After I came to Ponyville and first managed to make a living on my own , life changed for the better so many ways. I found a ton of new friends in that town, some of whom reacted more openly to me at first, some of them less. I quickly became known as the town's most brilliant party planner, filling in a very important task for our community. Bringing and receiving smiles that was, something which made our town one of the most cheerful places in all of Equestria, or so I've heard. If anyone new moved into Ponyville or away, it was always me who organized the super spectacular welcoming or farewell party they deserved. And should someone's birthday come up, I would always be the first to deliver my gifts and good riddance.

One day, after years and years of the routine I loved doing the most, my life changed again. And again, it changed for the better. It wasn't anything but casual; just another pony I welcomed to our town. A lavender unicorn from Canterlot, that was. Her arrival just so happened to mark the day of that year's summer sun celebration, with the princess herself announced to attend. Both parties that day, the one welcoming Twilight as well as the main celebration, were planned mostly by myself. That being said, it's probably rather obvious that I had one hay of a workload to carry around. But a super party pony like me does that like its nothing, so you could say I managed.

The overall result was a bit unexpected, with Celestia disappearing and some kind of divine coup d'etat taking place in the middle of my carefully planned celebration. Even though by now, something like this could easily be considered just another Tuesday in Ponyville, back then it still was kind of a big deal. It took a small group of us to beat the problem and those behind it, and in the days to come we grew more closer than anyone else I'd ever been with. What remains is history.

The friends I now had were real, as in real-real. On the farm, with those other friends of mine, the feeling of some missing authenticity had always remained, up until the end. Through everything I tried, I never managed to make our friendship feel just right. That was different, now. And neither did any of my rock farm-friends ever talk to me again in the years to come. Which was probably for the best, since I didn't think I'd even need them around anymore.

There had only been one occasion since I left my parents' home where my old friends had actually returned to me. That was the day of Gummy's after-birthday party, when none of my pony friends wanted to attend. Desperate as I suddenly felt, I tried to prevent falling back into loneliness by any means possible. Eventually, I called on my rock farm friends to help me out, and they answered.

We had a party just like any other, and it worked out...more or less. They weren't really angry with me for neglecting them, but nearly all of them tried making me take a stand against my pony friends. In hindsight, that was probably just jealousy playing through. But rude, nonetheless. Also, through all the cheers and laughter, I could never get rid of the sensation that all of what I shared with everyone from the farm still was a fake. So when I found out about Rainbow and the others throwing me a surprise party at the other end of town, I was more than happy to ditch these former friends of mine, once again.

Looking back now, I feel kind of bad about being so inconsiderate that day. My rock farm friends haven't spoken to me ever since. Well, if my behavior upset them, I probably couldn't even blame it on them. But we finally parted, and there's nothing I could change about that now.

Time had progressed for quite a bit during my short stay at whatever this kind of establishment was called, I think. Though there really wasn't any way for me to tell. The sun's position was never any indication, especially not inside a building. And neither were there any clocks or watches around this place, so I wouldn't have been able to check the time even if I wanted to. When the lighting and weather outside remained unchanged from what they were before, my first steps back onto the street made me feel like I hadn't been in that building for longer than five minutes or so.

And who knew if I had? If Trixie's words were any indication, I completely miscalculated some of the time frames in there, already.

This constant divide in the sky made me lose track of time more and more. In a way, it probably was a good thing I didn't stay at home. My sleeping schedule would become completely messed up quicker than I myself would notice. Can you imagine the chaos that would follow? Breakfast for Gummy in the afternoon would quickly become one of the consequences. And birthday celebrations at three in the morning. Applejack's sister and her friends would probably still be up for that, but otherwise? The whole town would likely become furious through my antics in ten seconds flat.

Yes, ten seconds flat. File me for plagiarism if you will, I don't think Dashie would mind me all that much. And no offense to a certain wall-eyed pegasus, but chances are the complaint will never arrive with me in time, anyhow. Especially since I'm not even home to check the mail. Which may be a bad thing. Uh...anyway.

Like I said, I wasn't home. I was out traveling the nation. This way, my daily rhythm still got screwed over, of course. But I always mess up whenever going on a road trip, so the same thing would likely have happened in any case, or so I figured.

Am I making sense?

Taking a look around now, I managed to spot Trixie again. She was sitting a few meters off to the left, next to her wagon, which remained parked at the same place as before. I could imagine why that was. The blue unicorn had lowered herself down to her haunches out here, right next to her wagon. The spot she'd taken appeared well considered; it was one of the few places on this alleyway that wasn't covered in mud entirely. She was chewing on a few, flattened cookies, which her magic kept levitating from a small package currently hovering a few inches beside her. A slightly embarrassed frown across her face, both eyes were narrowed down to the ground, mostly avoiding their surroundings. Though she probably just acted evasive of the ponies around her.

There was one thing I didn't get, though. Change in character or not, Trixie still was a stage magician. I expected her to put on a show someplace around, or at least try to impress ponies with whatever she did that...sort of. In any case, most of that being the exact opposite of what she did now. Being or becoming some sort of a local celebrity for a while at least should be pretty much necessary for her success. And wasn't that what we're all striving towards?

Yet, none of the ponies passing through seemed to pay the blue unicorn any attention, let alone recognize her. Watching that was a bit sad actually, though Trixie herself wasn't completely blameless of the situation either, was she? If a pony wanted to make some money, why would they even go looking for it in a place like this? Unless they're some kind of sailor pony, which Trixie clearly wasn't. Maybe she was just here for the crackers? Wouldn't surprise me, either.

Most of the street was deserted at this time; not that it appeared to ever be a busy location in the first place, but right now, Baltimare harbor looked much more like a ghost town than I would have liked to admit. Safe for the occasional passing stranger, some abandoned crates, and - of course - Trixie's wagon, the two of us were alone out here. Nopony else from inside the cafe seemed very eager to follow me here either, and neither did I expect them to.

Trixie looked up from her snack as soon as she noticed me. Though not quite in the way I expected, especially after that scene she just made. And knowing Trixie the way she'd always been, you may guess I'd see a thing or two coming from her. What I did not expect at this time was a smile. Let alone a pure, genuine smile from her muzzle that I couldn't detect any kind of fraud or intrigue from. Which may be a bit specific for a general assumption like this one, but turned out to land a spot-on hit, nevertheless. Though I first instinctively wanted to open my mouth to gasp, I eventually managed to smile back in all the honesty I could gather this spontaneously.

"Well?" she asked, her tone being a lot more welcoming than before. "How did it go?"

In order to provide her with the best answer I could manage, I mentally went over the scene once more, replaying it in my head. All the while, I made sure not to miss out on any details, be they positive or negative. Everything from the first moment of our conversation to the last needed to be thoughtfully weighed in order to get a precise judgment of what had happened. Accessing my own memories like that, I played through the entire process as quickly as somehow possible, eventually ending up with the super-spectacularly best I could manage. The entire process took about two seconds or so.

"Meh," I then replied with a shrug. "It was alright."

"They did take you in, didn't they?" Trixie asked with widened eyes, a good deal of concern now mixing into her voice.

"Oh, they did that, alright." I rubbed a hoof against my chin, hoping to underline my deep consideration of what to say next. "It's just...I don't know. They were nice and all, but also not exactly, uh...not the kind of crew you read about in adventure books or any of that. I mean...we're not in a book like that of course, but I still thought the inspiration for those had to come somewhere, right? One of them even started dozing off halfway through our talk. And from the remaining ones, I've got the feeling one of them doesn't like me. I might have to work on that."

"Huh...figures," she hesitantly replied, eyes wandering over the building's facade next to us. "I suppose that does explain why they carried him out, just now. I was probably going to ask you that, anyway. Oh, well...if it's only that and nothing else. I was afraid something far worse might have happened in there..."

"Did you see where they went?" I asked. Sure, Polly said she'd pick me up here, tomorrow. But I might as well get an overall idea of where I needed to be. Docking Bay 94 could be anywhere, and to be honest, I never even expected the port to be this large. Or maybe they just started counting from some higher number to make it appear larger on paper. Strange things happen out here.

"Well, they went down the street, then took another corner somewhere. I didn't pay them a lot of attention beyond that," Trixie casually explained. "Why, is there something you still needed to ask them?"

"Oh, no, no, don't worry." I giggled alongside my reply. Not sure how she interpreted that one. "They are gonna pick me up here tomorrow. But I might as well get an overall idea of where I need to...be...didn't I already tell you this?"

"I...don't think so," she said, gulping down another cracker. Hesitating for a moment, she held out the brownish paper package in my direction. "Care for some, by the way?"

"Of course," I squeaked, all the more joyfully. "Thank you so much!"

My thoughts stopped drifting off in an instant, returning to the small paper bag in front of me. Honestly, this was all I could ever ask for. Sugar! And for free! Who cares if it was Trixie handing them out, and her potentially malicious thoughts behind it...if any. After days of wandering through the lonely steppes of Southern Equestria, these crackers felt more welcoming than anything I had ever since leaving Ponyville. When the gears in my head first connected, realizing what this was about, I didn't only grab the package from her hoof. Instead, I embraced the package. I worshiped the package. I became the package.

And I gulped it all down in one go. Including the wrapping, that was. No need to let some good aroma go to waste.

Trixie gave me another weak smile as I did, her forehead falling to wrinkles ever so slightly. But I think she didn't mind me. Not that much, anyway. And it wouldn't be until much later that I realized what I just did may have been a little inconsiderate. It didn't trouble me now though, and that was okay. Because Trixie didn't seem to be so angry, either. She tilted her head to the right, motioning down the street.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we? I wouldn't want to spend the entire afternoon in front of this, well...not-so-inviting establishment."

I nodded, telling her what a great idea that was. Though I also felt a little suspicious about it. Well, I never really felt so sure about what Trixie was up to, these days. When asked where she was headed, she told me that there wasn't anything in particular she had in mind. Just a walk around town. Maybe she wanted to say hello to her friends? Then again, did Trixie even have friends, especially here? Did anyone in this town have any friends in here? Or elsewhere? Maybe they did. But then again, maybe they didn't. But what other point was there in wandering aimlessly around town, if not for saying hi to any of your friends?

I didn't get her logic. And still, I agreed to come along. Only moments later, we were off, yours truly happily bouncing up and down on the street's surface next to the formerly boastful unicorn mare. A little bit of sweet stuff always gets me going, you see. Can't help it.

"Sooo, what have you been doing, lately?" I asked to break the silence after a while. It seemed like the best way to start off a conversation, but Trixie's expression hardly changed upon my request.

"Oh, you know." She shrugged. "Just the usual. Traveling around a lot, mostly, doing a few shows here and there." She hesitated for a moment. "I...also decided to include those fireworks into my routine. You know, the ones I used for Twilight's magic show? It's not that hard, really. A simple optic illusion, but it definitely broadens my audiences a good deal. So...business is going pretty good you may say. So far."

"That's great!" Was it? I suppose so. I happily retorted that phrase, while continuing to leap down the road just like I always did. But apart from that, there didn't seem to be so much cheerfulness in the atmosphere around us. What followed was another bit of silence.

I still wasn't so sure how to react to Trixie's behavior. She seemed nice right now. But I shouldn't let myself be fooled. I mean, how often did we already decided to put our trust in Discord, while always ending up with some kind of disaster in the end? And just to be clear, I also wasn't completely sure about his innocence concerning our current crisis, either. So why trust Trixie but not him? Why trust her, anyway? She tried to help me, after all. But why?

There really didn't seem to be anything wrong with what she did, and I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt...on the outside, at least. If Trixie tried to be supportive of me like she made it appear, there wouldn't be any reason for me to do otherwise. And should she still be after stabbing all of us in the back, well...the safer she felt around me, the more likely it was she'd let something slip. Then I would know for sure.

Instead however, she didn't say anything for a long time. She didn't even look over to me, even though I tried to establish eye contact in between several of my regular leaps. But whenever I actually did stare into that face of hers, I saw nothing but a horribly troubled expression, hardly even aware of the looks I gave her.

Trixie seemed a bit deep in thought. A little too deep, maybe. I searched for some kind of struggle going on inside her, though I didn't figure out what exactly it might have been about. Although, hadn't it been her who originally suggested we take this walk, wherever it would lead? Was she already considering to deceive me? I narrowed my eyes a bit, expressing my mistrust.

"Are you okay?" I then asked her. "You're not very talkative as of late, you know that, right?"

Trixie's eyes flashed up to me for a moment, then immediately back to the ground, as she let loose a low sigh. "W-well, I guess what I actually wanted to say..." she trailed off, her gaze constantly shifting from one part of the street to another, as she slowly started to resume her steps. I followed suit almost immediately, and yet I realized that wherever Trixie would turn her eyes, she wouldn't dare look in my face for longer than a split-second. Which I didn't understand. I mean, Fluttershy would do this sort of thing all the time, but somepony confident as Trixie? Sorry, but that was just weird.

"Ugh, this is a lot harder than I thought..." she started, somewhat stumbling across her words. "I guess...I guess what I really wanted to say is thank you, Pinkie. To you and your friends. Thank you. For everything. I know...this probably sounds a bit weird coming from me and all that." She chuckled, nervously. "It probably also doesn't sound very convincing either, does it? I guess I'm just really bad at this."

Now she did look back up to me, but turned away once again immediately, when all she saw was the questioning face I put on. Which I didn't have any hard feelings about, since I honestly didn't know what she was talking about. Don't villains usually apologize before doing bad stuff to you, instead of, well...being grateful for something? That probably wasn't it, then.

"You probably don't even know what I mean by that...no, of course not. I never even told you..." she mumbled, her voice monotonous and almost incomprehensible. "You do remember the first time I came to Ponyville though, don't you? And actually the second time as well...anyhow, I was so full of myself back then, boasting with all those incredible talents I didn't have. All because I thought that was the way I could get ponies to like me...well, not just that, but even adore me. Sort of like the way they do with Princess Celestia. Well, did, really."

Okay, first the thanking, followed by some sort of confession, and now she started implying that the princesses were in fact dead...?

What in the world was even going on anymore?

"When I left Ponyville for the second time...you might recall the night I helped Twilight out with her magic show?"

"I do, actually," I told her. "That was...that was something." Or what? I didn't even know what she wanted to hear.

"Yes, well. I talked to her for a short while after that, even before I left. Considering the short time, that was probably the only thing I did before leaving, heh..." She chuckled, nervously, still not daring to look at me. "Well, I decided to try my luck and ask Twilight whether she could forgive me, you know? I didn't expect a whole lot at the time, and thought she'd probably just ignore me. Instead, she told me that she actually could just do that. And...without any price to pay or whatever. After everything I've put her through, she said she would just forget about it, and...and I think she really did mean it. That genuine look in her eyes, that...I don't even know when I've last seen that in forever.

"It dawned on me, then. I didn't understand her at first, much like I hardly understood how any of you managed through life so happily, but the realization struck me at that moment. That this must be what friendship actually feels like. I've never really given it any thought, but in that moment I realized that it actually feels good, like that. My whole life, I've always tried to compete with ponies, and prove myself better than them. And even if I did succeed, there always seemed to be something missing, and I suppose that something was someone else's approval of what I did.

"I first ever received that kind of approval during that talk with Twilight, I think. Now, I don't want to appear speaking badly of her, after all you've known that pony much longer than I have, probably. But...I don't think she looked at me any longer, thinking of a competitor. If she ever even did in the first place. Either way, I had become a better pony in her eyes. Someone who might not be so bad to spend time with after all. And I thought, if I could accomplish just that...if I could actually get ponies to think of me as someone who improved themselves, well maybe I could just get that sort of recognition I've always wanted. In a very different way, of course, a much more humble approach. But it would still be better than any of those fantasies I've had, all my life. Because in the end, what did all the power and popularity in the world mean to me, if I could never actually possess them, not in this way? This...these frendships, however, they were something real, something I could actually accomplish."

Trixie concluded her long monologue by drawing in a deep breath, and I had a feeling she wasn't entirely done, just yet. By now, we had stopped our walk, and took a short break in the cool shade of a nearby street corner. Just like before, the ponies passing us by hardly even took any notice of our presence, let alone whatever it was we were talking about. Trixie still couldn't get herself to look at me directly for more than a second, but it didn't slip my attention that her voice became a good deal shakier in the past few minutes, growing along with her insecurity. Which probably was just another reason for her to not look me in the eye directly.

"I, uh...I tried that different approach in the weeks to come," she explained, as we resumed walking. "And guess what? It actually worked. Instead of trying to show off all the time, all I did was putting together some simple, modest show including most of the magic I could do. Not the kind I wasn't capable of but pretended to be, anyway. I put some honest shows on display, then presented them to whatever audience might come around to watch. And after each show, I'd always be open for talks or discussions about pretty much everything. Some ponies wanted to learn some more about my tricks, and some asked whether I could even teach them some of the simpler ones. Or their kids, for that matter. Others just wanted to stay and chat. And I was always happy to deliver.

"In a lot of the towns I've visited, there were ponies happy to have me and my shows. I even got provided some free food in exchange. Heck, a few of them even let me stay with them for a night or two. And as far as I could tell they would do so again, if need ever be. All of which I've accomplished through some genuine entertainment, and...well, and acting friendly towards others. I never even thought it would be that easy. But long story short, I've...managed to turn myself around, and now, there's actually some ponies out there whom I can consider my friends.

"It's...been a little more complicated as of late, I suppose. This everlasting sunshine makes a lot of ponies stand on edge, all over the place. Makes them appear a lot more grumpy, too. I came here to Baltimare a few days back, and for the first time since we last met, and still most ponies don't even talk to me. That endless day drags the whole community down...hardly anyone even wanted to see my show." She paused for a moment, biting her lip. "I do hope this current affair won't come back biting us in the flank, one day. And I hope it's going to get under control, soon...

"Anyway, back to the friendship...thing. I mean...it's all so easy, you know. And it was in front of my muzzle all along, I think...I think I just needed a good push in the right direction..." she paused, eyes darting over to me. "Oh, okay, maybe a bit of a harder one. But still, I owe these changed in my life to you and your friends. Wouldn't I have had that feeling of nagging guilt thanks to what I've done to all of you, and wouldn't Twilight have chosen to forgive me, I don't think I'd be as happy as I am today. I'd probably still be the arrogant, little idiot from back when." Her chest gradually started heaving up and down more heavily, for whatever reason.

"What I...what I really wanted to ask is, and I've heard part of this affirmation from Twilight already, but...do you think you could forgive me for what I've done? That, and maybe, actually be my..." she swallowed. "...friend?"

And now, suddenly, she did look me in the eye. Dead in the eye, one might say. And seeing the way Trixie tried to look on for some response on my part, among a look on her face that was begging me, even desperate for an answer, the needle in my head finally clicked. I realized what this was about. There wouldn't be any meanie plans, slinging ropes, or death traps for me to fall into. She really was being honest with me. I know a smile when I see one...among other expressions. Telling real emotions from fake ones is what I do best, and that skill didn't leave me even now. And I realized that at this point, too.

There was only one possible answer for me to give.

"D'awww..." I burst out with a wide grin. "Come here, you old, uh..." Turns out I couldn't even think of a fitting word that wouldn't insult her. Whatever. Didn't matter now. Taking a short leap forward, I wrapped my forelegs around the clueless unicorn mare and gave her a squeeze as tightly and wholeheartedly as I could. I only retracted some of my force, when I heard her let out a surprised yelp from behind my left shoulder. In other words, I might have gone a little too hard on her with that one. Oh well. As long as I still got the message across.

I released the perplexed mare after another few seconds. Her pupils rotating in full circles a good three or four times, Trixie stumbled backwards, stumbling right and left. It took her a moment until she gained a fixed stance again. "I guess..." she managed to bring out between a few coughs. "I suppose this means yes, then?"

I rolled my eyes, giggling. Really, how much more obvious could I make it? "Duh, silly!" I thus cheered her on. "You're really new at this whole thing, aren't you?"

"Heh, yeah, I guess so." She said it like it was a gesture of remorse, but I could clearly see the happy grin on her muzzle. Which honestly spoke more than a thousand words ever could. Or actually, make that two-thousand. Anything beyond that might be a bit of a far reach, but two-thousand? Yeah, she should be able to pull that off.

"Pinkie?" she asked, looking up again, resuming only after a while longer. "Do you think the others in Ponyville would think so as well? Accept me as their friend and all? I mean...I have kind of a long history with your town, and not a very pleasant one at that. But still, looking back at your community now, and remembering it being so happy, and...cheerful...I even miss not being there sometimes, honestly. And troubled times or not, I would really be looking forward to returning there to start over. And make some friends...maybe even...settle down there? I don't know."

I blinked at her, eyes wide. "You would do that?"

"Yes. No. Maybe...I don't know." She closed her eyes deep in thought, while massaging her temples. "It's just...I think it would be nice to have a home. A permanent one, that doesn't move around wherever I go. Ponyville looks like a more than decent choice for that. I could still travel from there, but someplace to call home would truly mean something to me. I've...I've never really had one since," she paused, wincing. "Since the day my parents died."

"Come again?" I wasn't sure if I understood her correctly, though I really wished I hadn't. That last sentence came out a bit mumbled, as well as rushed.

"My parents," she said. "They died when I was still a foal, about five years old or so, I think. Truth is, I don't know just exactly how old I was, then. I can't even tell my age for sure, right now. I was still very young, in any case. We lived in a small shack really, really far to the south, almost at the badlands. Don't ask me why, I was much too young for my folks to reasonably explain it when they had the time.

"Well, the inevitable happened one day. We were attacked by a number of dragons; they basically burned down everything we had. And...I was the only one to make it to the next larger city - Dodge Junction that was - alive and well. Been living on the road ever since."

I stopped walking again, a few seconds ago. And Trixie hadn't bothered to march on from there, either. Now, all I could do was stare at her in disbelief. Especially at the way how she just said that so casually. I haven't been close with my family for a while, either. But just losing them like that? I don't think I'd take it so easily. This entire situation went from cheerful with cake and balloons to the saddest thing I've heard in days really quick, and if anypony needed a laugh more than ever, now would be that time.

"I think...I think Twilight would be happy to welcome you back," I finally told her. As I did, I made sure to draw the mare into another half-embrace, this time a lot more careful than the last, nuzzling her ever so slightly.

As I let go, she turned to the road ahead of us, a somewhat weary smile on her face. But still, it was a smile. Which was better than nothing. "I guess I should be glad to hear that," she pronounced with a chuckle. "Still some way to go ahead of us, also."

"Yeah, well," I replied, waving a hoof. "I don't have to be anywhere else before tomorrow at nine. So I'm game. Oh, speaking of which," I added. "Could you tell me when it's nine? Like, tomorrow? I don't exactly trust most clocks, they're a bit..." I narrowed my eyes, suspiciously checking our surroundings. "...untrustworthy."

"Sure, whatever you say," Trixie said with a grin. "And, Pinkie? One last request on my part as well."

"Huh?"

"Don't ever change, would you?"

We looked at each other for a moment longer, just before breaking out in the single, most roaring of laughters this city had seen or heard in weeks. It was also the best I've ever felt in approximately the same amount of time. How much of a relief it must have been for Trixie, I couldn't even imagine.

The rest of the day, and dayish-night or whatever, was well spent with a few more drinks, jokes, and general goofing around. Coming back to our hooves afterwards, we eventually helped ourselves, before going on for what was only supposed to be a short walk, down towards the glowing sunset.

Or not exactly a sunset. More like that one thing I already called it, half a sunny day, or a sun-day. Which is good because I like Sundays. Next Chapter: Chapter 12 - High Tide Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 53 Minutes