Knock, knock, knock.

For the third time in twenty-four hours, Trixie was awoken by the tapping of hooves on her door. Already she knew who those hooves belonged to, the very same pony who had awoken her the last two times as well. She yawned, rubbing her eyes with her hooves.

“Coming!” she groaned to the door. She knew she should not be angry at this alarm call, as she had brought it on herself, but nonetheless she was fighting a losing battle with her early morning crankiness. With another loud yawn, she dragged her body out of the bed and stumbled to the door. She slumped against it, expecting it to open, and cursed to herself when it didn’t co-operate. Mumbling more irritated complaints to herself, she turned her head; struggling to focus her bleary eyes on the key. She swore again as she dropped the key from her magical aura as it missed its target under the handle. Eventually, with much more grumbling, she had the door unlocked and pushed open.

“Morning Trixie!” a bright-eyed and smiling Twilight Sparkle greeted her. Trixie responded with another yawn, her eyes barely half open as she regarded the fresh-faced Princess.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Trixie mumbled. “How can you be so awake first thing in the morning?”

Twilight grinned at Trixie’s slurred response, regarding the unkempt, groggy pony before her. “It’s just routine; you get used to it after a while.”

“Ah, routine; no. Trixie does not do routine.” Trixie leaned back and let her flanks fall to the floor, raising a hoof to cover another long yawn.

“Well, you wanted me here this morning!” Twilight reminded her. “Did you want to tell me something?” she leaned forward, making no attempt to hide the eagerness in her expression and voice.

“Oh right,” Trixie hesitated, turning her head to avoid Twilight’s gaze. “I just wanted… you…” Trixie’s eyebrows knitted into a frown as she felt her cheeks begin to glow. “I just wanted to say thanks ok!” she blurted, the sentence fired out with violent speed and volume. “Now don’t you have somewhere to be?” Trixie suddenly sat up and turned before Twilight could respond, dashing back into the room. She grasped the door in her magic and went to slam it shut before she heard Twilight call out.

“Trixie, wait!”

Trixie considered ignoring the cry, her embarrassment eating her from the inside out. However, with a sigh; she kept the door open.

“What?” she asked curtly.

“You’re very welcome,” Twilight responded with a smile that, in Trixie’s semi-conscious state; made her heart sink, and the blush on her cheeks intensify. “Don’t forget to write!”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Don’t you have to get going now?”

“Yeah, I do,” Twilight giggled. “Enjoy your lessons Trixie.” Another smile from Twilight made Trixie’s stomach flutter.

“Right, sure; bye!” Trixie swung the door shut, rushing to escape the Twilight’s hypnotic face.

She exhaled a relieved breath as she sat alone in the room.Reeeeeaaal smooth Trixie she lamented to herself, throwing a hoof to her face. “Stupid, stupid egghead!” she muttered into her hoof. After a few more moments of battle with her embarrassment, she glanced at the clock hanging over the fireplace. Well, at least I can catch some more sleep before the lessons start.. She made her way back to the bed, jumping onto it and wrapping herself in its sheets. She released a satisfied moan as her head hit the pillow and the duvet’s warmth encircled her again, shutting out the cruel cold air of the morning.

Not ten minutes passed before she heard the tapping of hooves on her door once again. She growled to herself at the noise. “Who is it now?” she groaned. She stumbled out of bed once again and opened the door.

“What?!” she growled.

“Oh hello, good to see you again!”

Trixie recoiled in surprise as her ears were assaulted by the loud, enthusiastic and very familiar voice, one so unique that it was not quickly forgotten. Before her stood the very same painter that had created the magnificent picture of Twilight they had seen in the town. She was once again adorned by the paint speckled gown she wore the day before, and the black beret was once again perched on her head. To her left, a sheet covered a rectangular object on a wheeled trolley.

“Oh, its you.” Trixie’s tone lightened as she recognized her visitor. She smiled as she remembered what she was here for. “I believe you have something for me?”

“I do! It’s right here! Is this the room my art will be displayed in?” she asked eagerly.

“Why, yes it is! Please, bring it inside.” Trixie instructed, all traces of irritation having vanished from her voice.

“Oooh I’m so excited!” the artist said as she wheeled the painting inside the room. “This is such an honour!”

“Yeah sure, just close that door behind you first would you?” Trixie requested, all too aware of how strange this situation may look to a passer-by. The artist complied, swinging the door shut and concealing their secret trade.

“Now, let me see this beauty again!” Trixie asked, standing in front of the trolley.

“Most certainly!” the painter said as she placed a hoof on the cloth. “Voila!” with a dramatic pull, the painter swiped the sheet away from her creation. Trixie’s mouth hung open as she once again laid eyes on the magnificent painting of the symbol of her beloved princess. It was even better than she remembered. She stood in a stupor for several moments as she took the sight in again, completely forgetting about the painter standing beside her.

“So, where shall it go?” she asked excitedly, snapping Trixie out of her daze.

“Oh, Umm…” Trixie glanced around the room. Spotting the clock hanging over the fireplace, she quickly grasped it in her magic and tossed it on the bed.

“Up there will do! Who needs to know the time anyway?” Then, with the utmost care; Trixie hung the frame holding the painting from the stand the clock had previously been resting on. When she set it in place, she sat back to admire the picture again.

“Gotta hand it to you my friend, you can sure paint a picture of Princess Sparkle,” she said, her eyes never leaving the picture.

“Why thank you! She is an absolute pleasure to capture on canvas. It’d be a dream come true to have her model for me in the flesh one day!”

“It seems to me you hardly need her in front of you; this picture is perfect!”

“Oh no no no,” the painter argued, raising a hoof to her chin. “The proportions are all off. The hips are far too wide.” She gestured to the picture as she spoke.

“I don’t see any issue with that,” Trixie droned back, mouth hanging open.

“Ah, well; we are all our own worst critics,” she replied, clearly having no idea who she was speaking to. “Anyway, I must run back to my gallery. Thank you so much for having my art in your room!”

“My pleasure!” Trixie turned to the artist. “I don’t think I caught your name?”

“Oh, the name is Paint Splash! Pleased to meet you miss…” she extended a hoof towards Trixie

“Trixie, Trixie Lulamoon.” she responded, taking the hoof in her own and shaking it. “I can safely say I’m already a big fan of your work!”

“Wonderful!” Paint Splash’s smile beamed across her face. “Do stop by the gallery someday soon!”

“You know I just might, considering your work here. Think you will be doing any more paintings of Twilight Sparkle?”

“Oh, most certainly!”

“Fantastic! I’ll have to come by sometime then!”

“Great! I look forward to it. Farewell for now!”

“Let me get that for you!” Trixie opened the door to allow Paint Splash her leave. The artist waved as she strolled away from the bedroom.

With a quick wave of her own, Trixie slammed the bedroom shut and turned to regard the picture again. She felt her skin heat up as she looked upon it, and no longer did she feel the slightest bit sleepy. Dragging her eyes away from the wonderful image, she approached the bed and craned her neck to see the clock she had tossed on top of it. I think there is time for a nice, long shower before the lessons start! she decided, dashing towards the bathroom.

*

Trixie trotted towards Celestia’s throne room, a satisfied grin on her face. A warm glow surrounded her body after her relieving shower. She swung the doors to the throne room open, prancing inside.

“Alright Princess, let’s get this show on the—“ the sight before her stopped Trixie in her tracks, the smile on her face disappearing as her jaw dropped open.

Before her, next to Princess Celestia, stood a tall, snaky figure with a mismatched goat horn and deer antler on a horse-like head. A single, long fang protruded from the mouth underneath two bright yellow eyes with mismatched pupils.  The right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat were attached to its thin winding form. The sight could be described as nothing less than terrifying.

“And of course you assume it was me,” the creature spoke to Celestia in an annoyed voice.

“I didn’t say it was you, Discord,” Celestia replied, her eyebrows furrowed. “I was simply asking if you happened to see what happened.”

“No Celestia, I don’t keep an eye on every one of your clumsy castle guards. I can’t be held responsible for every mishap that occurs around here.”

“I’m not… uh,” Celestia grunted in reply, her usual characteristic calmness broken.

“Now, if you are done accusing me of things for the day, I’d like to go—“ Discord turned on the spot to leave, but stopped in his place before he could take a step.

“Well well, who have we got here?” he said, a grin forming on his face as he laid his strange eyes upon the frozen form of Trixie.

“Leave her alone Discord, just go back to wherever you were going,” Celestia’s irritated voice commanded.

“Oh come now Celestia, can’t I say hi to a new guest?” Discord pleaded, raising his mismatched arms towards Trixie. “How am I supposed to discover the magic of friendship if you won’t let me talk to anypony?”

Celestia just sighed in response, knowing it was far too late to persuade the troublesome spirit otherwise.

“So, who might you be?” Discord asked as he snaked his body around Trixie, his feet standing to her left while his head hovered over her to the right, gazing down upon her.

“I… I’m…” she stuttered, the shock of discord’s bizarre form still overwhelming her. A few moments passed as she gazed up at the impossible creature, before her eyebrows knitted into a determined frown.

“I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!” She cried with conviction, calling forth the full strength of her stage voice, and spreading her legs into a powerful stance. “A name you would do well to remember!”

“Oooooh!” Discord uncurled himself from around Trixie, taking a step back to regard her. “This one has spunk, I like it!”

“Of course you do, what’s not to like?” Trixie flashed Discord her most confident smile.

“Hmm,” Discord began to float into the air, raising his eagle’s claw to his long chin. “You’re an interesting one,” he raised his claw up to his face, and moments later stretched it out towards Trixie, a yellow orb with a large red dot in its centre sitting in the palm of his claw. “I’ll have to keep an eye out for you.”

Trixie recoiled slightly at the eyeball. “I do tend to have that effect on those that meet me,” she quipped, focusing her own eyes on discords disembodied one.

“Hah! Celestia, where did you find this one? I want more like her!” he asked, returning his eye to its home and turning to the princess.

Celestia was clearly not amused by the situation.

“Discord, Trixie and I actually have a lesson planned for this afternoon, so if you wouldn’t mind, we are already behind on schedule.”

“Fine,” Discord moaned. He quickly leaned into Trixie’s ear raising his lion’s paw to his cheek to block out Celestia. “If you’re going to learn from this one, don’t let her make you boring like all the others.”

“Don’t worry, nopony could possibly do that to Trixie!”

“Excellent! Well then, I must take my leave before Celestia here decides to encase me in stone again. Farewell Great and Powerful Trixie, I do so hope we get to meet again. Good day princess!” With a click of his fingers, Discord vanished into thin air with a pop, and the room fell silent. Trixie swore she could actually feel the energy of the room drop instantly as his presence left it.

“I apologize for that Trixie,” Celestia spoke, approaching her new pupil.

“Not at all. I must say, I’ve seen so many pictures of Discord, but the real thing really is quite something.” Trixie looked to the spot where Discord had vanished from moments ago as she spoke.

“Indeed,” Celestia replied, her tone still irritable.

“He’s also far more charming than I imagined.”

“That’s exactly the issue, Trixie. Don’t be fooled by him,” Celestia warned.

“Don’t you worry about me, Princess. I can handle myself.” Trixie raised a hoof to her chest.

“Alright, shall we begin our lesson?” Celestia suggested, eager to get off the topic of the trickster spirit.

“Let’s do it, Trixie is ready!”