A Great and Powerful Sleepover

[Trixie Lulamoon]

Just what has Trixie gotten herself into it… Trixie thought to herself as she stood outside the Golden Oaks Library.

It hadn’t been that long since she had temporarily moved to Ponyville in order to learn about “friendship” from Twilight Sparkle. Progress in that endeavor, however, had been rather…slow. So, Twilight had apparently come up with the idea of a sleepover. Specifically, it was a sleepover with some of Twilight’s other friends. Considering a good chunk of them were ponies that Trixie had challenged at her show…

She shook her head; that was a long time ago. They couldn’t still be mad at her, right? The thought of the response caused Trixie’s hopes to sag a little. Of course they were still going to be mad at her. About her only hope was that Twilight could at least keep things stable enough to get them through the night without wanting to kill one another.

With a small bag with some pajamas and a hair brush levitating behind her, Trixie knocked on the library door.

Here goes nothing…

[Deleted]

Between being a co-mentor for Dinky Hooves and helping with creating Princess Luna's birthday gift for Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle was thinking there had been a bit of progress made helping Trixie make amends for her actions some time ago. She had tried to come up with a way that could help her friends get along and give Trixie another chance when a memory flashed through her mind, specifically the rather impromptu sleepover she had with Applejack and Rarity. Granted those two were as opposite as night and day, but in the end they all had fun and became better friends. So why not try it with her, Trixie, and Rarity to start? If that turned out to be a success, then the purple unicorn could organize other similar activities and place the peacemaker of sorts to work things out, further showing Trixie the magic of friendship the way they showed her when she first moved to Ponyville.

So after sending messages out to Trixie and Rarity, Twilight spruced the place up as much as she could, and even had Spike take the day off so there would be no interruptions as she waited for the other two unicorns to arrive. After making sure she had snacks and drinks made and double-checked the sleep-over book (Twilight was going to try to avoid having it out this time), the bearer of the Element of Magic took a deep breath and waited.

The door knocked.

Giving a small tiny squee of excitement, Twilight opened the door, revealing Trixie. "Hi! Come on in!" She said, stepping aside and gesturing indoors. "Glad you could make it!"

[Rarity]

Rarity blinked as she reread the invitation for the sixth time. Another sleepover with Twilight... and with TRIXIE? Did Twilight drop a book on her head? This was the craziest idea that the purple unicorn had ever had! Still... She had mentioned progress, and apparently Trixie helped Twilight out with Lunas visit... Rarity found herself arriving at Golden Oaks library shortly after Trixie. In fact, It seemed Twilight was just now opening the door for the Blue Unicorn as she approached. "Why, good evening, Twilight. Trixie." She hoped the second greeting had less ice to it than she felt it did... She kept her smile and looked to the Purple unicorn happily. "Hopefully, this sleepover wont involve a Tree flying through the window, right dahling?" She let out a light laugh as she remembered the previous sleepover. It hadn't ended in a COMPLETE disaster at least...

[Trixie Lulamoon]

Apparently the other unicorn had great timing as she arrived just as Twilight opened the door. It was of no surprise to Trixie that Rarity had given a greeting like that. Just the way she said her name was a hint to Trixie that Rarity didn’t exactly like her. Trixie just looked at her flatly, trying to remain polite for Twilight’s sake.

”Evening Rarity.” Trixie said, stepping aside so the mare could enter first purely out of politeness.

Once that was in Trixie stepped inside, making sure to close the door behind her. Glancing around, Trixie was surprised to find snacks and drinks were already set out. Apparently Twilight was actually making an effort to make this work. Trixie still wasn’t exactly sure if this would work, but she would give it a shot. Although the mention of a tree flying through the window brought a raised eyebrow to Trixie’s face.

”Wait, a tree went flying through a window at one of Twilight’s sleepovers? What kind of parties are you throwing here Twilight,” Trixie said, giving a teasing smile to Twilight.

[Deleted]

The smile faded a little as she heard Rarity's greeting to Trixie, but took a deep breath and hoped that the evening would turn out a bit better once the two of them had shared interests...or at least made an apology. During the last sleepover, Applejack and Rarity had almost made the night a disaster with their arguing and making each other upset, but they were still friends in the end once they made up and actually shared in a common interest...in that case Twilight's very first sleepover being a success.

Hearing Rarity ask about having any trees fall over through a window caused Twilight to chuckle a little and glanced at Trixie, thinking she'd want an explanation. "It was a really bad storm, so Applejack and Rarity stayed here until the storm died down. The wind blew one of the tree branches through the window, and we had to work together to get it out. And actually, that was my first sleepover. Ever." Then back to Rarity to answer her inquiry, "Don't worry. I took every precaution this time."

It was her hope that the other two unicorns would find a common interest aside from magic and work on it from there. Trixie was making an effort, but still had a bit of an egotistical streak and wanted to be the center of attention. Not everyone can have the spotlight all the time... Twilight thought to herself as she gestured to the table. "Go ahead and set your things down wherever you like, and enjoy some snacks. I gave Spike the day off, so I hope I made them alright." On the table there was a pitcher of punch, and several plates of cookies with one set shaped like Rarity's diamonds and another like Trixie's crescent moons.

[Rarity]

Rarity smiled as Twilight recounted the tale of their last sleepover in all its glory, and then gave her a nod as she was assured precautions were taken. These precautions and the fact there was no storm going on led for a very relaxed night. And then there was Trixie. Rarity gave the Showmare a quick glance, looking her over. It was still the same pony that had turned her mane into a literal rats nest... But she seemed to be acting different. More timid, really... and that did, indeed, bode well for their evening. Smiling to the two, Rarity levitated a cup of punch to her lips and took a sip. "Awe, I was hoping to see my Spikey Wikey off~" Rarity mused as Twilight filled them in on the whereabouts of Equestrias #1 assistant. She then turned to Trixie. "This punch is divine, you simply must try it!" She said, punctuating her sentence with an eyeflutter. If Trixie seemed like she was going to try to make this work, Rarity would try, too.

[Trixie Lulamoon]

Trixie just gave a rather flat look at Twilight. With the explanation the story made sense, but the idea of a tree falling into a tree and interrupting a sleepover was still kind of ridiculous. Still, as long as it didn’t happen while Trixie was here it could be a funny anecdote.

Attention quickly moved to one of Trixie’s favorite things; snacks. After giving Twilight thanks for the food and putting herself down, she made her way over to enjoy the food. Levitating up a crescent moon cookie, Trixie found herself still surprised by how much effort Twilight had gone. Seriously, who made specialized cookies after a ponies cutie mark for a sleepover? As she mused over that thought she heard the other two mentioning a Spike. Twilight got an assistant too? Probably a perk of being the princess’s student….wait a moment.

”Spike was that purple dragon that was hanging around you when…well, you know,” Trixie replied.

Trixie remembered there was a baby dragon or something that had kept bragging about Twilight. Of course Trixie found him rather annoying. It was Trixie’s show; she didn’t need some heckler boasting up somepony else….even if Trixie had to agree Twilight was the better magic user. For now at least. Knowing he was Twilight’s assistant, however, did make his devotion to her much clearer.

When Rarity suggested the punch with a fluttering of the eye, Trixie was a bit confused. Was she trying to flirt with Trixie? Eh, Trixie would play safe and assume not; social cues weren’t her forte after all.

”Uhm, alright then…” Trixie said, not exactly why Rarity was getting that worked up about punch.

Getting herself some punch, Trixie took a sip of it. It wasn’t bad, although not having been to that many parties she didn’t have much for comparison.

”Yeah, Trixie thinks it’s pretty good.”

Yeah, they were going to need something more than punch to talk about if this was going to work. Digging through her memories of that day, Trixie vaguely recalled that the mare had a thing for fashion.

”So, uhm, Rarity you work in something fashion related, right?”

[Deleted]

So far, so good. The snacks and lunch went over really well, and the two were on speaking terms without flinging spells or insults. Twilight almost wished the incident from the last sleepover was a bit funny, but Rarity and Applejack were arguing on nearly everything and daring each other to be their polar opposite. But in the end after getting the tree branch out of her home and fixing things up, the three friends went back to a normal sleepover and patched their friendship back up. The purple unicorn hoped that a similar instance could take place here.

As Trixie mentioned Spike, Twilight turned her attention to the illusionist. "That's right. He's actually the dragon I had to hatch from an egg to get into Princess Celestia's school. He helps me get my lessons on friendship to the princess, and gives me her messages in turn. Not to mention he knows a thing or two about cooking." She gave a smile. "I actually asked him to show me how to make these cookies before I gave him the day off. I'm just glad they turned out so well."

At the question on what her fashionista friend did, the purple unicorn nodded. "She creates designs for any sort of client, and owns Carousel Boutique. Rarity's had some pretty important clients recently, and even made our dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala a while back." Twilight was pretty proud of her friend. She hoped that maybe this would spark further conversation...maybe trading magic secrets to improve one another's businesses? While Twilight may be better at magic - it was her talent, after all, she had to agree that nopony could do illusions like Trixie. And making that gift as a request from Princess Luna helped in cementing that belief. Let's see how the night goes so far...save that idea for later. I should let them talk it out first. Twilight thought to herself, pleased that things were going well.

At least for now.

[Rarity]

As Rarity was about to answer the question about fashion, Twilight spoke, telling Trixie about Raritys success. The white unicorn stood a little taller, basking in the praise of her friend. Yes, as Twilight said, some success is rolling my way. I even made a dress for Princess Celestia herself just recently. And a Collar for Prince Blueblood." She said. Her voice sounded slightly braggy, but who's wouldn't? She turned to Trixie, her smile still on her face as she nibbled on a Diamond shaped cookie, thinking for a moment. "Have you been doing any more shows lately?" She asked, the question almost sounding genuine. It would be interesting to hear if the Showmare had done more shows, considering what happened to her wagon last time she was in Ponyville.

[Trixie Lulamoon]

There was something kind of annoying about knowing that Twilight Sparkle had a baby dragon as her personal assistant. More specifically, a baby dragon given to her by Princess Celestia…sort of. Also, he was apparently a good cook and a personal messaging service. It was kind of hard to not feel at least a little envious about it. Trixie, however, did her best to try and refrain from showing any signs of it, instead simply keeping a smile on.

”Then you’ll have to thank him for Trixie; these cookies aren’t bad at all.”

And of course one of Twilight’s friends had personally made a dress for Princess Celestia. Did all of Twilight’s friends have such interactions? Next she would be telling Trixie that Princess Luna came down and spent the holidays with them or something. What made them so special that they got to interact with royalty so often? Oh, right, Elements of Harmony thing….

Come on now, be nice Trixie. Your trying to make friends here…

”That sounds like a very good…achievement for you,” Trixie said, some discomfort showing as she tried to hold back bragging or saying something nasty out of habit.

Trixie was quite grateful, then, when Rarity changed the subject to her own shows. Talking about Trixie was something Trixie was quite comfortable doing. Even if the answer wasn’t going to be that…inspiring.

”Well, Trixie was able to do a few shows in some minor clubs in Canterlot to try and raise some bits for a new wagon. Fortunately, this pony named Braeburn from Appleloosa liked Trixie’s amazing and spectacular performance and hired her to perform in Appleloosa. He also built Trixie a new wagon on the condition Trixie remembers to advertise the town in her show.”

[Deleted]

Watching the two of them interact, Twilight cringed inwardly as the two started talking about their current successes. True Rarity had achievements noteworthy, but that was because she was that great of a seamstress. Of course Twilight kept her mouth shut on Rarity getting the attention from Sapphire Shores and Hoity Toity, in addition to the more recent requests from the royals. She was about to change the subject and possibly pitch her idea when Trixie mentioned that she had done some shows in minor towns before, and had an arrangement of sorts with Applejack's relative Braeburn in Appleloosa. Surely that was something, right? It's an improvement from what happened during the last time. Still, if she was to try and get them to mend the fence, perhaps her suggestion was in order.

Clearing her throat, she hoped to get their attention. "I just had an idea. What if you two worked together? Create some sort of illusionary cloth that Trixie could use in her shows, and this would also help Rarity get some business as well? It would be a bit similar to how we helped make that gift for Princess Luna." The purple unicorn suggested, glancing between both of them, seeing how they liked the suggestion.

[Rarity]

Rarity smiled a bit at the mention of Braeburn. "Oh, yes, Braeburn~ How is he doing these days? I haven't spoken to him in ages, but he is quite a delight." Rarity said, thinking for a few moments. "And he built you a new wagon? That was very kind of him! It's always good to have a roof over your head." She said, looking to Twilight as she cleared her throat. Illusory cloth? Rarity thought about it for a few long moments. She wasn't quite sure how it would work, but she looked over to Trixie, continuing to think. "It is an interesting proposition, and it would take time and energy... But I would love to see how something like that would turn out." Rarity said, her voice genuinely happy, and excited to see an illusory cloth... Perhaps it would propel not only her career, but Trixies as well. A collaboration of sorts?

[Trixie Lulamoon]

”He seems pretty well off with that apple orchard. No idea how it grows in a desert, nor can Trixie understand why anyone would want to live in that heat, but it’s there alright.” Trixie replied. It seemed that they also knew who Braeburn was; figures. Even in a town out as far as you could go and still be in Equestria there was a connection to these ponies.

”But yes, he built Trixie a new wagon. It’s not exactly as good as Trixie’s old wagon, but it works well enough and keeps rain out at least. And all in return for advertising the town; it is probably one of the better business deal Trixie has made.”

Sipping some of her punch, she listened to Twilight’s suggestion of making an illusionary cloth of sorts. Thinking about it, Trixie could see some usage for a cloth that was enchanted to allow for illusions on it. If she could make a curtain out of that material it would be great for a backdrop for storytelling and other tricks.

”Yes, Trixie could see some use of out of such a thing for her shows. At the very least she could make a curtain out of it for scenery changes during a story.”

[Deleted]

"Braeburn is one of Applejack's cousins, and we went to see him in Appleloosa a while back to help him with an issue about his orchard." Twilight explained, just in case Trixie ended a bit confused on how they knew him. At least from what Trixie was saying, he was doing alright with his orchard being taken care of, and the buffalo were probably just as well with their mutual agreement.

Well, at least both of them seemed to like the idea of the special cloth. Granted it would be a joint effort on both of their parts, but Twilight was sure it would go over really well. Plus, it would help both of their businesses out in a flashy way...and since Trixie was already helping Braeburn with his business, why not help another pony with theirs in the process? Sometimes two ponies putting their skills together can make the start of a good friendship; hey, it worked with her and Trixie that day, didn't it?

"Well, I was wondering about that since Trixie and I did something similar with helping Princess Luna with something. We ended up doing version of a transcribing spell that would put memories into crystals, and it seemed to work out really well. I realize that this was just a shot in the dark here, but if we three put our minds to it, I'm sure we can work it out." But anyways, back to the sleepover part. "So, anypony want to do something in the meantime? Granted it's just after sunset, so we've got all night."

[Rarity]

"I will definitely make notes and start my research for that project." Rarity said with a nod, pulling a small notebook from her bag and sketching into it quickly before returning it to its rightful place. "Apologies, Twilight. I know I should have left my work at the boutique, but I wished to keep somewhere to record inspiration as it comes. I'll try to keep it from interfering with the nights events." She assured with a smile to her purple friend. Rarity smiled a bit happily hearing that Twilight was taking suggestions. Did that mean she wasn't going to consult her Sleepover guide? Probably a good idea after last time. Things smoothed over once the book was used more as a guideline than a rule. Rarity looked to Trixie for a moment, her smile still on her face. "Well, usual Sleepover fare would be makeovers, gossip, and ghost stories. The last of which should be saved until late." She nodded. "Any suggestions, Trixie?"