Twilight Sparkle suddenly woke from her nap, after the train hit a small bump on the tracks. Startled for only a moment, she resumed her composure and took a glance out the window at the barren desert scenery. She then looked over to her bag, half open and its contents peeking out from within. The small, glossy black box was the only thing inside; Twilight was to bring it to Sheriff Silverstar in Appleloosa, which had been a request made directly from Princess Celestia. Though Twilight had accepted the mission immediately, she still wondered exactly what was inside of this mysterious box—she had never been told not to open it, but the seal featured a large lock on the front, and Celestia had never given Twilight a key.
"Perhaps I should've asked just what it is I'm delivering…though I didn't want to be nosy…" Twilight said to herself.
The train hit another bump, and Twilight and her bag jumped a few inches into the air. The box slipped out of the bag and fell onto the floor.
"Oh no!" Twilight exclaimed as she picked the box up with her magic. Closely examining each side of the pristine onyx box, she found that there were no scratches on it, and she placed it back into the bag and closed it tightly.
Unfortunately for Twilight, each of her friends was preoccupied with something else they had previously planned for today, and none of them were able to come along with Twilight for the trip. It was lonely for her, being the only one in the passenger car, but it certainly wasn't going to be the end of the world just because she'd have to spend one day without any of her friends' companionship.
Twilight heard the train's whistle blow, and looking back out the window she could see Appleloosa closing in on the horizon. She picked up her bag and secured it around her waist as she got ready to get off the train at the station. As the train began to slow and Appleloosa became closer in the distance, Twilight stood in front of the door of the car; when the train lined up with the station and came to a stop, Twilight saw Braeburn waiting for her on the platform, wearing a wide grin.
"Why howdy there, Twi! It's a pleasure t' see ya here again in A~APPLELOOSA!" Braeburn exclaimed while rearing back and kicking his front hooves.
"Hello, Braeburn!" Twilight said gleefully. "How's the apple orchard coming along?"
"Thanks t' the treaty between the set'ler-ponies and the buffalo, we're bringing in more apple trees and expandin' our produce! Outta of the way of the buffalo's track, of course."
"That's good to hear!" said Twilight, "Now where's the Sheriff? I'm sure you're here because of this?" She flipped open her bag to show Braeburn the small black box.
"Yessiree! Sheriff Silverstar asked me t' come here t' the station an' meet up with ya when you arrived," said Braeburn.
Out of curiosity, Twilight asked Braeburn, "Do you happen to know what is in here? The box, that is." She asked this in a softer tone, as if she was afraid of being caught asking.
"Not a clue," Braeburn confessed. "Heck, I only found out an hour ago that you're bringing some little box, an' that's all the Sheriff had told me. So you don't know what's in here, either?"
Twilight shook her head. "Unfortunately, no; I'm kind of surprised that neither of us was told of what this box contains, since we're the ones who are transporting it."
"You an' me both," Braeburn said. "C'mon, times a wastin'; let's get over to Sheriff Silverstar, he mus' know what this here little box contains!"
Braeburn leading the way, the two ponies walked to the Sheriff's office. Twilight took in all there was to see in the settler-ponies' town. It looked as good as it did during her first trip to Appleloosa—before the enormous fight between the ponies and the buffalo, that it. While looking around, the sound of fireworks suddenly caught her ear.
"Do you hear that, Braeburn? Is there some kind of party going on right now?" Twilight asked.
Braeburn stopped and listened for the sound Twilight had heard. The whistling and popping of fireworks suddenly beginning again, and he turned to Twilight and said, "Oh, yeah, I forgot—there's some new unicorn that's passin' through town, an' right now she's showin' off somma her magic tricks." Braeburn scowled a little. "Kinda showin' off, if you ask me, but it's keepin' the town entertained for a while, I guess."
Twilight had heard of something similar before. "What does this unicorn look like?"
Braeburn looked to Twilight confused. "Huh? Uh, I guess she's kinda blueish with a light silver mane," Braeburn said, thinking back to the few minutes he spent watching the unicorn's performance.
"Oh boy," Twilight said, sinking her head down.
"Som'thin the matter, Twi?" Braeburn asked.
"I was kind of hoping she'd changed her ways since last time. I guess she's still the same bragging, over-the-top Trixie," Twilight said aloud, but more to herself than anyone else.
"Trixie!" Braeburn exclaimed, "That's what she called herself! The 'Great and Powerful Trixie', actually. Like ah said, kinda tootin' her own horn, if you ask me. Did you wanna go see her?"
"Uh, no, let's just keep on to the Sheriff's; I'd prefer to stay as far away from that unicorn as possible," Twilight said flatly.
The two ponies continued on their original path, Twilight ignoring the obnoxious noises coming from the distant side of town.
Eventually, Braeburn and Twilight arrived at the office of Sheriff Silverstar. Walking inside, Braeburn called out to the Sheriff, "Hello, Sheriff! Come on down, Twilight Sparkle's here with the package y'wanted! Sheriff?"
Instead of Silverstar, a mare with a cream-colored coat and deep-red, braided hair came walking down the steps to greet the two. "Oh, hey there Braeburn…and who're you?"
"Paula, this is Twilight Sparkle; she's a good friend'a Cousin Applejack's and is bringin' some lil' box-thingy to the Sheriff," Braeburn said. Turning to Twilight, Braeburn introduced her to the other mare, "Twi, this here is my sister PaulaRed. She's working under the Sheriff right now as a deputy."
"Hello!" Twilight said happily. She noticed the apple-themed cutie mark on PaulaRed's flank.
"Hi!" Paula said. "Glad to see y'all made it here so quick, but ah'm 'fraid the Sheriff's out righ' now," she spoke with a thick southern drawl.
"Oh," Twilight said disappointingly. "Well, Sheriff Silverstar told you about this box then, right?"
"Of course he did," Paula replied, "he mentioned that he prob'ly wouldn't be around by the time you arrived, Twilight, but he'll be back within a couple'a hours."
'A couple of hours' wasn't what Twilight had wanted to hear; she really wanted to know what it was that she was supposed to be delivering. "Do you happen to know what's inside of this box?" she asked hopefully.
"Nope," Paula replied plainly.
Both Twilight and Braeburn sighed and lowered their heads. Their curiosity was really starting to get the better of them.
"I guess we'll just have to wait for the Sheriff…" Twilight said in a defeated tone. She could still hear the theatrics coming from the stage on the other side of town. Sighing heavily, she said, "I guess we may as well give Trixie a visit; I'd like to see how much—if at all—she's changed since we last met."
"Here, I'll come with ya guys," Paula said, "Ah haven't seen that unicorn's performance yet, an' ah'm told it's really somethin' special!"
"Oh, she's special alright…" Twilight said beneath her breath.
A colt trudged back into the audience in a defeated manner, a large amount of sand still caught up in his mane and face. The azure unicorn on the top of the stage yawned to herself.
"Yet another challenger that was a piece of cake. Does that not cement the fact that The Great and Powerful Trixie is really the greatest unicorn—no, the greatest pony in all of Equestria!" Trixie announced as more rockets and sparklers shot off around her, mesmerizing the crowd.
They all cheered her name and demanded an encore. "Trix-ie! Trix-ie! Trix-ie!" They all cried.
"That's the 'Great and Powerful Trixie' to you," she called back smugly to the mass as she began for the backstage curtain.
They all roared into a loud cheer. "Great and Powerful Trixie!"
The cheering suddenly died out when a stern voice called out to the magician onstage. "…It's been a while, Trixie," said a pony in crowd.
Trixie stopped dead in her tracks. She recognized that voice. Twisting around, she met the gaze of a purple unicorn that was making her way through the Appleloosians surrounding the stage.
"You...!" Trixie exclaimed in anger. "You're that one unicorn from Ponyville that turned the Great and Powerful Trixie into a laughing stock!"
"You put that upon yourself," Twilight replied dryly. "I see you haven't changed a bit since then."
"Hmph!" Trixie huffed, "My determination and strive to be the very best will not be wavered by the baseless attacks of some Ponyville ruffian that has no idea what true talent is!"
"I have a name you know," said Twilight.
"Hey Twi," Braeburn began, "who's this mare and why do th' two'a ya seem t' hate each other so much?"
"How long are you going to keep up this charade?" Twilight asked the other unicorn, ignoring Braeburn. Trixie glanced up at the rest of the crowd, all of which still standing around, all were watching what was happening. Trixie was beginning to become uncomfortable.
"Why are you compelled to follow me wherever I go and make a fool of me?" Trixie yelled sadly to Twilight. "The Great and Powerful Trixie-"
"It was pure coincidence that I arrived here at the same time you did, Trixie. I was hoping you may have seen the error in your ways from before, and perhaps that you may not be such a boastful braggart like you once were; now I know I was expecting the impossible," Twilight said to Trixie angrily. It actually surprised Twilight at how hard she was bashing Trixie right now. Did Trixie's arrogance and cocky attitude really bother her that much?
"The Great and Powerful Trixie has had just about enough of your badmouthing of her!" Trixie exclaimed. "Now be gone with you, or suffer the wrath of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
"Please," Twilight said, rolling her eyes, "You've seen what I can do, and you know very well that I can dish out tenfold anything that you may have in store for me."
Trixie cringed and reeled back a few inches. Eyes wide, she looked upon the crowd that only minutes ago had been cheering her name. Now, they all whispered to each other, all looking at her with doubt in their eyes. It was all that stupid unicorn's fault! Why did she hate Trixie to the point of following her to the ends of Equestria, just to make her look like a fool?
"You haven't seen the end of this…" Trixie trailed off, as if trying to remember something.
"Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said in an annoyed tone.
Immediately regaining her composure, Trixie announced, "You haven't seen the end of this, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" In a large puff of smoke, Trixie fled behind the curtain and withdrew the stage back into a mobile trailer.
"…Well that was excitin'," Paula said to Twilight after a long pause, the audience beginning to thin out as everyone went back to their normal activities.
Twilight was still staring at the trailer, a large scowl on her face. Finally turning away from it and back to Braeburn and Paula, she sighed loudly. "I guess she's just as bad as she always was. It makes me sad to see a pony like her. She must be so lonely…"
"What was it she said she was?" said Braeburn, "That she had 'determination and strive ta be the very best'? I s'pose if she wants to be really well-known, she ain't gonna go and stop performan'."
"It's not what she does, Braeburn," said Twilight sadly, "It's just how she does it. Her attitude completely alienates her from the rest of the ponies, and she doesn't have any friends! I remember when I hadn't yet discovered the magic of friendship, and while I didn't realize it at the time, that life was a dull and isolated one."
"…Well, is there an'thing you could do t' help her out?" Paula asked with general concern.
"Pfft," Twilight replied with a roll of her eyes, "I'm afraid that pony is a lost cause. Anyways, let's head on back to Sheriff Silverstar's, hopefully he's back in by now and we can ask him about that little black box's contents."
The three ponies—Twilight, Braeburn and PaulaRed—all started for the other side of town to the Sheriff's office, away from the packed-up stage parked out on the edge of town, and away from the pony inside the trailer, silently watching them with a sad look in her eyes.