Ponyville was exceptionally bustling today, for the Princess was scheduled to visit tomorrow. To welcome her arrival, the ponies of Ponyville had prepared a grand welcoming ceremony.
Twilight Sparkle was also overwhelmed with busyness in preparation for her teacher's arrival, looking back and forth from one thing to another.
"A Warm Welcome to Princess Celestia?" Twilight glared at the half-written banner with dissatisfaction. "Why is the Princess's name cut off?"
"Hahaha, Princess Celestia? Demacia's in for it now." Bingtang Xueli chuckled off to the side.
"You're still laughing? How are your magic preparations coming along?"
"Everything is completely under control!" Trixie declared confidently. "The Great and Powerful Trixie and her not-so-great and not-so-powerful assistant, Bingtang Xueli, will definitely put on a fantastic show for Her Highness!"
This time, Bingtang Xueli had also taken the initiative to volunteer to perform for Princess Celestia. After all, if even the Princess approved of Trixie's magic act, her previous bad reputation would probably be wiped clean once and for all.
It was worth mentioning that, over the past period, they had earned enough money from their performances to buy all the materials needed to build a brand-new wagon.
Originally, Bingtang Xueli had wanted to just buy a new one outright, but Trixie insisted that this was a brand-new start for her, so she had to build her own wagon from scratch.
Although Bingtang Xueli didn't quite understand what a fresh start had to do with building one's own wagon, he enthusiastically expressed his willingness to help Trixie build it together.
Trixie happily accepted, but the other ponies expressed their doubts. Didn't Bingtang Xueli know how exhausted he got just doing farm chores? Could he really handle carpentry work?
However, Bingtang Xueli argued that his farm work wasn't poor because he couldn't do it, but simply because of his lack of stamina. There was nothing you couldn't imagine, only things that Bingtang Xueli, undefeated in miscellaneous studies, couldn't accomplish!
As it turned out, the title of "undefeated in miscellaneous studies" wasn't just for show. Under his direction and with the cooperation of Trixie's magic, not only was the basic structure of the wagon built, but even those stage mechanisms were successfully put together. In just a few days, the wagon was essentially finished, leaving only the painting and letting the paint dry.
"Well, alright. I just hope nothing goes wrong." Twilight Sparkle sighed, then went off to inspect the next item.
"Does Twilight seem a bit too high-strung?" Trixie asked with some concern.
"Normal. Anything involving the Princess or studying turns her into a complete maniac. This is just the initial symptom, so don't worry. Let's keep practicing."
After running through the rehearsal a few more times to ensure the performance was absolutely foolproof, Trixie and Bingtang Xueli decided to go finish painting the wagon.
Trixie planned to set off on the journey of her dreams tomorrow right after her performance for the Princess. Though she felt a twinge of reluctance, Bingtang Xueli was truly happy for her from the bottom of his heart.
After all these performances, combined with a little help from Bingtang Xueli's friends at the newspaper office, Trixie was no longer viewed by most ponies as a boastful megalomaniac, but rather as a rising star in the magical world.
Even a certain major magician in Las Pegasus who didn't read newspapers had given high praise upon hearing about this pony's performance.
Bingtang Xueli loathed painting because he had to hold the paint-soaked brush in his mouth, and the smell was simply too pungent. Watching Trixie wield multiple brushes simultaneously with her magic, Bingtang Xueli couldn't help but sigh at how wonderful it was to have magic.
Of course, Trixie had told him she could handle the painting all by herself, but Bingtang Xueli refused, saying that since he had helped with everything up to this point, he had to put a perfect finishing touch on this wagon.
Before long, the painting work was finished. Looking at the completed wagon before them, Trixie cheered with joy.
"Fantastic! This wagon is my first step toward becoming the greatest and most powerful magician!"
Bingtang Xueli also looked at the wagon with a deeply gratified expression. The wagon was decorated with many stars, and the overall color scheme was blue, which suited Trixie very well. However, Bingtang Xueli stared for a long time at two blue and white circles painted on the front of the wagon without figuring out what they were.
"Say, Trixie, what are these two?" He asked, pointing at the circles.
"Great question! These are the portraits of the Great and Powerful Trixie and her not-so-great and not-so-powerful assistant hoof! I put them here to thank you for your help!"
Looking at Trixie's radiant smile, Bingtang Xueli felt immensely happy as well. Although the two portraits were drawn somewhat crudely, the sentiment truly touched his heart.
"Has anyone ever told you that you look really pretty when you smile?"
This single sentence instantly made Trixie's face turn crimson. She immediately pulled her brim down, lowered her head, and kicked a pebble back and forth with her hoof.
"Wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about? Don't make jokes like that, you really are something else..."
"I'm not joking at all. Ever since the first time I saw you, I've thought you were exceptionally pretty," Bingtang Xueli said with a wide smile, which only made Trixie bury her head even deeper.
Trixie wasn't a fool; she could certainly tell that Bingtang Xueli had feelings for her. But she didn't know what to do. It wasn't that she didn't like Bingtang Xueli—though that liking was limited to the realm of friendship. She certainly considered Bingtang Xueli her best friend, but what if she had to bump that best friend position up a notch? Trixie didn't know. She felt a mix of anticipation and fear, unsure of how to respond to Bingtang Xueli's affection. She had never experienced anything like this; in the past, she had devoted herself entirely to studying magic performances and had never given such things a single thought.
After spending time together over this period, she had also come to understand this pony better. He was humorous and witty, yet a bit cheeky. In most cases, he was friendly to all ponies, but he cursed quite a bit and was fiercely protective of his own, never letting his friends get bullied. And she had to admit, he was immensely talented, with a musical mastery that reached the absolute pinnacle. His claim of being undefeated in miscellaneous studies was no empty brag; practically anything she didn't understand, she could ask him about. Furthermore, though he had cut ties with his family, given his background, he wasn't someone an ordinary commoner like her could hope to match. Setting his family background aside, would someone as outstanding as her really take a fancy to such an ordinary pony like herself? It felt a bit hard to believe.
Bingtang Xueli could actually guess roughly what Trixie was thinking, but he wasn't in a rush. Compared to these thoughts of his own, he felt Trixie's dream was much more important.
"Hello-oo? This is Equestria calling Trixie?" He waved a hoof in front of Trixie's eyes, startling her so much that she jumped.
"What are you doing? You scared me."
"I saw you were practically crashing, so I thought I'd help you reboot."
Right at that moment, Pinkie Pie came rushing past them in a flurry of dust, then suddenly stopped in her tracks and moonwalked backward until she was right beside them.
"Xueli! I should have thought of you sooner! This is no time for flirting! Quick, it's an emergency, I need to find a harmonica, a trombone, a cornet, an accordion..."
"What! Flirting?! No! We weren't..." Trixie stammered incoherently.
"Stop, stop, stop. They're all musical instruments, right? All my instruments are hanging on the wall in my room, just go take whatever you need. Besides, Applejack probably has a harmonica."
"Fantastic! Xueli, I knew you were the most reliable! But there's no time to talk now, I've got to run!" With that, Pinkie bounced away excitedly.
"Well, I have to admit that even now I still don't understand her," Trixie said, watching Pinkie's receding figure in the distance.
Bingtang Xueli merely shrugged. "If any pony ever claims they want to figure Pinkie out, I'd definitely say they've lost their mind."
After an afternoon of magic rehearsals, the hardworking Master Li finally collapsed back onto his bed.
The next morning, despite every fiber of his being protesting, Bingtang Xueli got up bright and early.
"Seeing you wake up early every day lately makes me feel like you've turned into a totally different pony. Is this the power of love?"
Right outside the gates of Sweet Apple Acres, Bingtang Xueli ran into Applejack, who was just heading out while hauling a large cart of apples.
"What power of love? I've always been the absolute ceiling of industriousness, alright? And what are you hauling so many apples off to do at the crack of dawn?"
"Fluttershy asked me to bring them over to her. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why she needs so many apples, too."
parting ways with Applejack, Bingtang Xueli found Trixie. By this time, Trixie had the word "nervous" written all over her face.
"What should I do, Xueli? I'm so nervous! What if I mess up my performance in front of the Princess? What if the Princess hates my act? Will the Princess banish me straight to the sun?!"
Regarding Trixie's worries, Bingtang Xueli suggested that she had probably caught something from Twilight.
"Relax, don't scare yourself. You're the best. Just how talented you are—other ponies might not dare to say, but I guarantee your performance will amaze even the Princess. So steadying your mindset right now is the most crucial thing. As long as you perform normally, there will be absolutely no problem!"
Looking at Bingtang Xueli's earnest assurance, Trixie felt considerably less nervous than before.
The rehearsal continued. This time, they dragged the wagon out to the town square as well. Since the paint had dried, it could serve nicely as a stage.
Trixie pressed a button on the wagon, and its four walls unfolded to form a stage.
Looking at the perfect stage before her, Trixie felt a flood of emotions. To her, this wasn't just a wagon; it was a brand-new beginning—a farewell to her past self, who had been full of internal insecurity yet too afraid to show it, forced to mask her cowardice behind an imaginary persona.
And she owed all of this to Bingtang Xueli. He really had helped her far too much.
"Xueli, truly, thank you so much."
Meeting Trixie's beautiful lavender eyes, a warm surge welled up in his chest. Her eyes were like dazzling stars in the night sky, so brilliant that a pony couldn't look away. In those eyes, he had once seen sorrow, loneliness, and confusion, but now there was genuine joy, happiness, and confidence.
Bingtang Xueli smiled and said, "You're welcome."
At that moment, a pony suddenly gasped in alarm. Subconsciously, Bingtang Xueli followed the gazes of the other ponies toward the sky, only to see countless fluffy, round little things with insect wings raining down from above.
"Whoa, what are these? They're so cute." Trixie caught one with her magic and looked over at Bingtang Xueli, but to her surprise, Bingtang Xueli's face was plastered with panic.
"Sprite flies?! Why on earth are these ghosts here?"
Trixie looked at Bingtang Xueli in utter confusion, but Bingtang Xueli didn't offer any explanation, merely pacing anxiously in circles on the spot while muttering to himself.
"Preparing now is definitely too late, but we still have to do something. Let me think, what do we need again..."
He suddenly stopped, lifting his head. Unlike his previous gloomy expression, his face was now filled with pleasant surprise.
"I get it! I understand!"
He turned to Trixie and said, "Trixie, go find Twilight and the others first. Have them hide all the food they can to control these bugs' reproduction. I have something much more important to do."
With that, he turned around and sprinted off in a flash.
There was no need for him to explain further anyway, as those bugs had already begun devouring every scrap of food in sight. The original celebration had practically turned into a disaster.
Trixie hurried around everywhere, making a huge loop before finally returning to the square to find the others.
Just as she arrived, Applejack went tearing past, shouting at the top of her lungs, "My apples! My apples!"
"What's going on here?" Trixie asked. "Oh right, Xueli told me to have you guys hide all the food to control their reproduction, but it looks like it's a bit too late for that."
The bugs had practically eaten all the food clean, and the number of offspring they had reproduced was far greater than before.
"I've got an idea!" Twilight Sparkle had a sudden flash of inspiration. "I can use magic to make them stop eating food."
No sooner said than done, Twilight leaned forward, a series of glowing rings emanating from her horn, and instantly, all the sprite flies stopped eating food.
Trixie couldn't help but marvel that there were levels even among unicorns; she hadn't even heard of such magic.
However, Trixie's admiration was short-lived because those sprite flies then started eating the buildings instead.
And right before Trixie's eyes, the wagon that carried all the blood, sweat, and tears of herself and Bingtang Xueli was devoured in an instant, leaving behind only four bare wheels.
"No!" She rushed forward and hugged the very last remaining wheel to prevent this final piece of evidence proving the wagon's existence from being eaten as well.
"Brilliant work, Twilight Sparkle. You had them clean out the food, and fearing they'd go hungry, you made them switch to eating architecture instead?"
Twilight remained completely unresponsive to Trixie's sarcasm, because she spotted Princess Celestia's carriage taking off from Canterlot Castle in the distance, heading straight toward them.
Twilight consequently lost her mind entirely, muttering something about needing to rebuild Ponyville in under a minute. Finally, just as Twilight completely abandoned all resistance, a cheerful tune drifted over from not far away.
All the ponies turned their gaze toward the source of the music, only to see Bingtang Xueli and Pinkie Pie both carrying multiple instruments, playing a duet together on all of them at once.
To the utter astonishment of every pony, the moment those sprite flies heard the ensemble, they stopped eating altogether, flew over in swarms behind the two ponies, and began bouncing along to the rhythm as they followed them.
Just then, the Princess's carriage arrived outside the town, and the ponies hurriedly rushed over to pay their respects. Meanwhile, Bingtang Xueli and Pinkie earnestly led the sprite flies forward.
Passing by the square, Bingtang Xueli caught sight of Trixie hugging the wheel in a daze. He gave Pinkie a meaningful look; Pinkie nodded, then took all the instruments from Bingtang Xueli's body and proceeded to play ten instruments simultaneously all by herself, continuing to lead the sprite flies onward.
Bingtang Xueli didn't even have time to marvel at how Pinkie managed to play ten instruments at once as he hurried anxiously over to Trixie's side.
At that moment, Trixie was tearfully clutching the sole remaining wheel. Seeing Bingtang Xueli approach, she sniffled and burst out:
"Xh-Xueli, th-the w-wagon is gone, WAAAAAAAH!"
With that, she broke down into a loud howl. Bingtang Xueli hurriedly stepped forward to embrace her, gently patting her back and comforting her.
"It's okay, it's okay, we'll build a new one. Stop crying, we'll build an even better one."
"B-but..."
"No buts about it, we'll build a better one. Stop crying, alright? Look at you crying, it ruins your pretty face."
As he spoke, Bingtang Xueli gently wiped away Trixie's tears with his hoof. Only then did Trixie realize how close they were, and her face instantly flushed bright red.