At the very edge of the cliff overlooking the town the silhouette of a unicorn stood. Bathed in the waning moonlight of the full moon Trixie watched as the village below bathed in its celebrating night. She watched as the foals played games in the street and the adults mingled in the crowds.
The Summer Sun Celebration, a nationwide event honoring Princess Celestia. Ponies of all ages paying their respects in their own way and Celestia responding by moving throughout the country and raising the sun in a different city every year. For the villagers below her, unknowing of the events she knew would take place tonight none of that mattered. For them there was an excuse to party and they took it in stride, accepted and embraced it.
She watched as the villages partied as she stood silently in the night, her only companion a pair of saddlebags and a dirty cloak she had gotten as a gift from a mare at the market just a week ago. At the moment the cloak was packed in her bags, forgotten.
A glance at the moon told her there was at most half an hour left until the Princess should have raised the sun for the morning, but she knew it wouldn’t come. She sat down and waited alone on the hill, the only sounds keeping her company came from the streets below.
With only minutes left until the moment of truth the music and shouts quieted down and an eerily silence took its place. Trixie looked out through the village and watched the ponies stare towards the horizon where the sun would raise from. Trixie herself guided her eyes elsewhere.
Shifting her eyes towards the moon, and more specifically the image of and alicorn visible in the white background. She watched as the four stars closest to the moon slowly moved towards it and momentarily blinked before disappearing completely, taking the image with them. She looked towards the mountain in the distance that had grown closer every day and she knew that on the other side, in a small unknown town much like the one next to her a purple unicorn watched the event that took place in the sky with her.
She knew that in a few scant hours, the sun would rise again and make way for a new era in pony history. An event would take place, binding the unicorn and five friends together in the history book for eternity and giving back the second ruler of the land. She knew friendships would be forged in the morning hours of the new day and they would be the most treasured of things to a select few.
The things she alone had knowledge of, the future. She lay there alone and waited, waited for the sun to rise and show her the truth.
“You can’t let me down, not now.” The thought unbidden entered her mind, and she fought hard to suppress it. At a time like this doubt was unacceptable. She watched the ponies below realize something was wrong when the sun never rose and the panic grew from a few to all as time passed.
Trixie watched the villagers, she studied the skies and she waited for the moment of truth. An hour after the scheduled sunrise ponies ran wild on the streets below, they shut themselves indoors to protect their beloved from harm. Yet she waited. Two, three hours passed and the muscles in her legs begged for a change so she stood up.
As soon as she did, the first bright rays of the morning sun made its way through the sky. Her ears picked up on the cheering from below and the joy the villagers showed when their morning sun came.
The first tear came as soon as the second ray broke the horizon on more followed in the minutes that passed. Through teary eyes Trixie looked at the sunrise that marked the day of a new age, of the return of a princess, of the creation of heroes and the final sign she would have to break her friends in the future. With a final teary-eyed glance towards the dooming sunrise Trixie turned around and continued her travel towards Canterlot and Ponyville.
Pulling the borrowed carriage behind her Trixie emerged from underneath the leafy roof that made up the Whitetail woods. Wheels squeaked from the movement and she ever so slowly neared the final destination on her journey. The sun still stood high in the sky, with some odd hours left until the sunset she desperately needed for her tricks.
She followed the road with her eyes before they came to rest on the small village in the not-so-distance. She looked at the familiar houses from a different time came into her view. Regular cottages and houses spreading everywhere but giving way for roads and plazas. Stretching above all other were the sights of the Town hall, the round building being the nearest of the four tops that could be seen. The red spire so woefully plain in comparison to the others made it stand out just as much as its height.
Sugarcube Corner and the Boutique became clear to her at almost the same time, each of them with their own unique details that made them special. She looked at the white and purple top of Carousel Boutique as she moved ever so slowly towards it, the wagon she pulled behind her following along loudly.
Before sundown Trixie stood before the entrance to Ponyville proper, facing down the street where both the town hall and the library were located. Wiping away the final tear from her eye she took a deep breath before quietly moving forward. Head held high she marched through the town with no doubt inn her step. All around her ponies milled about, some giving her a distracted glance but most simply ignoring her. Without many problems she got to the center of the plaza directly outside of town hall, where she quickly dislodged herself from the yellow carriage.
As she turned around she came face to face with two remotely familiar young colts, the exact two she had hoped to run in to somewhere on her way here. She looked down at the two and mentally steeled herself for what would come next.
“Come on, you can do this. You haven’t spoken a complete truth in years, what are a few more months. No one will notice if you mess up, it’s fine.”
“Have you come to admire the Great and Powerful Trixie, the most magical unicorn in Equestria already? Have you come to hear about the time Trixie took down an Ursa Major single-hoofedly?” For emphasis she threw her fore hooves up in the air. She had perfected the straining movement during the lonely nights since the Summer Sun, four weeks being more than enough to build the muscle strength necessary for the act.
“Uhh, no? We wondered why you pull a carriage through town all on your own,” the shorter chubby colt spoke. Though they hadn’t spoken at all, Trixie was fairly sure his name was Snails.
“But can we do that anyway?”
“No! The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t do private performances. Trixie only do stage shows, showing off magic you could never hope to have and tell stories of her adventures. But Trixie would love to give you the ability to help her. If you want.”
“Yes… No… maybe?” Trixie had to smirk at that, it wouldn’t fit her character otherwise. A fabricated character, but one she had to play.
“Trixie offers you the ability advertise for her. The Great and Powerful Trixie does not have time to find a crowd in the backwater town of yours. So help Trixie find the crowd she deserves. Run around, shout Trixie’s accomplishments and you will be rewarded.” She fell back down on all fours, her back fitfully screaming to her just how uncomfortable the position had been. Hiding any signs of pain she regarded the two children in front of her.
“Do you have a fan club?” The squeaky voice wasn’t annoying her much, but time was running out and at the speed these two understood things it would take forever. Better to play the card any foal wouldn’t hesitate to bite on.
“Yes, the Great and Powerful Trixie does indeed have a fan club. Help Trixie and you two will become honorary members.”
“Okay! Don’t worry the Great and Powerful Trixie, we’ll do our best.” And with that they might as well have teleported out of existence judging by the speed they held.
Doing a last routine check of the carriage to make sure it stood in place and with no probability for it to move she finally entered through the back door. Inside stood little in form of furniture thanks to the fact one side of the walls could be pushed down to reveal a large stage, only separated from the inside by a curtain.
Trixie took the wrinkled curtain lying in a coffin on her side and slid it on the bar securely placed on either side of the collapsible wall, making sure it wouldn’t come off anytime soon. Sighing she turned her head towards the only real piece of furniture in the room, a bed. On top of the red cover lay the same saddlebags as she had started out with, worn from traveling but no less usable.
Unclasping the right side she opened it up to reveal a set of purple attire. The pointed hat was lifted up in her magic and restored to its original pointy state with a few forceful smacks against the nearby wall. Placing it to the side she took up the second object within, a blanket or cape as they would soon call it. In truth she saw no difference between a regular blanket and this cape as such, but she knew she needed it.
“You can do this, I know you can. You didn’t spend two lifetimes studying magic only to fail some basic levitation and illusions. There’s no one to convince but yourself. They don’t know anything about you. If you believe it they will. Go out, brag and get it over with, it’s not that hard is it. You can do this.”
The minutes flew by and as time went on more and more ponies appeared outside the appropriate side of her temporary home. What started out as a few curious ponies eventually grew to cover most of the main square as far as she could see. Looking out over the crowd from her spot hidden behind the curtain she set up the hour before.
Among the crowd stood several familiar faces, all of which she had known before but wouldn’t dare to speak to again. Faces she had seen around but never spoken to at all.
The crowd started to grow restless, but she couldn’t go out just yet. She knew there were several ponies missing, Twilight and Spike most importantly. They would push their way to the front as soon as the show started, but they weren’t even her yet. Looking out over the mass she saw the first of four move closer to her.
Applejack moved purposefully though the mass of ponies and skillfully navigated her way to the front. Trixie dared a short glance at the mare and she looked years younger than she remembered. Mostly because she was, by Trixie’s reasoning. Averting her gaze before tears started to show she left the curtains completely. If one of them came then most likely the others would too.
Picking up the cape and hat in her magic she quickly put the hat on her head and made sure it covered her horn. Fastening the cape with a fake diamond pin she finalized her look for the evening. In the corner where the only mirror she had hung, she went over herself.
“Cape and hat in place. Mane and tail brushed. Act mastered and last but not least, audience in place. No turning back now.” A deep inhale and exhale to calm her nerves a little before she walked over to the curtains once more.
The stage was already folded down, just in case some overly enthusiastic ponies came too close when it dropped down. A check outside the curtains showed several more of her old friends in exactly the places she remembered and had seen from the drug. “Let’s do this. Crash and burn and everything will be fine, right?”
And with that, she lit up her horn and started the first and only performance she had planned. Fireworks sparked through the air and lit up the evening lights in the colours of the rainbow. Instantly the murmur from the crowd quieted down and they looked expectantly up at the stage. Out on the stage a small smoke grenade rolled, hidden from view from the audience by the elevated stage.
The explosion came and those few that weren’t paying attention before found their faces drawn towards the stage like all the others around them. While the smoke still lingered think enough on stage Trixie quietly trotted out on stage and stood silently in the middle of it all, unseen by everyone. And then, through the smoke came a clear and loud voice that dripped of confidence.
“Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”