In a not so crowded Ponyville, two very tired star-studded mares of cyan and lavender were leaving Crystal's Restaurant.

Under her fashionable cap and cape of stars, Trixie was being escorted by her new favored companion.

"Starlight, I can't thank you enough for everything."

"Well, what are friends for?" Starlight recanted what had become a running gag for them, triggering more giggles between the two.

"So..." Trixie had an uneasy draw in her pause. "Are you sure everything is going to be okay with you and the Princess?"

"Twilight or Celestia?" Starlight asked with a coy grin.

"Ugh... both?" Trixie replied, actually unsure about how both were reacting to last night's events.

Starlight raised her head up high with a confident smile.

"Oh, I'll be fine. Twilight realizes now that she was wrong about you. Wrong about this whole… well, this whole thing, actually," her words turned a bit cynical at the end.

"But!" She emphasized there was more to her explanation. "That's all cleared up, and we all learned a valuable lesson about friendship."

Trixie's eyes lifted, along with a smile.

"I know you're right and all, but doesn't it bother you using such corny cliché lines like that?"

Starlight's eyes roll back, with her mouth agape.

"Ugh, for Celestia's sake. You have no idea."

They continue walking onward to the end of town, laughter roaring between them.

After a good laugh, Trixie asked with a hopeful smile.

"So, speaking of Celestia. How did it turn out with her being stood up last night?"

Starlight bashfully had to lower her gaze.

"Well..."

A coffee cup gripped in a glowing golden aura rose to meet the pearliest white lips of any royal figure.

Celestia and Twilight sat across from each other of the large enchanted table map. The sipping of coffee shattered the awkward silence like a brick had broken a window.

Celestia lowered her cup.

"So, as I was watching the ice sculpture you left me with melt away, this cannonball performance of-"

"Yes!" Twilights face was blazon with excitement. "The Moon-Shot Manticore Mouth Dive! I went to Starlight's side and told her about how when I first came to Ponyville, you gave me the space I needed to make my own friends, and that I should do the same for her."

Celestia sipped her coffee, the bags of sleep under her eyes refused to let her hide any trace of discontent.

"You're telling me that because of your intervention, with your only student, during her first test, an actual attempt to make a friend on her own mind you, Trixie-"

"Pulled off the most Ah-mazing-" Twilight shouted, trying to answer for Celestia.

"-tried to commit suicide-" Celestia continued to ask her question.

"Greatest feat of stage magic I had ever seen!" Twilight finished, hoping the great feat would distract from the severity of her interference.

"in front of a full audience-" Celestia continued, not letting Twilight take over her inquiry.

"You should have heard the cheers from the crowd!" Twilight added and slowly waved her right hoof overhead, illustrating the calls of the cheering ponies.

Celestia's eyes could have burned a hole through Twilight's head as she stood before her. Even the best toothy smile anypony could have while trying to avoid the suspicion of guilt wasn't going to make Celestia let up.

"… hoping Starlight would come back to make sure she didn't die in the jaws of a manticore?"

Dead air filled the room. Celestia, unfazed by Twilight's over performance, again raised her coffee cup to her lips, sipping loudly.

Twilight was sweating bullets and tried to hold firm in her attempts at the ever-fleeting plausible deniability surrounding her.

"Oh, I think every pony knew that Starlight would have never left Trixie to-"

Celestia sipped loudly again.

Twilight paused from the interruption but started to convincing Celestia of how great things were when the cup was lowered.

"I'm not sure if you know this, but even though she's not a princess like us, Starlight's magic-"

Another loud sip of coffee broke her stride, and Celestia's eyes grew even more narrow.

A nervous Twilight pawned off a laugh under her breath, still hoping to save herself.

"Well, the real magic that night was backstage where we all made up. And Trixie even thanked me for-"

The loudest sip of coffee yet cut her off again, her figure falling under trained authority's smoldering eyes. This sip held off Twilight's banter for 7 seconds... 8 seconds... 9 seconds...

Twilight stood frozen, holding her hoof up to her chest, her head held high, and she was arching back in some regal pose of noble modesty. Patiently, she was waiting for Celestia's sipping to end.

... 10 seconds...

"Okay!" Twilight flung her hooves up to the ceiling, professing her sins.
"I did everything wrong the whole time! Even after they called me out on it!"

Twilight pointed to one side or the other for each mistake she made. She even replayed the motions of hiding Pon3 and herself in a bush to spy on Starlight.

Finally, she gave up with a gasp, falling face-first on the table.

"I was just so scared Trixie would be a bad influence or do something to hurt Starlight just to get back at me."

Celestia lowered her cup of coffee back to the table, rolling her eyes again with a deep sigh.

"Twilight? Your story sounds a lot more like you have a lack of trust in yourself, rather than in your pupil or her peers, for that matter."

Twilight raised her head, looking up to her mentor inquisitively.

"You were so confident that you gave Starlight all the right lessons for her to make the right choices. But at the first sign of a challenge, you suddenly thought that she wasn't ready after all. Right?" Celestia lectured.

Twilight sulked, drowning in her own failure.

"Yes, I should of had more faith in her judgment."

A faint smile crossed Celestia's lips under her tired eyes as they closed.

"After all, she does have a great teacher."

Twilight's eyes rose to meet hers.

"Does she?"

Celestia stood up from her seat and walked over to Twilights' side, one hoof wrapping around from behind her, pulling them close together for a much-needed hug.

"Of course, she does. After all, didn't I train her teacher?"

"You did," Twilight smiled and hugged her back tightly, letting go of her fears and doubts for the moment.

Celestia smiled softly, happy to see Twilight had learned her lesson.

"Holding a grudge didn't help either, my dear."

"I know," Twilight agreed, but at this point, whatever Celestia said she would agree to.

Still proud of her student, Celestia basked in the moment, knowing her student could only grow from this.

"Work on it. It will save you from a lot of headaches and stress wrinkles when you're my age."

Twilight nuzzled in closer.

"I'd rather not think about all the problems that come with being your age, right now."

Celestia kept her close, happy to see the progress of her young student, having grown so much. At least until her eyes opened wide, staring into the void, Twilight's words finally resonating with her.

"What kind of problems do you think I have at my age, Twilight?" She asked, pulling her wings out of the embrace.

Twilight snapped back into panic mode.

"Oh my, Celestia. I can't believe what time it is! You need to be on your way, and I have so many royal friendship duties to fulfill! Not to mention a whole friendship report that needs to be recorded, I'm so behind on my schedule! I know you understand!"

Edging herself closer and closer to the door, Twilight was frantically excusing herself.

"Oh wait, I hear Spike calling me! I'll send the guards to come get you. Have a nice trip back!"

And in a flash of light, she teleported herself out, and Celestia stood alone in the center of the room, dwelling on Twilight's words more than she should.

"... I don't have old pony problems," she says with a pouty face.

Back to the outskirts of Ponyville, Trixie and Starlight were taking down the remaining stage items to be packed away. The floorboards started to glow with a light blue aura. Nuts and bolts magically came undone, separating themselves and floating overhead to Trixie's wagon.

Starlight trotted over, looking over the materials.

"And where do all these go?"

Trixie was face down, impossibly deep into one of her magic chests.

"If it's lumber, just leave it stacked near the chairs. I'll be selling it back as soon as everything else is packed."

Starlight made a face to match her confusion.

"Selling it back? Trixie, do you buy and build a new stage every time you do a show?"

Trixie struggled her way out of her enchanted chest, falling back onto her rump. She stood up, brushed herself off, and then walked off proudly with her head held high.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is a pony of modest needs while traveling. She cannot be bothered with such cumbersome supplies whilst traveling so efficiently," she said before she pointed to her open wagon and the somewhat cramped space it held.

Starlight lowered the lumber to the ground and made her way over to peer inside for herself.

"You have plenty of room for everything here if you used the right storage spells."

Trixie again held her head high.

"Oh, Starlight. I already sacrifice so much comfort as it is. But, for her adoring fans, the Amazing Trixie will- wait, did you say storage spells?"

Starlight smiled as if the concept were so simple that Trixie should have known.

"Well, yeah. Storage spells are actually pretty easy when you're storing items that are non-perishable and such. I can teach you if you'd like."

The flash of teleportation could be heard behind the two ponies, followed by the sound of four flailing legs and a yelp from Twilight as she fell through the open floor of what was once Trixie's stage. The sounds of lumber and an alicorn colliding caused the two to cringe.

A bit dazed and now covered in dust, Twilight lay with her head spinning. Trixie and Starlight trotted up the stairs and looked down into the mess.

Trixie couldn't hold in her laugh, seeing her old rival in such a state.

"Hehehe, Twilight, I didn't know you'd be dropping in."

Starlight let a chuckle escape but cleared her throat and put on a serious face.

"That's not funny, Trixie."

Trixie turned to Starlight with a grin, making Starlight's serious face melted away.

"Okay, it's a little funny."

She turned back to Twilight.

"But Twilight, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Princess Celestia? She didn't leave already, did she?"

Twilight shook her head, and you'd swear you could hear a cowbell jingle before stopping and answering the question.

"Wha? Oh, no, everything's fine," she declared with a hyper-excited face.

Another bloom of light flashed in as Twilight teleported behind them.

"After giving my report, I thought I'd help see Trixie off," Twilight said as she turned to face them both with a smile of faux confidence.

Trixie somehow seemed to doubt these words.

"You actually gave up time with Celestia to see her off so that you could see me off instead?"

Twilight stood statuesque, her competent smile growing suspiciously large.

"... Yes?!"

The two across from Twilight awkwardly stared in disbelief, as if they could plainly see it was a lie.

Given the rivalry between her mentor and her new friend, Starlight approached her royal friend, knowing something was up.

"Twilight, are you avoiding Celestia and using this as an excuse?"

"What? No," Twilight answered, trying to keep her cool. "She has no idea where I am right now."

Instantly, Twilight's cool evaporated, and Trixie looked on with a snark of disappointment.

"Right, Princess of Friendship in action, everypony," she scoffed before trotting off to continue packing.

Starlight put a hoof over Twilight's shoulder.

"I don't know what's going on between you and Celestia, but I'm sure the Princess of Friendship would know how bad this must look for you right now. Especially considering your past with Trixie and what little improvement you made with her last night."

Twilight sighed, accepting that her attempts to pass as genuine had failed twice in a row today.

"I know," she said before she looked up in earnest. "But it's not like I wouldn't want to see her again, or actually come to see her off. This was just the first place and group of ponies I could go to."

Starlight smiled, understanding how complicated these things can be.

"Well, your entry and explanation leave a lot to be desired."

After another look back at what all had to be done, Starlight sulked and groaned.

"But, we are probably going to need some help."

Twilight lips raised just enough above a frown to show a little happiness coming back. That was enough to keep Starlight thinking positively, and she invited her mentor in to help.

"Come on, I was about to help Trixie with some storage spells."

Trixie begrudgingly let Twilight help, but the three quickly lightened the tension between them. They were actually able to enjoy their time taking down all the props and lumber.

During the breakdown, Starlight would take time away to help show Trixie how to create a pocket of space bigger than she would have ever known how to on her own. Humorously, Twilight only needed to be shooed away twice before letting Starlight handle the lessons on her own. Thankfully, due to their combined efforts, and some new magic that Trixie was already forgetting, the process that should have taken most of the day took just barely over an hour.

Trixie looked at the empty lot that held a cheering crowd just the night before, now empty, leaving her free from hours of labor. The fact that an entire stage could now be carried along with her, saving her more than just a pretty bit, was another amazing comfort.

She beamed with joy, thinking of the endless potential for future magic tricks and performances that would come with these new spells. Plus, the benefit that came with faster setup and teardown times ran through her mind. That, and having Starlight, her first real honestly made friend, gave her, even more, to be thankful for. Twilight had popped into those strings of thought for a moment, but really it was magic shows and Starlight.

Realizing all the new potential, Trixie flung herself onto Starlight, wrapping her forearms far too tightly around her friend and hugging her tightly.

"Oh, Starlight! Thank you so much!"

The excitement overtook her as she puckered up, kissing Starlight hard on her cheek, causing the violet pony to turn a rather bright shade of red.

Trixie held on, oblivious to her friends' embarrassment.

"I don't know how I ever could have gotten this done so quickly without you."

Twilight smiled innocently next to the two.

"Ahem."

Trixie must have realized how out of character she was, and she pulled away from Starlight and sat properly before the princess.

"Well, I suppose I owe you some thanks as well. Not that you really wanted to help, but the Great and Powerful Trixie would be amiss if she didn't at least-"

Her words lowered and faltered as she looked towards her old rival and saw a generous stack of books floating over towards her.

"-thank... you?"

The books gently were placed before Trixie. She was not as well versed in magic as she so often liked to play herself off as. However, instantly, from the bindings and quality of the covers she could see, these were not the kind of books that were commonly sold, nor cheap.

"Princess, what are?... Are these for me?" She was truly taken aback.

Twilight tried not to look too proud of herself.

"I overheard Starlight teaching you the storage spells, and I wanted to help."

Twilight had a moment of reflection on herself that was easy to see by the others.

"But I don't think I've earned that right or that level of trust with you. So, with each lesson she gave you, I grabbed a book of mine that I thought could help you with that type of magic."

Trixie picked up the first book, aptly titled 'Hyperspace, Rosen-Bridges and Other Concepts of Configuring Time and Space.'

Twilight was still trying to explain herself, hoping the fits would be well received.

"I thought maybe you could study in your downtime."

Trixie grabbed another book, 'Familiarity Linked Magic - Binding memories, emotions, and other cognitive-based concepts to spells, charms, and enchantments.'

Twilight felt a deep sense of joy, watching Trixie lose herself in the gifted articles of literature.

"There's a great deal of knowledge in these books. So, if you study hard and practice a lot, I can only imagine the new and amazing feats the Great and Powerful Trixie will be able to perform."

Trixie still didn't know what to make of this. This was too much, far too good to be true, and she opened the first book, expecting blank pages or funny pictures as some kind of prank. Instead, all the pages were finely crafted and skillfully written. Detailed charts and graphics that were far more in-depth than anything she was ever able to get her hooves on.

She held the book in front of her, still in awe.

"Princess, you really didn't have to."

Twilight lowered her gaze, another moment of self-reflection. Only this time, it seemed to reflect shame and embarrassment.

"I have a lot of making up to do with you, Trixie. I know this might not seem like much, but I think that-"

Just like with Starlight, Trixie bolted forward, wrapping her forelegs around Twilight's neck. She didn't hug Twilight as tightly as Starlight, but it was just as sincere.

"This is the nicest gift anyone has ever given me."

Starlight was surprised, but her shock quickly gave way to the warmth of her genuine appreciation Trixie had for her gifts.

Twilight closed her eyes and brought her wings around Trixie.

"Emph, this is the probably the best hug I've gotten for an apology, all day."

Starlight was standing back, genuinely touched by the generosity and display of friendship Twilight displayed, only to be interrupted by yet another statement Twilight seemed to have made without thinking.

"Best apology hug you've gotten all day? How many have you had so far? No, why are you getting apology hugs?" She inquired.

Twilight brought back her wings, letting Trixie pull back enough to sit down, but still leaned with her hooves out against Twilight.

Still not knowing how to keep her own hoof out of her mouth, Twilight explained.

"Weeeeeell, I told Celestia everything that happened since you came back to Ponyville, Trixie. And I mean everything. I told her that I didn't trust you at first, and how I was worried about you, Starlight."

Trixie leaned in a bit closer to Twilight.

"Did I really have you that worked up, Twilight?"

Twilight brought her right hoof up to Trixie's.

"Yes… well, no. Really, I was just worried that I wasn't as good of a teacher as I hoped I would be. The real problem I had was with not trusting myself, which then made me not trust everypony else."

Trixie couldn't help but think about their bitter rivalry and understand some hesitation, though she wasn't about to admit it. Regardless, she was a bit hurt and had to get an answer from Twilight.

"But you do trust all of us now, right?"

Twilight's lips showed a smile, but her eyes were that of an apology.

"Yes, of course, I do."

Trixie slowly ebbed out the words, "So, your other apology hug was for?"

Twilight showed what modesty she could as she answered.

"It was my apology to Celestia for letting her down and not doing what I should have done all along."

She looked to Starlight, staring eye to eye.

"Like listening to a friend and believing in them."

Now over the fact that she acted so immaturely, Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes, looking a bit playful and bashful.

"And of course, I was acting like a little filly about it all, so Celestia gave me a hug. Whiiiich I kinda needed at the time."

Starlight was still confused and asked, "So why were you avoiding her if you both hugged it out and everything ended up being okay?"

Twilight had a nerdy snorkel in her laugh as she thought back to her earlier lack of a filter.

"Ah, well, Celestia said that I shouldn't worry so much, because it will give me stress wrinkles when I get to be her age. Then I said something about not wanting to think about the problems that come with her age, which made her think I said she had old pony problems."

Starlight's and Trixie's eyes were both shot wide open, staring in disbelief that such a thing would be said to such a healthy and beautiful princess like Celestia.

Twilight bobbed her head from side to side with each detail.

"So, I started backing out, saying that I heard Spike calling me, but I actually came here instead. Thought I could help make amends and patch, things over with you, Trixie."

Twilight again froze in mid-thought. Panic returned as she sprang to all fours, wings erect.

"Oh, flank! I told Celestia I heard Spike calling and left... I haven't seen Spike all morning! What if he ran into her and asked where I was? What if she found him and asked where I was?"

Without another word, Twilight teleported out with a quick flash of light and the pop from her magic dispersing.

Trixie turned sharply to Starlight.

"Is she going to be alright?"

Starlight face hooved.

"I have no idea, but I better head back and make sure she doesn't end up in the dungeon or do something crazy." She sighed, looking back to the Tree Castle, then back to Trixie. "You won't be leaving for a while, will you?"

Trixie looked back over to her wagon.

"Well, my plan was to spend all day packing and leave late. But now I can relax a bit, maybe I'll take a Great and Powerful nap." She turned to her wagon and shook her hoof back and forth towards Twilight's castle. "Go save the Princess from herself."

Starlight turned and started off.

"I'll do my best to see you before you leave tonight. Hopefully, this won't take long."

Trixie's eyes followed Starlight as she walked away.

"Ugh, aren't you going to teleport to the castle?"

Starlight continued walking at a leisure pace.

"No, I'm going to let the crazy run itself out as much as possible before I get back."

Trixie waved a temporary farewell to her friend.

"I won't leave without you."

The distance between them grew to a shouting distance.

"Unless you're really late, in which case you better write me!"

Starlight just waved from a distance, leaving Trixie to herself.

Trixie stood up, making her way to the wagon for her bed and a little rest, but took only two steps forward before she stopped.

"Oh, right."

Her horn glowed and lifted the books Twilight had given her.

"There is much reading to be done if I, Trixie, are to become even Greater and more Powerer. Powererful. Power... Even better than before!"

With moxie, she stepped into her wagon, relishing in her living space being cleaner and more spacious than ever before. She sprawled out on a bed, now large enough for her to actually lay fully stretched out on.

So, there she lay, belly down, and all four legs stretched out in all directions.

"This is so much better. Greatness needs room to grow," she giggled to herself and rolled over on her back, bringing the first two books she had looked at earlier into view.

Turning them both open, spanning the pages quickly. The first book of Time and Space stopped on a page with text that only those who knew magic would understand. She reviewed what looked to be a schematic representing two points on an arched surface and a funnel on both sides that met in the middle. The second book stopped turning on a page with a picture of a beautiful unicorn, standing on a balcony overlooking various ponies below her, all bowing or raising their hooves in praise.

"Trixie is about to make the most amazing show even more amazing for her adoring fans."

She grinned as text from the pages began to radiate, and another book of Trixie's own floated up with the others, turning to a blank page.

Piece by piece, different sections of text and images began to glow in the book, and a copy of an altered version would appear on the blank paper. Trixie was planning a spell far more complex than she really understood it to be.

After a brisk stroll through Ponyville, Starlight finally arrived back home to the castle. She entered expecting chaos, yet it seemed mostly quiet as she stood in the entranceway.

"Okay, there isn't nearly as much screaming as I had expected. I hope Twilight isn't actually in the dungeon."

Starlight flashed into the magic table room.

"Hello?"

All the seats, as well as the room, were empty, so she flashed into the kitchen.

"Spike?"

There was no response, and she began to worry that maybe Twilight got herself into trouble after all.

"Oh, no. Twi..."

Starlight went to the balcony, the study, even the bathroom, but no pony anywhere.

"Oh my gosh. What if Celestia really did... No, Twilight means way too much to-" Starlight yawned, the long night with no sleep catching up to her. "Ugh. Way too much to her to do something as-" another yawn.

"Ugh! I'm so tired. I don't know how much help I'm gonna be if I don't get some-"

Starlight had an epiphany, which did not excite her. In fact, she frowned at the thought.

"Twilight, I swear to the sun on Celestia's flank."

With another flash, Starlight teleported into Twilight's room, and much to her relief, and frustration, there the princess lay, lay soundly asleep. Not even under the covers, just flopped down on the bed.

"Seriously, Twi. You leave us in a hurry like your horn was going to fall off, like it's some emergency, and what you do?"

Starlight stood by the edge of the bed, watching Twilight snore.

"Just crawl into bed and sleep it off."

Another yawn inspired a new thought about Twilight's state of consciousness.

"Well, after the day you had. I guess I can't blame you."

She noticed another set of heavy breathing. She looked over to the foot of the bed, where Spike was asleep. Probably hadn't even gotten up for the day yet.

Another yawn broke free.

"Well... I guess there's no fighting it. I suppose a nap would do me some good as well,"

With heavy eyelids, Starlight started towards the door. A little sleep would be best before seeing Trixie off.

"Twilight!" The bedroom door slammed open, Pinkie Pie had burst in gasping for air. "Something big is happening!"

"Pinkie?!" Starlight jolted back. "What's going on?"

"Starlight!" Pinkie dashed over, grabbing her by the shoulders, shaking her violently.

"It's the Twitch! Major Twitchy Twitch'a Twitch! Where's Twilight? No time for that! You'll have to do!"

Pinkie locked arms with Starlight and raced out the door.

Twilight stirred just slightly, groaning something to Spike and mumbling unintelligible words before she returned to slumber.

Outside, Starlight was struggling to keep pace with the pink blur of pure sugar-filled energy.

"Pinkie! Slow down! Where are we going?"

Pinkie looked back over her shoulder, oblivious to the context of the question.

"What? I dunno..."

Starlight found herself surprised to be shocked by Pinkie's lack of logic.

"What do you mean you don't know? You just pulled me outside to help you- help you... what am I helping you with?"

Pinkie looked behind her again, probably even more confused than Starlight.

"You're helping me? I thought I was helping you?"

If ever there was a day for Starlight to be a villain again.

"Pinkie!"

Pinkie's shouted as her body locked up, and her tail began to tighten and spasm with no warning given to Starlight.

"Twitch!"

The crash was unavoidable, and Starlight collided full speed into Pinkie's rear end.

They both toppled to the ground, as rough of a tumble as one could expect given their pace. Falling over Pinky's spasming body, Starlight rolled farther ahead than the walking seizure of pink that dug into the ground.

Too tired to deal with this, and at her limit of tolerance, Starlight picked herself up.

"Ergha! Pinkie! You can't just pull some pony out of-"

Starlight looked to Pinkie, no longer stiff, but shaking violently, her face constricting in pain and fear. Somehow, the spasms were much more intense than before. Not just in her tail or mane, but they were over her whole body, growing stronger and more erratic.

With her body shaking, she screamed out in the busy streets of Ponyville.

"Starlight!"

"Pinkie!" Starlight screamed back, the fear taking her over.

Suddenly, the shaking stopped abruptly, so abruptly that it proved too fast for Starlight to catch the poor pink pony as she fell to the ground from muscle fatigue.

Starlight, frightened by the site, slowly approached Pinkie, fearing that perhaps the worst had happened. Could Pinkie Pie's Twitch have been so strong it had killed her?

On the approach, Pinky's head popped up from the dirt she lay in, completely unphased by the incident.

"Hugh? It stopped,"

Her neck stretching the length of her body to her backside.

"Hmm."

Her left eye popped out, elongating from its socket, scanning over the motionless strains of hair in her tail.

"Pinkie?" Starlight called out with caution.

Pinkie's eye returned to its socket as her head turned upright until her neck, which was bent in a way that should be physically impossible.

"My Twitch never gets that strong. Must have been a false alarm."

"What?" Starlight's eyes twitched, a precursor of something else that was likely to come crashing down if Pinkie had pulled her away from a well-deserved nap for nothing.

Pinkie sprang up as if nothing had happened.

"Welp, I'm heading back to the cake shop. I left three dozen raspberry jelly bean cupcakes in the oven. Mr. and Mrs. Cake would be really angry if I let them burn. You understand, right Starlight?"

The Pink Party Pony explained herself, smiling just as bright as the daylight itself, brimming with carelessness... or possibly mindless joy.

Starlight, on the other hand, was exhausted, still sore from the tumble, and practically livid.

"Do you know how scared you had me, Pinkie? I thought something terrible was about to happen!"

As if on cue, Starlight noticed all of the shadows getting much sharper and longer.

The two then watched as rays of light, all of them mirages of whites, neon blues, crimsons, and velvets, shining brightly from behind.

Starlight turned to look behind her—the source of the light coming from where she had left Trixie.

Pinkie's expression was that of awe and wonder.

"Ooooooooooh. That's what the Twitch was-"

An explosion erupted from the light with a concussive blast hitting them both. Then a gust of wind that followed behind it rushed past, pushing them back.

Both mares instinctively braced themselves against its growing intensity. Just as Starlight got her hooves dug into the dirt, it was over. Without dying down or carrying past them, it just… stopped. The lights, the wind, and the explosion were gone. Vanished as if they were just blinked out of existence.

Pinkie started bouncing up and down, titillated by the display.

"Wow! What was that? It was like a sonic rainboom, but like 20% cooler!"

Pinkie looked back at her tail and grabbed it with her front hooves, shaking it like she had shaken Starlight earlier.

"Hey! Come on, Twitch! Do it again! That was amazing!"

Starlight grabbed Pinkie's head by both of her cheeks.

"Pinkie! Listen! That came from where Trixie was camping. Go get Twilight! Get everypony else! She might be hurt!"

Pinkie gasped in the overexcited fashion only she was known for.

"Oh my gosh, you're right!" Pinkie dropped her front hoof down alongside her other. "But first, the cupcakes."

Starlight snapped.

"Pinkie!"

Staying true to her character, Pinkie put on a serious stock photo version of a serious face.

"Right! Twilight and the others, then the cupcakes!"

Then, fast as lighting, Pinkie had dashed off out of sight.

Starlight looked back towards the still horizon.

"Oh, Trixie, what did you do."

A flash of light and an audible pop, Starlight teleported towards her friend.

Starlight appeared where she had last walked off to leave Trixie and began her search.

"Trixie! Trixie, where are you?!"

She scanned the empty area, nothing to be seen except for the wagon. It was tipped over but didn't seem to be too badly damaged.

"Trixie! Are you okay! Are you in there?"

She ran over, hoping to find her still in one piece, or at least still breathing.

"Trixie!"

Starlight crawled through the open door. Clutter and trinkets scattered about until a mumble could be faintly heard.

"Trixie! Are you in here? Say something!" Starlight yelled as she jumped back and forth outside of the wagon, trying to find her.

Somewhere in the wreckage, Trixie's voice broke through.

"The Greater and more Powerer- Fullpowerer- Powererfuller... Better Than Before Trixie, welcomes you all to Las Pegasus. Don't try the Tofu sticks. They're terrible."

Starlight flared up her magic, ripping the canvas that covered the wagon, tearing it clear off the frame. As the fabric was removed, the contents of years of Trixie's travels spilled out onto the grass.

"Trixie! Keep talking! I'll find you!"

With her bare hooves and magic, she tossed and rolled out boxes and bags and strange items she didn't even know how to identify.

"Trixie! Tell me where you are!"

A less muffled reply came from under an oversized plush of Star Swirl the Bearded.

"Quiet in the front row! My assistant is speaking!"

Starlight pulled the plush out of the way, finally letting her see the trapped pony. Another glow of her horn and flash of light, Starlight teleported them both out.

Trixie appeared only a few feet away on her mattress and Starlight at her side.

"Oh, no. Trixie, what happened?"

Starlight brushed Trixie's hair out of her face, revealing clear signs of injury.

Most of the right side of her face was swollen. There was a reflection with a tint of red from blood in her nose, coming from both nostrils. Her right eye was dilated, but the left was constricted. She didn't even seem to notice anything visually in front of her.

On top of that, it looked like Trixie was sleepwalking, moving her legs like she was walking and performing her magic show. Either she was blind, or so out of it that she wasn't able to respond. Perhaps, both?

Starlight stood over her friend, trying to hold magician horse still.

"Trixie, tell me what happened. What did you do? I know you did this. I don't know how, but I know you did this."

Trixie was still living out a dream, or some illusion.

"My assistant, best friend, will now help me escape the jaws of a pony eating Manticore."

"Trixie! Please!" Starlight pleaded.

"Not even the Manticore will eat the Tofu sticks," Trixie said in disgust.

"Oh, come on! Trixie!" Starlight shouted

In an act of frustration, Starlight used her magic to summon a bucket of ice water, dumping it on Trixie's face.

At first, Trixie seemed unfazed, going on a tangent of how bad the Tofu sticks were, but slowly appear to come out of her trance. She started looking around and reached for Starlight's hooves while spitting the water out of her mouth. She struggled a bit more, choking on the water running down her nose that wasn't helping her cause.

After a few moments, she was coughing and complaining.

"Ahh! There's water up my nose! Why is it so cold!"

More coughing accompanied the appearance of Trixie coming to.

"The Great and Powerful-" More Great and Powerful coughing "Trixie cannot work under these conditions!"

"Trixie!" Starlight's voice pleaded to get her attention.

Trixie slowly turned, her vision adjusting to that wonderful face of her friend that was staring down at her. However, for some reason, she looked worried if not angry.

"Starlight?"

Trixie's vision, now mostly clear, traced her eyes around to see where she was.

"Why aren't we in Las Pegasus?"

Starlight collapsed on top of Trixie, hugging her too tightly, considering Trixie's condition and just how much her body hurt.

"Trixie, you big dummy."

Trixie didn't really understand what was happening. She was still looking around, trying to put together why she was cold and wet, and what did she taste blood in her mouth? What was on her body was hurting and why?

Then, as she looked around more and she wondered what happened to her wagon. That question brought her back to her spell she was putting together.

Trixie looked up, narrowing her eyes.

"Starlight, I think you can let go now."

Starlight looked down, realizing the awkward position they were in and sat up. So much was running through her mind. She was most relieved to see her friend was finally lucid, confused as to what exactly happened, almost as confused as herself, but lucid nonetheless.

Now that the shock was over, she was just angry that Trixie had her so worried and was obviously responsible for whatever caused this.

She tried to compose herself before her questioning started.

"Now, Trixie, can you pleeeeeease tell me what happened here?"

Trixie looked back to her busted and battered wagon. Her horned glowed, causing the debris to move as something was being pulled out.

Her hat emerged, it's cone was bent over with a hard crease pressed into it and a long rip in its brim floated over. It lofted over and landed snuggly on Trixie's head.

"Trixie?" Starlight meekly spoke.

More debris shifted as something else was being pulled out—a notebook. It was the one Trixie was working with earlier.

She opened her book to the last set of pages she was working on, the book lowered into her lap, and she began to look over her work. Her eyes search with every turn of the pages, scanning for something. All the while, she would hum quietly to herself as her thoughts were being processed.

Starlight had more and more curious, but her impatience was about to overtake her curiosity. "Well?"

Trixie turned the book around, showing Starlight a mesh of text and pictures. "I think I messed up my spell."

Starlight grabbed the book out of her hooves, looking over the contents that spread over multiple pages. Much of it was so poorly put together that it might as well of been a math equation written out as a poorly organized poem. Only, the math was done wrong, on top of not being poetry.

"Trixie... what were you even trying to do with spells strung together like this?"

If there wasn't enough pony in the first chapter, this should help calm such concerns.