As Starlight and Trixie followed the mountain path toward Phillydelphia, Starlight’s excitement turned into pauses to yawn. She only slept for part of the night and the adrenaline rush that had occurred with her realization that she was late had kept her going in the morning. Midnight spell practice was catching up. But her tiredness didn’t get past Trixie. It bothered Trixie more than anything at the moment.
Worried and a little frustrated about her best friend, Trixie came to a sudden halt and pulled the side of the smooth yet unpaved road. With a disgruntled huff and a loud thud, she took off the collar and hitch and let it fall to the ground. The sudden noise startled Starlight awake. She blinked and looked wide eyes at the illusionist in confusion.
“Is everything ok, Trixie?” Starlight asked, wondering why they were stopping all of a sudden. She searched her best friend’s face for an answer.
Trixie, looking down at the ground, scrunched up her face in disgust and anger.
“No! It isn’t ok!” she finally exploded. Shocked by her own outburst she looked at a startled Starlight with her own expression of amazement. She was upset at Starlight but didn’t expect this reaction from herself. She sat down for a moment to clear her head.
“I’m sorry Starlight. I didn’t mean to yell at you like that. I’ve just been having a hard time since last night. I missed you and didn’t expect to be alone all night. It’s kind of a new feeling for me.” She looked away shyly.
Starlight felt a twinge of pain for her companion. She didn't mean to hurt her at all. Especially not like that.
"Oh, Trixie. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you feel that way!" With emotions pouring from her heart, Starlight hugged Trixie. Trixie, caught off-guard by the sudden physical show of affection, exclaimed, "Wah! It's ok Star! I'm ok now!" Starlight held on for a few seconds more, unbelieving she couldn't see before the pain she had caused.
When she pulled away from the ironically shy performer, she smiled and looked her in the eye, "You called me 'Star'!" Trixie opened her mouth slightly and raised an eyebrow and gave a silent 'Huh?'. Star continued, "The very first time I've ever gotten a nickname from a pony I cared about that didn't make me feel shy or insecure or like I'm a filly again." She rolled her eyes at memories of embarrassing moments her parents caused. All of the building and rapidly changing emotions began to spill from her bright lavender eyes.
"I want to do something for you Trixie. You have given me everything. You are my best friend. I am so sorry I didn't realize you were hurting much sooner than I did."
"Woah, Star! You're making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. I'm ok. Really. But if you still really want to make it up to me," Trixie put her arm around Star's shoulders," the Great and Powerful Trixie!...", she paused for effect and to make Star smile, "Could use a more regular assistant in her next line of shows! Besides, I'm a little rusty my transformation and teleport spells!" Then Trixie walked proudly away toward the hitch she threw down earlier.
Starlight took a step toward her and hesitated, unsure what 'assistant' meant this time. She had helped Trixie in the past but never for an extended period of time or officially on stage more than once. Somehow, this time felt different. Like it meant something more than before. In her heart, she knew Trixie would never lie to her; and after their talk just now, she knew she could count on Trixie to be open with her about how she felt. They were best friends after all. But she was missing something and she couldn't quite place it. With her eyebrows scrunched in confusion Star glanced at the ground.
Eyeing Trixie's unique hoofprint in the dust, she wondered why she noticed the difference so easily. Custom horseshoes weren't exactly uncommon. But Trixie's curved starburst patterned prints stood out to Star.
Deciding it was nothing to worry about, she perked up and trotted over to Trixie who was struggling with untangling some rope. Though Trixie's cart was relatively new, it was starting to show wear from travel. The collar and hitch had been repaired more than once and not very well. The wheels, which were well oiled, remained constantly covered in dust and rust from all types of weather.
In her frustration to untie the rope, Trixie had accidentally made the knot tighter. She hadn't been practicing basic object manipulation spells with Star lately and wished she had been. With a sigh, Star tapped Trixie on the shoulder and took hold or the knot with her magic. In the blink of a well-trained eye the knot was undone and the rope freed from the hitch. Heavy creases and a deeply frayed end marked the rope, betraying its age. It had seen better days.
As Trixie reassembled her collar an hitch more securely, Star let out another ginormous yawn. The emotionally heated talk had worn her out more.
Much less frustrated after the relieving talk, Trixie smiled slightly and looked at her newly appointed assistant.
"Before we begin discussing and practicing the new tour, I think you should get some sleep. I don't want to be accidentally teleported into the wrong inescapable box again." Trixie stuck her muzzle into the air and pranced forward a few steps in a proud manner. Then she turned her head back to look at Star's reaction, a wide, devious smile crossing her face.
Star smiled sleepily and walked toward the door of the wagon. She opened the door and climbed in just in time for Trixie to put the hitch back on.
Closing the door gently and quietly, Star snuck a peek at Trixie through the window facing the hitch. What was so interesting about her that she felt the need to spy on her innocently without Trixie knowing? The last Star saw of Trixie was her friend referencing the map and mumbling something to herself.
She was so exhausted and the dark wagon felt like a large blanket beckoning her to sleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she gave a larger than normal yawn and stretched her arms skyward. Suddenly the cart started moving and she fell backward. If she was startled, she didn't notice. The soft bed and warm blanket sapped the rest of her energy before she could climb inside.