It took the ponies two whole days to clean up the mess, dismantle the stage and return the great hall of the School of Friendship to its former state. Looking at it now, Trixie could hardly believe the room had been converted at all. The transition back was so seamless, it looked as if the theatre was never built in the first place.
She was standing in the middle of the hall now, wearing her guidance counsellor’s coat once again. She never noticed before, but it felt somewhat constricting, especially compared to the freedom of movement her cape provided. She had returned the cape and any props that were salvageable back to the chest in her office. Her old trusty wagon could not be saved and had to be dismantled so it could be extracted from the school building. Trixie kept a couple pieces of the panelling that used to make up the wagon. She couldn’t bring herself to part with everything.
A bell rang and students began bustling past her on their way to class. A few of them greeted her with a friendly “good afternoon Miss Trixie” and a warm smile. So far, nopony had brought up her disastrous show, at least not within her earshot. Trixie wasn’t sure if it was because too few of them had seen it or if it was because they figured it was an event best left forgotten. Trixie figured they were probably onto something if the latter was true.
Trixie headed toward her office, down the same corridor, passing by the same doors she walked by for years. Maybe leaving the past in the past was all for the best. She could only keep moving forward after all. She tried to see that as a realistic outlook if not positive, but she couldn’t help but feel melancholy that she was closing the book on the better part of her life.
Her office was unchanged. The furniture was still there, the desk, the fish, and the clock ticking away. Trixie stared at the clock, letting a few of those ticks go by, before using her magic to take it off the wall and switching it off. She didn’t want to be reminded about the passage of time right now, so Trixie leaned the now silent clock against the side of her desk. She took her seat and let her head fall forward until it landed on the desk with a thud.
It was safe to say that she still had not recovered from the exertions of the magic show. Maybe this was just what getting old meant - being tired all the time. Maybe this was just going to get worse and worse as the years kept flying by. It wasn’t a thought she liked to hold onto, but she didn’t feel much like playing music or reading to distract herself. Letting this negativity swirl around her head like a stew of cynicism was all she felt like doing for a while.
Maybe she’d become a crotchety old mare like Granny Smith. She’d get a cat or three to keep her company after she retired. At this point that was the best she could hope for herself. At least it would be a little fun for a while.
Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when somepony knocked at her office door. Trixie did her best to lift her heavy head off the desk and look alert and ready to guide.
“Come in,” she said hoarsely.
The door opened and a familiar face poked in. It was Scarlet Flair, the pony who had previously visited her with anxiety about her future. “Is this a bad time?” she asked.
“No no, of course not, Scarlet. Please come in.”
“Thank you. I actually wanted to stop by to return this to you.” As the beige pony came through the door, she revealed she was carrying a hat. Trixie’s hat.
It was the hat that was a part of her magician’s outfit. The hat that had gotten blown into the audience during the escape act that went haywire with the faulty pendulum. In Trixie’s embarrassment and desire to clear away the mess as quickly as possible, she had completely forgotten about recovering the hat.
“It landed right in my lap when it flew offstage.”
“You came to see the show?” asked the guidance counsellor.
“Of course, I did!” Scarlet said with a friendly smile. “It was … something else. Heh…”
“I guess that’s one way to put it,” Trixie sighed, taking her hat from Scarlet.
“I mean it did get a little weird and … chaotic at the end, but otherwise it was really cool,” said Scarlet, trying hard not to sound awkward.
“Look, Scarlet,” said Trixie. “I appreciate you finding my hat and coming to the show, but it wasn’t a good night for me for a lot of reasons that I’d rather not get into.”
“I’m serious, Miss Trixie,” said an increasingly animated Scarlet. “I never knew magic could be so exciting. You were so fun and funny, and you seemed so … I don’t know, strong.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was like you were standing taller. You owned that stage. I thought it was really inspiring.”
Trixie perked up at the praise. Unlike Star Search, who had found praise in her greatest embarrassments, Scarlet seemed genuinely enthralled. She thought for sure everypony was going to hate her for ruining her own show. “What about when the pendulum broke and all the fireworks shot into the audience?” Trixie asked.
“Okay well that is where you lost me a bit. But before that when you were just focusing on the tricks and not messing with cannons and buzzsaws, that’s when you really came alive. You looked so happy.”
Trixie smiled warmly. “Thank you, Scarlet. That means a lot to me. Seriously.”
“Any time,” she replied. She turned to leave, seeming awkward for speaking in this candor to somepony who was still an authority figure at the school, but she stopped herself and faced Trixie again. “Oh! I almost forgot! I sent my parents a letter about wanting to be a fashion designer.”
“Oh? And what did they say?”
“They seemed hesitant at first, but they told me they would support me if that’s what I want to do!”
This news lifted Trixie’s spirits higher. “That’s fantastic!” she said. “What about your family’s antique shop?”
“They said it would always be there for me if I needed something to fall back on. In fact, it still seems like something they’d prefer I do with my life, but they aren’t going to stand in the way of my dream.”
Scarlet was glowing with excitement at her news; she was literally hopping in place with gleeful abandon. “I’m proud of you Scarlet. That took a lot of courage to be honest with your parents like that,” said Trixie.
“I feel like a big weight’s been lifted off me. Like I can start being myself and figure out who I’m going to be in the future. I never would have been able to do that without you Miss Trixie.” Scarlet came around to Trixie’s side of the desk and hugged her, catching Trixie off guard and nearly knocking her out of her chair. Scarlet pulled back suddenly. “Oh sorry, was that okay?” she asked. “I’m just really happy.”
Trixie straightened her chair and unruffled her coat. “Of course. I’m happy for you, Scarlet. I hope things work out.”
“Me too, Miss Trixie. Thank you!”
As she headed for the door, Trixie reminded her, “Remember, you’re free to stop by whenever you want. No appointment needed! Even if you just want to chat for a while.”
“I will Miss Trixie. And thanks again.”
With that, Scarlet closed the door behind her, leaving Trixie alone in her office again, although this time Trixie didn’t feel so alone anymore. Her attention turned to her hat, sitting on top of the desk. It was a little torn and some of the patches that made up the different stars had come loose, but it was holding together admirably considering what it had been through. She picked it up with her hooves so she could properly feel the tough fabric. She smoothed it out a bit and smiled.
“We’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?” she asked aloud.
Standing, Trixie walked to the chest and opened it, contemplating the items inside. They all had stories to tell. They had all been on her adventures with her. They indeed were a part of her life’s experience. She considered the hat for a moment, looking between it and the rest of the items in the box. Rather than place it with the others, she closed the chest.
Moving instead to the shelf against the opposite wall, Trixie cleared some room on the top shelf, using her magic to move some scrolls and books out of the way; that would be the perfect spot. Using her magic now to lift it to its new spot, she placed the hat on the shelf, adjusting it so that it would look properly displayed with pride.
While she was making these adjustments, there was another knock at the door. “Come in!” Trixie called.
The door slowly crept open, and in peered Starlight Glimmer this time. “Hey, is this a good time?”
“As good as any,” said Trixie, not making eye contact.
Starlight tentatively entered. She wasn’t sure how much, if at all, Trixie had recovered from her show and she didn’t want to invade her space if she needed more time to herself. “Redecorating?” she asked.
“Just moving some important things around.”
“Cool … cool…” Starlight rocked back and forth on her hooves, trying to find the right words. “Trixie … I know that magic is still important to you. I just didn’t realize how important until … recently. If you want to refocus your efforts on jumping back into the game, I’ll be the first one to support you. Now … I can’t say I will be your assistant, but if you need some time to get a plan together, I can help-”
Starlight was cut-off as Trixie pulled her into a tight hug. She was caught off guard but instinctively wrapped her front hooves around Trixie’s shoulders in return. Starlight didn’t notice at first but as she settled into the hug, she felt moisture on Trixie’s face. When the two broke away, she saw Trixie’s face, wet with tears.
“What’s wrong?” asked Starlight.
“I’m sorry for everything,” Trixie said. “I put everyone in danger because I had to have everything go my way. I couldn’t make compromises. I couldn’t stop controlling everything. I almost lost you, Starlight. And I’m so so sorry. Please forgive me.”
Starlight started to get emotional too, and this time, it was her turn to pull Trixie into a hug. “Of course I forgive you, Trixie. You’re my best friend in all Equestria. I don’t want to lose that.”
“I don’t want to lose it either. Never ever.”
The two remained in each other’s embrace for a second, savouring the moment as their friendship was rekindled. When they separated again, Starlight wanted to get right to the point.
“But what comes next, Trixie? If you aren’t happy here, where are you going to go?”
“I think my instincts were already right. I chose this path for a reason. You make me happy, Starlight. I’m surrounded every day by love and care, even if I don’t always see it. Being here gives me everything I ever wanted. I just didn’t realize it fast enough.”
“But what about your dream?”
Trixie let out a sigh. “Maybe that’s all it was ever meant to be. Magic was obviously, and still is, such a big part of my life. It’s just not all my life is going to be. I can still use it in small ways: to entertain my friends and the students and to talk about the journeys it took me on. The fact that I stuck with it for so long made me so happy, but it also made me selfish and vain. I’m proud of how far it took me, but I don’t think I want to be that kind of pony anymore.”
She took a moment to look around her office, at the books and items she gathered or inherited since this latter part of her journey began. “When I’m here,” she continued, “I get to make a real difference in everypony’s lives. I can leave an impact that matters. I get to really help ponies. Maybe some of them will even get to follow their dreams because of me.” Trixie made eye contact with Starlight, feeling a great warmth in her heart. “Not everypony gets to follow their dream. And that’s okay. Because I don’t need my dreams to come true in order to be happy and make and my mark in the world. I get to do that right here, with you.”
Starlight smiled. She had never heard such wisdom or maturity come from Trixie before. She looked at her best friend, the guidance counsellor, with admiration at all the personal growth she had accomplished. With all their ups and downs together, Starlight wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“Are you sure, Trixie? Because you can always-”
Trixie held up a hoof. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
Starlight only nodded, letting Trixie have the final word on the matter.
“Well, I don’t know about you,” Starlight finally said. “But an emotional heart-to-heart always makes me hungry. How about going out for some hayburgers?”
“I’d love to,” agreed Trixie. “Though I was thinking about playing a round of cards first.” She opened a desk drawer and revealed a deck of playing cards. “What do you say? You game?”
“Absolutely!”
“Great! Then you won’t mind shuffling.” Trixie passed the cards to Starlight with a wink and the two mares sat together on the office couch. Starlight used her magic to shuffle and cut the cards, much to Trixie’s bemusement.
“You’re not going to use your hooves? How boring,” Trixie said sarcastically.
Starlight side-eyed her friend. “We can’t all be showponies like you, Trixie.” She then transferred the deck to her hooves and finished shuffling. When suddenly, Starlight flipped one of the cards, sending it spinning over her head, and catching it in her opposite hoof. She didn’t even use magic to do this, much like when Trixie did the exact same thing during her show. Starlight looked to Trixie with a cocked eyebrow and a boastful smirk.
Trixie was legitimately impressed as her mouth spread to a wide, excited grin. “Have you been practicing slight-of-hand, Starlight?!”
“I guess you just rubbed off on me a little after all these years,” Starlight shrugged nonchalantly.
Trixie relaxed into the sofa, putting both front hooves behind her head. “You know, you could use a little more panache in your technique. If you ever want me to give you some pointers, I’d be happy to give a few lessons. It’ll cost you, of course. Master classes don’t come cheap.”
Trixie rose an eyebrow as Starlight smiled at her friend. She passed the deck to Trixie. “Shut up and deal.”