//------------------------------//
// It Isn't Dance It's Choreography 
// Story: Cheese 'n Crackers 
// by Shotoman 
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Something... just wasn't right. 

Oh, the house was great -- located in a gated community in one of the nice suburbs of the city, two stories, lots of room in the main living area, permission to move the furniture as needed as long as it was returned to its proper place when all was said and done, and a back yard that would normally be perfect for some of the more involved stuff (like magic shows). But still... there was an itch halfway down Cheese Sandwich's hind leg that told him this wasn't quite what was needed for this particular party.

"Is something the matter?" Trixie asked.

Cheese blinked in surprise. Had he checked out, there? Given the looks that both Trixie and City Slicker, the client, were shooting him, he must have. "Sorry sorry. I dunno. I've made five star Cutesinera parties with much less, but..."

"Shall I guess?" Trixie asked with a smirk. "Your 'sense' is going off."

Cheese Sandwich blinked in surprise. Was she actually taking his Cheesy Sense seriously? "Well, uh, yeah."

"Well, then, I suppose we'll have to do something about that won't we? What seems to be the issue?"

Cheese's smile widened a little even as City Slicker cast the other two a confused look. "What are you two talking about?" the confused pony asked.

Trixie shrugged with a small smirk on her face. "There is something -- and please do not take offense -- but something is lacking with your currently planned setup." She turned to Cheese. "Isn't there?"

"Yeah. Definitely," he responded. "I mean, like I said, the place is actually really good. Between the yard and living room, there's lots of options, but for optimal fun..." Here he stopped, trying to take in all the sensations his Cheesy Sense was shooting him. "I think we need something more... open. Uninterrupted. Something where, just as an example, my partner here can do her thing and everypony'd have a chance at seeing it, no matter where they were."

Ignoring the slight heat she felt on her cheeks (and rather hoping it didn't result in any visible blush) Trixie nodded. "At the risk of sounding conceited," (she also chose to ignore the soft snort of a chuckle she heard from her partner. Even she found it difficult not to react to the irony of that statement) "I must agree. If you have your heart set on having your party here, we can, of course, make do and still give your daughter and guests a wonderful time, but the Cutesinera isn't just another birthday. It's one of those once-in-a-lifetime sort of memories that deserves that extra bit of effort." 

City Slicker nodded, but his expression wasn't exactly pleased. "Sounds like you guys're thinking you need a park or something, right?"

Trixie actually could see the vibration course through Cheese's body. "Yeah. Ooooh boy, yeah. That sounds perfectly perfect."

"Would that be a problem?" Trixie asked, noticing the reluctance on Slicker's face. "This does seem the sort of neighborhood that would have one."

"Oh, we've got one, sure," Slicker said. "But to have big events like a party there, we gotta clear it by the HoA manager. And she's notoriously... and I'm going to use polite language here... difficult to work with."

Trixie felt a grin form on her face. This was familiar territory. She could deal with this. "Am I correct in assuming that in the event of getting this permission, you'd prefer the party there as well?"

"Oh, absolutely. But I think she hates me. I actually kinda think she hates everypony, but she seems to particularly dislike me. We knew each other in high school, and she wasn't particularly pleasant then, either."

"We should check the park out, first," Cheese said, though his grin silently said that it was already perfect even though he hadn't seen it yet. "Make sure it actually does fill out needs. After that..."

"After that," Trixie interrupted, "you can leave the manager to me."


~FiM~


The park was, in fact, perfect. Large and open, with a swing set and slide-fortress-mini-climbing-wall thing located out of the way enough to allow party goers to use it without getting in the way of any of the festivities. Several sturdy wooden picnic benches arranged just right for the cake and presents, with plenty of room for more if needed. And, it should be repeated, lots of space for lots of events. Trixie staked a claim for herself and her wagon/stage right away.

"This place is great!" Cheese enthused. "Why didn't you show us this right away?"

City Slicker was looking even more confused than previously. "I... did mention the mare whose permission I'd need hates me, didn't I?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"Some things just go in one ear and out the other, don't they?" Trixie said with a knowing smirk.

Cheese shrugged. "Sometimes, yeah. Bad habit of mine."

"I noticed." Trixie turned to the client, suddenly all business. "Don't worry, Mr. Slicker. Obtaining licenses and permissions is one of the many talents of the Great and Powerful Trixie." She smirked and gave him a reassuring wink. "Give me a few minutes to make myself presentable for such a thing, and we'll get this taken care of."


~FiM~


It was a very different Trixie Lulamoon that exited her cart ten minutes later. She had her mane done up in a slight updo, mostly a bun, but loosened just enough to remain professional but not stuffy. She had on a very well tailored business suit, of the same color as her performance cape -- minus the stars-- and she had applied a subtle dusting of makeup, just to make sure whoever she spoke to recognized that she did take first impressions very seriously.

Deep down, she had to admit she felt quite accomplished when she saw Cheese Sandwich's eyes widen, his jaw drop, and the rest of him just stop as he stood. Still. Silent.

She rolled her eyes. "Now if I had only known this would be all it would have taken to shut him up..." City Slicker chuckled at that. "Well, come along, Mr. Slicker. The sooner we get approved, the sooner we can set up." Here she lightly bonked Cheese upside the head a time or two to reboot the poor stallion. When he focused on her properly, she said. "This is important. We haven't gotten permission yet, so don't set anything up."

"Yes'm" he said with a salute, as Trixie rolled her eyes at his shenanigans again, and she and City Slicker left to talk to an apparently crabby HoA director.


~FiM~


"I thought I told you not to set anything up!" Trixie said in exasperation when she returned an hour later. Cheese Sandwich was right where she had left him, but was now practically nestled in a large pile of... yellow and orange... spheres? What were these things?

Cheese just grinned his big toothy grin at her. Trixie's hair was a touch messier than before, with one particular lock fallen over her face in that way that just gets right in the most annoying spot and never lets go, and there was some slight bagginess to her eyes, but even with her current exasperated expression, he could still see that look of triumph in her eyes.

"What, this? This is pre-prep at best. Nothing's actually properly placed yet, and I can clear this stuff out in about five minutes, tops."

She knew she shouldn't ask. She really did. But she could not help herself. "What even are these?"

"Party Bombs!"

"Party... Bombs?"

Cheese nodded with much enthusiasm. "Yeah. A Party Cannon's great when you have to set up an emergency shindig, but for pre-planned stuff, nothing beats Party Bombs. They take a fair bit more setup, but are a lot more precise. We good to go?"

Trixie shook her head to clear the sudden confusion. "Yes, absolutely. Mr. Slicker wasn't kidding about her hating everypony, but The Great and Powerful Trixie is nothing if not persuasive."

"Great! Now if you could help me for just a minute I need..." here he turned to his pile of Bombs. "That one, that one, that one, and that one. Oh, and the fuse spool, natch."

Trixie levitated the requested items and followed Cheese to the center of the park, where he began placing them. It seemed that he did need them precisely placed, too, as he would put one down, then look at it for a moment before moving it a quarter of an inch or less in one direction or other.

Trixie took the opportunity to tease, just a little. "So. You never told me you had a type."

Cheese looked back at her in confusion. "Huh?"

"Your reaction when I came out of the trailer wasn't very subtle."

Cheese laughed good-naturedly at that. "Oh, yeah. I guess I owe you an apology. I'm a bit slow on the uptake with these things, should've noticed back in the grove the other day. But when you came outta that trailer all dolled up and professional looking, it kinda bucked me in the head." Then he grinned and went back to work.

Trixie found herself very confused. "Well? What was it?"

Cheese looked back at her, a confused look on his own face, like what he was about to say was the most obvious thing in Equestria. "Oh, well. You're a really pretty unicorn is all."

...

An error in GPTrixie.exe has caused the program to stop working. Rebooting...

Her face was so hot that the small portion of her brain that wasn't screaming silently and wordlessly was surprised steam wasn't coming out of her ears like a tea kettle. And the idiot had gone back to his work like he didn't just drop a metaphorical bombshell on her. Why would he say that? She'd been complimented before, sure, but nothing like that. It was either suitors or ponies looking for something from her. Here, he just said it as if it were fact. An obvious one. She'd never dealt with a compliment so... guileless... so...

Sincere.

"Nope!" She said as soon as she could say anything and vanished with a POP and the smell of ozone. She appeared inside her trailer, grabbed her pillow from her cot, and screamed into it for about a quarter of an hour straight.

For his part, Cheese cast a confused glance at the chicken on his back as he attached the fuse to the detonator (old school box-and-plunger setup, of course). "My new partner is weird." Then he plunged the switch and with a SQUEE and a pink burst of glitter and confetti, a perfect birthday centerpiece table, with a 4 layer cake appeared, exactly where he wanted it.