>It had been roughly a week since Twilight's confession.
>Things had never been better between the two of you; She was the happiest she'd ever been, and seeing her happy made you happy as well.
>Of course, just because you were boyfriend-marefriend didn't mean she wasn't a harsh taskmistress when it came to your magic lessons.
>Speaking of which...
>"No no NO! That's all wrong, Anon! You can't just pump in more magic, not only is that wasteful, but it makes the spell harder to control. If a spell is fed more magic than necessary, not only does it run the risk of failure, the caster also risks getting injured."
>You sigh as you jot down even MORE notes.
>Things had been like this ever since Twilight started teaching you. It had been nothing but talking about spell basics, magical theory, and taking notes. Lots of it.
"Twilight..."
>"A-HEM."
>You sigh, that was another thing; during lessons, she preferred to be called...
"Excuse me... Miss Sparkle?"
>"Yes, Anon?"
"I don't mean to sound rude, but... When am I going to do some actual spell casting? Not that I mind taking down notes and reading up on magical theory, but... I'd like to put what I've learned into practice, you know?"
>Twilight tries to say something, but then puts a hoof to her chin, thinking about your suggestion.
>"Sure, why not? I suppose one can only go so far just talking about casting spells, huh?"
>You nod.
>"Now then, for our first practice session... Let's try a simple levitation spell."
"Sure, how hard could it be?"
 
>It turned out to be VERY hard.
>You had to use a very specific amount of magic, and had to keep the amount at a constant level, otherwise you wouldn't be able to pick anything up, or, on the other end of the spectrum, end up sending something into the ceiling.
>You also had to maintain a very fine level of focus, otherwise you either couldn't get a grip on an object, which would end up with the object on the floor, or you'd end up crushing it.
>Fortunately, you managed to get the levitation spell down... after about twenty or so quills.
>"I... I think that's enough for today, Anon."
"Yeah... Sorry about that."
>"It's fine, I'll just send Spike over to Quills & Sofas to pick up some new ones."
"You know, I'll NEVER understand why he sells quills AND sofas. You'd think he'd stick with one or the other..."
>Twilight just shrugs, writing something down in a book labeled "Progress Journal", using the ONE quill that managed to survive the session. You assumed it was to document how far you'd been going along with your lessons.
>The relative silence is broken by your rumbling stomach.
>You blink, and look at the nearby clock. It was already lunchtime? Well, no wonder you were hungry!
>Twilight had apparently anticipated this, and brought out some sandwiches. Daisy and Daffodil for her, and--
"Is that a grilled cheese sandwich?"
>"Yes it is. Though, I can't understand why you'd want to eat something so... GREASY..."
"You wouldn't be the first one to think that, actually."
 
>Twilight just sighs and shakes her head, and the two of you sit down and much on your sandwiches.
>No sooner had the both of you finished your sandwiches, had you heard the sound of a crowd gathering in the square.
>Curiosity overtaking you, you venture outside to find some kind of carriage similar to something you'd see at a carnival. It seemed normal enough, but then...
>"CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!"
>Ow. Whoever that was, they could give Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice a run for their money.
>"From a far away land... She comes to mystify and excite you! To enchant and amaze you! She is The Bewitching... The Bedazzling... TRRRRIXIE!"
>You jump back a bit as you watch the carriage unfold into a stage, complete with flashy effects and bright lights, a pony with a blue coat and white mane, adorned in a purple hat and cape in the middle of it all.
>Behind you, you can hear Twilight groan in exasperation.
>"Oh Celestia, not HER again..."
"Who?"
>"The 'Great and POWERFUL' Trixie. I had hoped that if I ever saw her again, she'd learn her lesson about being boastful and a showboat, but I guess some things never change..."
"Now hang on, she didn't call herself Great and Powerful just yet... You never know..."
>As if on cue, you hear her voice once more.
>"Yes, she has traveled far and wide, training herself, learning... growing! So that she may TRULY live up to her title of GREAT and POWERFUL!"
"... Okay, nevermind."
>You could just FEEL the smugness radiating from Twilight's smirk. Jesus.
 
>You hear a voice rise from the crowd. One with a specific southern twang.
>"Now jus' what the hay are you doin' back in P0nyville you faker? Didn't you learn yer lesson LAST time, oh "Great n' POWERFUL" Trixie?"
>Rather than the poumpous laughter You, Twilight and Applejack had expected, there was a short silence.
>"You are correct."
>"Now yah come back an'-- Excuse me?"
>"Trixie admits that there is truth in your words, citizen. She DID learn her lesson, which is why she spent time honing her skills while traveling across Equestria."
>"Now hold on." said Twilight, stepping forward. "When you say you 'learned your lesson', what do you mean?"
>"Trixie means just that, Twilight Sparkle. She has learned the consequences of her fabrications, and learned just how powerless she truly is. So she has dedicated herself to bettering herself, using her gift for the grandiose to entertain others, to bring smiles to the faces of each and every p0ny she can."
>This time, another voice speaks up, one you recognize as Rainbow Dash.
>"How can we be sure you're telling the truth, huh? For all we know, you could be lying through your teeth!"
>You sigh. Seems that they weren't letting her off the hook that easily. Trixie seemed upset by the statement as well.
>"But it's TRUE! I... I mean, Trixie has changed! She has!"
>"Then PROVE it, smart flank."
>You could swear you could hear the steam shooting out of Trixie's ears, but she managed to keep herself calm, thankfully.
 
>"Six months ago, there was a wyvern attack on a small town to the far south of Las Braygas, near the Equestrian border. The pack of six wyverns were driven back by a single unicorn, saving the town's residential district before the Equestrian Royal Guard was dispatched to deal with the threat. That Unicorn was one Beatrix Lulamoon."
>There was a murmur amongst the crowd; you could pick out various phrases such as "Hey yeah, I remember that!" and "I read that in the paper!"
>Rainbow Dash wasn't impressed.
>"Yeah, so? Just because you know about it doesn't mean you were the one that did it!"
>Trixie held her hoof to her face, and sighed.
>"I'M Beatrix Lulamoon. 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' is just a stage name, you know. I didn't want to attract any unwanted attention, since 'Trixie' has caused more than her fair share of trouble."
>There was more chatter amongst the crowd. You could hears snippets, such as "Hey yeah, she does look like the mare in that picture..." and "The description DOES match up..."
>Apparently, this managed to take the air out of Dash's argument, who simply replied with a subdued "Oh."
>"Now do you believe me--Er, Trixie?"
>Once again, the crowd begins to chatter amongst themselves. Some believe her, while others think she's just putting on an act. Still, others didn't really know WHAT to believe.
>You sigh, and step forward.
"I believe you."
 
>Trixie looks at you and blinks, her face wearing an expression halfway between surprise and utter disbelief.
>"Ah, uh... Trixie thanks you... Strange bipedal creature."
"Anonymous. My name's Anonymous."
>"Anonymous..." she repeats, smiling. "Thank you."
>Twilight steps forward as well.
>"I believe you, Trixie."
>It was at that point that Trixie was visibly on the verge of tears. There was a short silence before the rest of Twilight's friends joined in.
>"Well shoot... If Twilight believes yah, I don't see no reason why I can't neither." came Applejack's response.
>"Yeah..." came Ranbow Dash's reply. "I GUESS I believe you too."
>"As do I!" said Rarity.
>"I.. I... Iblveyoutoo." was Fluttershy's practically inaudible reply.
>At this point, the rest of Ponyville's residents cast aside any doubts, and there was a round of encouraging words, colts and fillies smiling as wide as possible, and by this point, Trixie was doing all she could to keep herself from crying then and there.
>"Citizens of Ponyville... Thank you... Thank you so much..."
>She smiles, wiping tears away from her eyes.
>"Now then..." she says, he rvoice rising in volume. You cover your ears preemptively, to avoid going deaf. "WHO'S READY TO BE DAZZLED?!"
>There is a roar of agreement, and Trixie wastes no time telling the foals stories accompanied by eyecatching flashes of light in various colors, shapes and sizes.
>After the show ends and the crowd disperses, Trixie approaches you and Twilight.
>"You two... Thank you for believing in me... Even after everything I had done... You still believed me..."
 
>Twilight shook her head.
>"To be honest, Trixie, even I had my reservations. Anonymous is the one that believed you regardless of everything he's heard."
>"Really?"
>Trixie looks to you, her eyes wide. Fuck, she could pull the puppy dog eyes almost as good as Apple Bloom...
>You smile, rubbing the back of your neck.
"Yeah, really. I guess I'm just a big softie that way."
>Twilight giggles at that, and nuzzles you, rubbing her head up against your leg.
>"And I wouldn't have it any other way."
>Trixie smiles at the both of you, and turns around.
>"Still... Thanks, you two. It meant a lot to hear you two stick up for me."
>She spares a glance back at the both of you.
>"I'll be staying here for about a week. The fillies really liked it when I told them the story of Ponilocks and the Three Bears, and they really wanted to hear more."
>"That sounds great, Trixie. Maybe Anon and I might catch one of your stories."
>There's a short silence before Trixie starts walking back to her trailer.
>"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."