The sun had fallen over Ponyville. The last shades of orange and purple were finally starting to fade from view giving way to the spotlights shining on the stage that came together piece by piece over the past few days. The seats in front of the stage were packed, and more pegasi were flying in benches which were filling up as soon as they arrived. The crowd chattered impatiently, waiting for the show to begin.
Applejack peered through the curtain at the gathering of ponies. "Landsakes, Rainbow! Where in Equestria did you deliver all them flyers too?"
Sitting in a chair, Rainbow kicked her legs up with a smug grin. “Here, there, everywhere..."
"Holy smokes, Trixie! Look at all of the ponies that came to see us!" Pinkie said as she hopped excitedly. Dressed in her tuxedo, Trixie had to admit that Pinkie commanded a strong presence. Seeing the mare's bowtie turned sideways, Trixie lit up her horn to straighten it.
"Yes, well, it looks like the Cake's little money problem will be resolved after tonight. If we don't botch it up somewhere along the way that is."
Twilight's eyes fell upon the showmare, her face engraved with worry. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
The crowd outside started getting louder and more impatient, stamping their hooves into the dirt. The unicorn stood tall and tipped her hat back slightly using a touch of magic.
"Trixie is always ready."
Without a second look back, Trixie strutted out of the curtain's protection and into the full view of the entire crowd. She let a smirk cross her face as the loud talking and shouting changed not to applause, but to quiet murmuring.
"Good evening fillies and gentlecolts! Rejoice, for I, the Great and Powerful Trixie bless you with her spectacular presence!" she proclaimed, throwing up her hooves much the way a deity might if they were looking for attention.
"Tonight, you shall all bear witness to the supreme command I hold over magical arts, and I will never have to use my horn to perform a single one of them."
"C'mon! Get on with it!"
"Yeah! Where's Pinkie Pie?"
The crowd started getting restless. Trixie let her smile falter into something close to a scowl. "Pinkie Pie? Why in Equestria would you ever want to see her?"
More terse shouting went through the throng of ponies which soon fell into a chant.
“Pin-kie Pie! Pin-kie Pie! Pin-kie Pie!”
Rolling her eyes, Trixie scoffed. "Alright, alright. I suppose I should bring her out. You heard them, Pinkie Pie. You're up!"
From the other side of the stage, Pinkie trotted on-stage, her smile even flashier than the suit she was wearing.
"Good evening everypony! I hope you're excited because we have a super amazing show for you tonight!"
The crowd went absolutely wild as many ponies left their seat altogether. Pinkie for her part waved and drank in the attention. About fifteen seconds into the applause, Trixie put on an annoyed expression and started tapping her hoof. Still, the applause didn't let up. Trixie walked to the edge of the curtain and grabbed a cardboard box.
"Okay, show stealer, I think that's enough of you," Trixie said just audible for the audience to hear. She dragged the box over and raised it over Pinkie's head. The crowd gasped as Trixie slammed it on top of Pinkie.
"It's too bad, fillies and gentlecolts, that you didn't get to say goodbye because she had to go!" Trixie exclaimed, lifting the cardboard box to reveal nothing on stage. With a quick flip of the box, she showed it to the crowd to leave no doubts it was empty. Scattered applause trickled in from the crowd.
The unicorn tossed the box aside. "Well, now that she's taken care of, we can get back to my show."
The crowd gasped as Pinkie fell from the top of the stage directly on top of Trixie. Laughter erupted from the audience as Pinkie hopped cutely onto her hooves and stood next to Trixie, waiting for her to patiently get up. After dusting herself off, the unicorn finally cleared her throat.
"Well, it appears that we are stuck with each other this evening. I suppose we'd better make the best of it."
Pinkie turned her head quizzically. "Huh? I can't hear you!"
Trixie thought for a moment. "Hmmm, I wonder if you have something stuck in your ear?" reaching her hoof over to Pinkie's head, she reached at the edge of the pink mare's ear and pulled out a bit, holding it up triumphantly.
Only a few polite ponies in the crowd applauded.
"Huh. It looks like there might be more in there."
Reaching in again, she pulled out another bit, and then another, and then another.
"This could take forever." Trixie finally just grabbed Pinkie by the head and started shaking, causing a small cascade of coins to fall out. The crowd finally started clapping and cheering until Trixie held up her hoof.
"Wait! I think I found the problem!" Trixie leaned in close and blew into Pinkie's ear. Not a moment later, a flock of doves flew out and took to the sky. Wild cheering and whistling spread throughout the crowd as Trixie bowed graciously.
So far, so good.
The Cakes had set up a makeshift stand to the side of the stage. They worked tirelessly all day to bake lots of tasty treats for the gathered crowd of ponies, hoping their work wouldn’t be in vain. It was clear after the first break that it wasn’t.
"Here you are. One hot chocolate and two brownies. That'll be eight bits," Mrs. Cake said, pushing them across the counter. "Enjoying the show?"
The pony, a tan earth pony wearing a turtleneck dropped the money on the counter and scooped up his order. "Abso-lutely! Those two are just dynamite together. Why, when I heard that loathsome unicorn would be performing, I almost didn't come! But I was in town for the wine tasting and thought, hey, it's free. Why not? It's been such a delight!"
Mrs. Cake smiled. "Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. They've been working really hard, and I tell you, that Trixie character seems like a brand new pony. Enjoy the rest of the show!"
Mrs. Cake dumped the bits into a bucket threatening to overflow.
"Oh, Carrot! This is going so well!" the earth pony enthused. Her husband had just handed off yet another order himself.
"I'm not sure if we'll have enough food to keep selling!" he said as another customer stepped forward.
"Now don't ya'll go worryin' none! Applejack has got your back!"
Mrs. Cake turned to see Applejack pulling a cart filled with all sorts of pastries, pies, and bottled apple juice.
"Oh my goodness, Applejack! You didn't have to go through all of that trouble!"
Applejack waved her off dismissively. "Don't you worry none. I have to help a fellow pony in need. Besides, if ya'll go out if business, Sweet Apple Acres will lose one of it's best buyers!"
Mrs. Cake wasted no time in grabbing the new pastries and putting them on display.
"Well, I must insist on paying you somethin for all of this trouble you've gone to."
"Only if ya got enough left over after buying the oven. Deal?" Applejack asked, extending her hoof.
"Deal!"
Trixie, and Pinkie Pie sat behind the curtains, preparing the final stretch of their show during intermission with Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s help.
"How much time do we have left?" Trixie asked.
"About five minutes," Rainbow replied. Trixie turned to the pink pony sitting beside her. "Looks like our break is almost up."
Pinkie nodded. "Yup! I can't wait until the grand finale! They're gonna go wild!"
"It’s not very scientific proof, but looking at the lines at the concession stand, I think the Cakes will have more than enough for a new oven," Twilight said.
Trixie sat up in her chair and cracked her neck. "I guess we better get ready."
"Omigosh! Wait! I have to do something very important!" Pinkie exclaimed causing everyone else to jump in surprise. Before they could ask what was going on, Pinkie had already disappeared in a pink blur.
Trixie shrugged dismissively. "I'd say that was unexpected, but honestly, I'm getting used to it by now."
The lines at the concession stand had dwindled to nothing. The show was due to resume at any moment and it was clear nopony wanted to miss it.
"I think the crowd has thinned enough, Applejack. I won't keep you here any more. Thank you so much for your help,” Mrs. Cake said.
"Think nothin' of it! Here in Ponyville, us ponies gotta stick together.”
A sudden breeze hit Mrs. Cake and Applejack. A pink hoof grabbed one of the few fritters that hadn’t sold and dragged it into the waiting jaws of it's hyperactive owner.
"Hey, Applejack, thanks for the applesnack!"
"Oh, well uhhh, think nothin' of it Pinks. You two sure are puttin' on a good show." Applejack's pupils became pinpoints. "Wait a minute! The show is fixin' to start! Why in tarnation are you over here?"
Pinkie gulped down two more fritters and grabbed Mrs. Cake by the shoulders.
"I came here to say something very important! Mrs. Cake, Applejack, I need you two to listen carefully," Pinkie started, her voice turning grave.
"Why sure, dear."
"Something wrong, sugarcube?"
Pinkie took a heavy breath. "I know this will be hard for you two, especially you, Mrs. Cake, but no matter what happens on the stage tonight, I need you two to trust me and Trixie. Capiche?"
Applejack raised a brow at her. "Uhhh, I don't rightly know what that last word means, but sure."
Mrs. Cake scrunched her nose. "If you say so, but please be careful, Pinkie."
The pink pony wrapped her hooves around the older mare tightly. "Thank you." Her eyes flew open abruptly. "Oh no! I gotta go! The show is starting again!"
In the blink of an eye, Pinkie, and two more fritters disappeared, leaving two bewildered ponies.
"What do ya think that was about?" Mrs. Cake was the first to break the silence.
"Notta clue," Applejack replied. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."
Trixie marched back on stage wearing a confident smile. Despite her brave display, she was afraid Pinkie wouldn’t make it back in time.
"Hello again, Ponyvillians, and our guests from the surrounding towns. I hope you're ready for the last half of our show."
She cut her intro short as her partner scrambled on stage in a frilly pink dress. She made it roughly halfway across before tumbling to ground.
"Ouch! Sorry to keep you all waiting! I wanted to dress up really nicely for the last part of the show!" Pinkie said, climbing to her hooves.
Trixie shook her head. "Pinkie Pie, the suit was fine."
The pink mare's ears lowered in disappointment. "Awww, you don't like my dress?"
Trixie eyed the garment with a critical eye. "It’s a fine dress, but I think it's a bit too flashy for magic. Here, lemme try this."
Pinkie rose to her hooves as Trixie covered her in the magic sheet. With a quick tap of her wand, she swiped the sheet off to reveal Pinkie, this time wearing a red dress with ruffles and sequins.
"Oooh, fancy!"
Trixie clicked her tongue. "Also not very well suited to magic. Let me try again."
Once more she threw the sheet over Pinkie's head. Another tap of the wand and just like that, Pinkie was now sporting an exercise outfit.
"Are we going for a run?" Pinkie asked hopefully. Scattered laughter and applause came from the crowd.
"Hmm, this might take a while."
This time Trixie flashed the sheet over Pinkie for a much shorter time. Pinkie was now wearing a cowpony outfit. With an exasperated grunt, she flashed the sheet again, this time not stopping to tap her with the wand or even really look at what the outcome was. Outfit after outfit went by and earned little more than a "No," or a "Nuh uh." from Trixie. The crowd noise slowly picked up into full blown applause and laughter as the pile of discarded clothes soon grew taller than Pinkie Pie.
Finally, Trixie pulled away the sheet one last time to reveal the tuxedo the pink pony sported earlier in the act.
"Ahhh, perfect. Now, let's continue the show, shall we?"
Pinkie smiled and nodded. "Of course! I hope you’re ready everypony, because we’re gonna knock your socks off!”
Raucous applause filled the air as Trixie and Pinkie ended their trick with a flourish. All night a feeling of electricity had been building in the crowd. The atmosphere was supercharged in anticipation of what was sure to be a heart stopping finale. Trixie winked at Pinkie who promptly ran behind the curtain.
The unicorn stood on her hind legs and pointed out to the crowd with her wand.
"Fillies and gentlecolts! You have been privy to some of the most amazing feats in illusionist history! Now, for our grand finale, I will... solve a rubik's cube!"
Confused muttering flowed through the crowd as Pinkie pushed a helium tank, a giant balloon, and rope to the middle of the stage. Trixie, using her horn, pulled a nearby chair to sit in and produced a rubik's cube.
"Unfortunately, Pinkie Pie told me that just watching me solve a rubik’s cube is boring. Boring! Can you believe the nerve of her? I told her anypony would be lucky to observe Trixie do the most mundane of tasks, but I reluctantly caved to her whims of making it more ‘entertaining.” So, while I solve it, Pinkie will hold her breath in this giant balloon. Of course, this won’t be entertaining at all as I will no doubt have it solved in mere seconds, being the genius that I am."
More confusion spread throughout the crowd as Pinkie threw a net over the balloon and stuck a hose in it. With a spin of the valve, the helium started to fill the balloon.
"You see," Trixie began, "Pinkie claims she can hold her breath forever. So, while I solve the cube, she will be holding her breath in the balloon filled with nothing but helium. By the way, the record for holding your breathe is six minutes and two seconds, a record she scoffed at.”
Through her explanation, the balloon filled and widened several feet and lifted from the ground, pulling tight against the net.
Abruptly, Trixie gasped. “Oh! I almost forgot!” Reaching into her hat, Trixie pulled out a thick set of papers and a quill and floated them over to Pinkie with her magic. “Pinkie Pie, my dear partner, can you sign the last page on these please?”
Pinkie, still filling the balloon, nodded happily. “Sure! What are they?”
“Just some insurance forms. Accidental death, dismemberment, etcetera, etcetera.”
Gripping the quill with her mouth, Pinkie hastily scribbled her signature on the last page. “There you go!”
Trixie pulled the papers back and tucked them back under her hat. “Thank you. You’re so willing to do anything Trixie says. Trixie loves that about you.”
Pinkie nodded happily and continued filling the balloon which was now several feet large.
“Hey, Pinkie Pie?” Trixie called out.
“Yeah?”
“Did you ever fill out that pesky do not resuscitate form?”
Pinkie’s eyes narrowed. “Ummm, I don’t think so. why?”
Trixie shrugged. “No reason.”
The crowd started muttering amongst themselves as they waited patiently for the balloon to fill. Trixie amused herself by staring into a mirror and styling her mane.
“All done!” Pinkie announced.
The balloon was now massive, straining the net it was trapped under. Leaving the comfort of her chair with a grunt, Trixie walked over to it and grasped the neck. “Last chance for fresh air.”
Nodding wildly, Pinkie gasped. Trixie opened the balloon long enough for Pinkie to squeeze in and tie it off with a rope. “And now, the countdown begins!” Trixie declared, hitting a nearby clock with a bolt of magic. Pinkie smiled and waved from her pink translucent sphere.
Returning to her seat, Trixie picked up her rubik’s cube and started in earnest. The click clacking of the plastic cube did little to wow the audience. Regardless, Trixie flipped it this way and that to try and line the colors up.
After an agonizingly long minute or two, Pinkie started looking nervous. All of the crowd locked their eyes on the pink pony trapped in her rubbery prison.
"Hmmm, I think I'm right back where I started," Trixie said, holding up the cube in puzzlement.
By now, Pinkie Pie had started pounding the side of her balloon, making it echo like a drum. The earth pony's eyes were frantic and darted this way and that.
"Please keep it down, Pinkie. I need to concentrate," Trixie said.
The crowd started murmuring and grew restless while Trixie continued twisting and turning the rubik's cube.
"Why isn't she stopping the show? Her partner is dying!"
"How could she be so callous?"
"I hope that dense unicorn solves it quickly!"
Trixie kept at the cube with no real sign of progress when a loud thump echoed through the night. Firing a quick glance into her conveniently positioned crystal wand, she could tell Pinkie had fallen inside the balloon, apparently unconscious.
"If nopony else is brave enough to stop this, I will!" A large stallion in the crowd yelled out. He stood up and headed for the stage.
Trixie quickly pointed her horn in front of him and casted a shield. "No offense, but the stage is no place for amateurs."
The crowd became even louder, yelling their displeasure at Trixie. Multiple ponies left their seat to storm the stage.
"Hold it right there!"
Everypony halted in their tracks. They turned to the pony which had yelled at them.
"Pinkie and Trixie came here to perform, so we have to trust them," Mrs. Cake said.
"But, but... she's killing that other pony!" one of the stallions protested.
"Sit down!" The mare commanded.
The crowd returned to their seats in disbelief. Trixie looked up quick enough to see that Mrs. Cake also looked kind of nervous. The unicorn dropped the rubiks cube letting it shatter into countless pieces.
"Oh well, I never was good at those things." She turned to the giant balloon with the pink pony lying inside.
"It appears we have a bit of a problem. It looks like I might need a new partner. Any volunteers?"
Not a single pony in the crowd seemed to be in a hurry to accept her offer.
Trixie laughed and pulled off her cape. "Oh, listen to me. Trying to hire a new partner when the old one is still lingering around. Luckily Trixie knows how to clean up after herself." The unicorn held her cape in front of the balloon.
"And now fillies and gentlecolts, watch me make this body, disappear!"
With a quick flourish, she yanked the cape off revealing Pinkie standing beneath the balloon, both hooves stretched to the sky, and a huge grin on her muzzle.
The crowd was quiet for only a second. An ear piercing roar of applause and hoof stomping filled the night air as Pinkie and Trixie took their bows. The unicorn's eyes fell upon Mrs. Cake who gave her a broad and relieved smile. After what felt like an eternity, the crowd finally quieted down enough for Trixie to speak.
"Thank you so much you wonderful ponies! It was a great pleasure to have performed for you! Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go!"
Trixie and Pinkie both grabbed and held tight to the rope tied to the balloon. She fired a bolt of magic at the net, evaporating it and freeing the balloon. Both ponies held onto the rope as they climbed higher into the sky grinning and waving at the crowd beneath them.
"Oh my gosh, Trixie, that was amazing!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We had them on the edge of their seat!"
"Are you kidding? Some of them left their seat altogether! It feels so wonderful to perform again!"
Trixie turned and meet Pinkie's bright eyes which were only outshined by her enormous smile. "Thank you so much, Pinkie Pie. For the first time in a long time, it feels like my life has meaning again."
Both ponies grinned at each other, lost in the euphoria of the moment. They drifted further across the night sky, high up in the air where nothing but the wind could be heard. They moved their mouths closer together, slowly eliminating the gap between them. Abruptly, Pinkie’s eyes fluttered, her ears flapped, and she let out a cute sneeze.
“Gesundheit,” Trixie said with a giggle.
Pinkie blushed but didn’t say a word.
"I just realized something," Trixie blurted out. Pinkie gave her a quizzical look.
"How are we supposed to get down?"
Pinkie blinked for a moment. "Oh. That’s… a really good question."
Trixie looked around and then below them as a sly grin spread across her face.
"What are you thinking?" Pinkie asked, eyeing the unicorn warily.
Trixie pulled out her magic wand and with a quick toss, sent it hurtling into the balloon.
Applejack, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom walked down the road towards their farm under the soft moonlight.
"Land's sakes! I ain't never seen a magic show like that! Those two were dynamite, right, Big Mac?"
As usual, the stallion didn't even bother to look at Applejack."Eeyup."
"Them ponies in the crowd sure looked angry until Pinkie Pie appeared. I was afraid she was hurt or something," Apple Bloom said.
Applejack nodded. "Trixie sure knows how to play a crowd. At least this time there was a lot less bragging, and a lot more magic."
A loud pop echoed through the night air.
"What in tarnation was that?" Applejack asked as she looked around for the source of the noise.
"Applejack! Up there!"
The cowpony looked up and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Beyond the tree line she saw a pink pony and a blue pony falling to earth. "Oh no! It's Pinkie and Trixie! They're falling from the sky! C'mon ya'll!"
The three ponies galloped hard through the trees, running to the last place they saw the two ponies falling. Another noise echoed through the night. Applejack gasped. "Oh my! I think they hit the ground! I sure hope they're okay!"
They raced through the trees as another sound started getting louder and louder.
"Ya'll, am I goin crazy, or do I hear laughing?" Applejack asked, a look of befuddlement growing on her face.
"Sure sounds like it to me," Apple Bloom agreed.
They slowed down as they approached the last few trees. Suddenly, Applejack held out her hoof, holding back her siblings. She breathed a sigh of relief and let out a relieved laugh.
In the river, Pinkie and Trixie were swimming and splashing each other. Shredded remnants of the pink balloon which they had escaped on fell around them as they laughed and soaked each other.
"I think they're just fine." Applejack smiled, sharing a laugh with her brother and sister.
Sugarcube Corner's door slammed open. In walked Trixie and Pinkie, still sopping wet from their nighttime swim
"We totally got a standing ovation! They loved it!" Pinkie squealed in glee.
"It's been so long since I've been on a stage, I'd forgotten how it feels. It was strange ending a show and having nothing but cheering at the end..." Trixie trailed off as she noticed Mrs. Cake staring at her with an unreadable expression.
"Did... Trixie do something wrong?" the unicorn asked reluctantly.
"Pinkie dear, I'd like to speak with Trixie alone, please."
The pink pony's jubilant cheering faltered. Her ears fell and she nodded slowly and turned to Trixie. “I'll be in my room.."
Trixie watched as the pony walked upstairs nervously. Mrs. Cake finally cleared her throat.
"I want you to know that I haven't forgotten the nasty things you did last time you were here. All this time I've been wondering why my husband and Pinkie thought it would be a good idea to welcome you in our home. I racked my brain trying to understand what got into those two.”
Trixie's heart fell. She had figured this was coming for awhile now, but the way Mrs. Cake opened up to her the night before gave her hope it wouldn’t.
"I, I mean, Trixie understands. She will wait until Pinkie Pie is asleep and leave in the cover of night."
Mrs. Cake looked taken aback. "Wha-What?"
"Trixie knows you don't wish for her to linger around anymore. If she left during the day, there would be arguments and lots of unpleasantness. This way, Trixie will simply vanish.”
The motherly pony's face fell into disbelief. "No, that's not what I meant at all..."
The elder mare left from behind the counter and placed her hooves around Trixie, causing the unicorn to flinch.
"I'm trying to say... I was wrong about you. You aren't a bad mare at all. You just haven't had enough love, have you?"
Trixie gasped, at first afraid to do anything but let the mare hug her. It wasn't long, however, that she finally melted into Mrs. Cakes embrace. Tears started in her eyes, unbidden, but far from unwelcome. Memories of her foalhood came flooding back to her, from before her parent's windfall causing them to reach nobility status.
It was years ago in a little cottage on the lower end of Canterlot. The district where the commoners lived. Trixie had just burst through the door, so excited to see her mother again.
"Who is momma's special filly?"
"Twixie is! Twixie, Twixie, Twixie!"
Trixie had just completed her first day of magic kindergarten and was so excited she couldn't help but jump and leap for joy around her mother’s hooves. Her mother scooped her up in a tender embrace.
"You're going to be star one day. Momma knows it."
The little filly threw her hooves around her mother's shoulders, hugging her as tight as she could with her tiny hooves.
"You'll see, momma, Twixie will be a star!"
Trixie sobbed in Mrs. Cake's embrace. Entire continents of pain made themselves known to her in the blink of an eye. For so long, this simple maternal gesture, denied her by two parents more concerned with status than love, quenched a thirst she had just become aware of.
"You poor thing. This is what you've needed for so long, isn't it?"
Trixie chose not to respond, she couldn't respond, not through the tears in her eyes, and the sobs choking out her words. When the sobbing finally relented, Mrs. Cake finally eased the unicorn away and looked at her tear-stained face.
"You haven't been loved for so long. I promise you this, Ponyville is a place with plenty of love to give, if you let it."
Trixie wiped her eyes with her hooves. "I don't deserve it..."
Mrs. Cake gave her another quick hug and patted her gently. "Hush now. Of course you do. It may not seem like it, but you're on the right path. Go on now, don't leave Pinkie waiting."
Trixie slowly got up and walked up the stairs. For the first time in many years, she felt an enormous weight lifted off her heart. Her hooves moved quicker, and she just felt light in general, as if she were instead made of fluffy clouds. She opened the door to Pinkie's room and trotted in.
Pinkie Pie sat on a chair nervously twiddling her hooves. “Is she mad at you? You were crying! What happened?”
“Don’t worry, Pinkie. Everything is alright."
"But, you've been crying..."
"Mrs. Cake... gave me something I've needed for a long time now. These are good tears, Pinkie Pie."
Pinkie lowered her head in confusion. "Oh. Everything is gonna be okay though, right?"
Trixie smiled as the night's events replayed in her head. "Yes, Pinkie. Everything is going to be fine. Now go get your shower, The Great and Powerful Trixie requires a shower too!”