her face. “Anyway, why did you even come back here? Didn’t you go to Equestria so you could learn magic or something? Why would you leave after finally getting what you wanted?”

Trixie sighed and shook her head. “It’s true I had what I wanted,” she said, “but at the same time, it wasn’t what I wanted. I could have all the power in the world, but it would be lonely without everypony who had supported me my whole life there with me.”

“Everybody,” Sunset corrected.

Trixie blushed and gave a silent laugh. “Y-Yeah. Anyway, what made up my mind was the idea of never seeing my family again. Could you imagine what that’s like?”

“… I guess so,” Sunset Shimmer muttered.

“Put simply, I guess it’s a matter of ‘appreciate what you’ve got’, and especially who you’ve got.” Trixie continued to walk down the hallway. “Trixie will have to part with them someday, but just not yet.”

Sunset Shimmer simply watched as Trixie walked down the hallway away from her. “Appreciate who you’ve got?” Sunset Shimmer sighed and followed after Trixie towards their class. “Thirty moons, huh? It’s a long wait, but I suppose I could check in on my folks when the time comes…”

“This is harder than Trixie had first thought,” Trixie said as she held the quill above the paper, glaring down at the piece of parchment as if it were evil incarnate.

“It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, Trixie,” Twilight told the showmare as she tapped her hoof impatiently on the floor behind Trixie. “Just write down what you learned, that’s all. It can even just be a brief summary.”

“Hay, just five quick words would be fine by this point,” Spike said, tapping his claws against his chin as he sat beside Trixie with an irritated look upon his face.

“Trixie knows that, but if this is to be a letter for the princess to read, then Trixie would like to ensure that her hornwriting is top-notch.”

“Trixie!” Twilight pleaded, burying her head into a pillow as her voice became muffled moans.

“Oh, very well then!” Trixie cleared her throat and brought the quill down to the parchment. “… Dear Princess Celestia… Is that too informal?”

“It’s fine,” Spike told her. “Keep going.”

“… Today, the Great and Powerful Trixie learned something about friendship.”

Twilight waited for a few seconds before noticing that Trixie had stopped. “Go on?”

Trixie hesitated for a second, her face turning red as she tried to force the words out. “This is so stupid,” she muttered.

“Come on Trixie,” Twilight said. “Just say what’s in your heart.”

“And cheesy,” Trixie gagged before letting out a sigh. “But if you insist… The Great and Powerful Trixie learned that friendship is not that hard to figure out when you find it. The tricky part is the journey, something which Trixie has struggled with for much of her life. But everypony has a place where they can call home, and ponies whom they can call their friends. Maybe… even their families.” Trixie turned around to see Twilight smiling sweetly in her direction. “And you can always confide in these friends, but you have to find them first.

“Finding that certain place where you belong is tough, and might even seem impossible. But what is important is that you never give in and always move forward. And once you find that special place, you will never want to let it go, not even for all the power in the world… however tempting it may be.”

“Is that it?” Spike asked as he prepared to send the letter off to the princess.

“Wait. A footnote.” Spike sighed, but held his breath. “Since Trixie has proven herself by defeating despair and besting the Alicorn Amulet, she feels that it is only right that she receive an Element of Harmony of her own. Trixie was thinking the ‘Element of Determination’ would suffice. What do you think?” Trixie heard laughter coming from both beside and behind her. She turned to both Spike and Twilight with an irritated look on her face.

“That’s a good one!” Spike said through his laughter.

“You should do a comedy act, Trixie!” Twilight managed to say as she held her stomach.

“‘Element of Determination’, nice!”

Trixie used her magic to roll the parchment into a scroll and turned her back to the still-laughing mare and dragon. “Trixie was being totally serious…”

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Mager Blutooth for proof-reading ^_^