Trixie shuffled again in her seat, resting her head on a hoof and tapping her free one on the desk in front of her.

"Whats taking so long?" she yelled at the wooden stairs in front of her that winded up to Twilight's (and maybe her?) bedroom. To her increased frustration she got no response. She groaned and leaned back in her seat, staring up at the libraries oak wood ceiling.

After what Trixie had decided was entirely too long a time, the bedroom door swung open.

"Ok, now we can begin."

Trixie blinked in confusion as she heard the sound of her own voice, but was fully aware that she had not opened her own mouth.

"What the..."

Trixie looked up to see herself, walking down the stairs towards her.

"Hi there," Trixie said to Trixie.

"What... what is this?"

"The great and powerful Trixie came up with a fantastic way to make sure you were not distracted by Twilight Sparkle during your lessons," the clone explained, adopting a proud stance, eyes closed and snout raised to the air.

"I can't believe this," the Trixie sitting at the desk replied.

The standing Trixie opened her eyes, a look of concern dawning on her face from the troubled tone of the sitting Trixie.

"What's the matter... I'm just having a little fun."

"That spell... thats one of the most difficult spells I know... and you just figured it out, like that. I didn't even explain to you how to do it." The sitting Trixie was visibly distraught, and the tone of her voice was both shocked and defeated, as though she had just received some horrible news.

"I... I didn't mean to upset you..." the standing Trixie explained.

"No... of course not. You just have to be absolutely brilliant at everything. I just... I can't believe you figured it out just from seeing me do it once, once!"

Anger now flashed across the sitting Trixie's face, her voice growing louder and more fierce.

"I just... ugh!"

She leapt up from the table she was sitting on and ran towards the front door.

"Trixie wait!" Twilight cried as she cleansed the mirror spell from herself. The only response she received was the slamming of the library's front door as it closed behind Trixie.

"THIS is why I haven't had a special somepony before..." she lamented to herself.

*

"Stupid know it all..."

Trixie sat alone on a park bench, head in her hooves, staring at the ground with utter contempt, muttering words of displeasure to herself. Anypony who may have happened to lay an eye on her would be able to see she was upset, and it just so happened one pony in particular was looking her way right now.

"Hey meanie-pants, why are you so down?"

Trixie looked up to see a bright pink maned pony looking her directly in the eye, head tilted to one side.

"Oh, its you... the loud one. Go away."

"Nuh-uh, you look sad, and its my job to bring a smile to anypony in this town who doesn't already have one on their face, even if its a meanie-pants like you!"

Trixie gave no response.

"I heard you're staying with Twilight, is something wrong?" Pinkie pestered.

Trixie could feel the anger building in her, thinking about Twilight, and now having this irritant poking in her business. As she felt her skin grow hot, she prepared herself to yell at the party pony... but just as her rage was about to hit its crescendo, it suddenly dissipated, only to be replaced by a feeling of sheer exhaustion. She threw herself back on the park bench, sprawling along its length.

"Ugh, I just don't care anymore!" she cried, a hoof cast dramatically over her face.

"About what?" Pinkie asked.

"About trying to pretend anymore. I'll just admit it, I'm just a second rate Twilight Sparkle."

"Second rate?"

"What good is having a cutie mark about magic when there is just another pony who is better than you in every way? How is a special talent special when there is another pony who just does it better than you? I'm just a cheap model of Twilight!"

The words spilled out of Trixie with no restriction, all of her pent up feelings being spewed to this random pony. She just  couldn't hold it in anymore. Having said it, she felt an odd lightness in her chest.

"Aw, that's silly Trixie! No pony is a poor model of another pony!"

"But Twilight just does everything I can do but better!"

"It's true that Twilight is pretty amazing," Pinkie agreed. "But that doesn't mean you are just some worse version of her. Your special talent isn't the only thing that defines you. Everything about you is what makes you you. My special talent is throwing parties, but that doesn't mean if I find someone else who throws better parties then my parties become useless! It also doesn't mean all the other things about me become pointless either!"

"But imagine having to live with the pony who is better than you!"

"Why do you have to live with her?"

Trixie was caught off by the question. Not because she did not know the answer, she did, but it had only occurred to her now  just how powerful and real the reason she was with Twilight had become.

"Because... because I like her..."

"Ahhhh..." Pinkie said with a knowing hum. "Then you have to decide what's more important. Twilight, or Twilight's ability at magic, which may be better than yours."

With the problem being presented to her so plainly, the solution all of a sudden looked very simple.

"Wow that's... that makes a lot of sense. You make a lot of sense for such an annoying pony."

"I'll take that as a thank you," Pinkie responded with a giggle. "Like I said, I do whatever it takes to make other ponies happy."

"I think I need to go and talk to Twilight." Trixie announced.

*

"Twilight?" Trixie called as she rushed back into the library.

"She's gone to Canterlot," a male voice answered, followed moments later by Spike appearing in the kitchen's doorway. "She told me to let you know she was sorry over... something, and that she will be back this evening."

"Oh... very well then," Trixie answered. The two stood in an awkward silence for a few moments before Trixie spoke up again.

"Hey, are those pancakes you're making?"