After what felt like hours, but was more like forty-five minutes, the party was finally over. Surprise walked out of Sugarcube Corner, still with a spring in her step, and she felt a little relieved. Meanwhile, Starlight and Trixie had a much harder time getting out of there. Trixie might have even been a little sick.
“I might have had five too many slices of cake...” she groaned.
“Only five? I know I went way past that,” Starlight noted. “At least she’s happy about it, though.”
Sure enough, Surprise almost seemed invigorated by the cake she had, and she even carried one to go. Before she went too far, she heard somepony over her shoulder. “Don’t forget to come back next time your belly’s rumbling for some treats!” Pinkie said to her. “The door’s always open for you.”
“Gee, thank you!” Surprise smiled. “It is nice to meet friendly ponies.” She tucked the cake away into a plastic container and tied it to her back, waving Pinkie farewell as she went back inside the store. “Oh, wait a second! Aren’t we supposed to do something?” Surprise pulled out a list, and she looked over it. “I knew I forgot something. We have a show.”
Trixie blinked her eyes. “And this is why you’re Trixie’s assistant. It completely slipped my mind. Can you believe that? Something slipped my mind?” She snorted from the thought.
“I can believe it,” Starlight whispered. Still, she kept up her appearances. “So where are we having it? At the park? Sweet Apple Acres?”
The thought left Surprise perplexed. “What do you mean?”
And then she saw Trixie facehoof herself. “Drat, I forgot something again! I forgot to tell you, tonight is a special performance, one unlike anything Ponyville hasn’t seen. For there won’t be just one magnificent magician at play today, but two!”
Knowing Surprise wasn’t going to take it well, Starlight weakly waved a front hoof to the pegasus. Surprise could almost literally feel the wind get knocked out of her sails. “You, Starlight? But, am I still part of the show? As your assistant?”
“Of course you are,” Trixie replied, patting Surprise on the mane. “A show this brilliant needs a helping hoof, after all. I know, Starlight’s helping out. But don’t worry, there is still time for a rehearsal and all that stuff you’re supposed to do. What do you say?”
Surprise turned to Starlight, and the unicorn still had a nervous smile going on. Please don’t be upset, Surprise. She just called you a helping hoof. That’s a compliment, right?
Even after seeing that it was a compliment, Surprise felt a little agitated and anxious. The thighs on her hindlegs felt tense, to the point where she swore she was about to have a cramp. Still, Trixie was waiting for an answer.
If I do really good tonight, that will convince Trixie to keep me around? Why did I say that? She wants to keep me around! Keep it together, Surprise!
“O-Of course! Where are we practicing?”
A mischievous, yet warming grin spread across Trixie’s face. “Don’t worry. Between the three of us, even the Princess will be jealous of our work. When we hold our show tonight, nopony will question our greatness.”
*****
Celestia’s sun finally set, and Luna’s moon took its place in the nighttime sky. After a while, a stage was pitched up right in the town square of Ponyville(after some convincing and perhaps a little bribing). Everypony recognized the stage as belonging to Trixie, but given her reformation and the presence of two newer ponies on the posters to the show, they were curious.
In fact, Surprise was blown away by the size of the crowd. She peeked her head from the curtain, and her jaw dropped. “We might have a thousand ponies out there!” she pointed out.
“Word spreads fast when you’re magnificent, no?” Trixie snorted. She used her magic to tie her cape around her neck, and Starlight adjusted it as well. “Go ahead and move into position for the first stunt. We’re beginning with the cannonball stunt.”
“Already?” Surprise balked. “Don’t you usually save that for the finale?”
“Mostly, but I feel like a brand new mare tonight. After all, this will be our first three pony show. Therefore, we must make a grand entrance, wouldn’t you say?”
Starlight gave Surprise a warm nod, and it was enough to convince the pegasus. “I can do that. Just show me where the cannon is.”
“Right this way, my trusty assistant.” Trixie used a cloaking spell to change the colors of her robe to pure black, and her fur a darker shade of blue, so nopony would recognize her as she went through the crowd.
Before Surprise could follow suit, Starlight pulled her to the side. “Look, I know you’re having a hard time with me around. I get it. It’s obvious you’re really close to Trixie, and she means a lot to you.”
“Hard time? With you around?” As much as it was true, Surprise thought it sounded horrible in her mind. “Why? You’ve been nice to me, and I should probably make new friends, too. Just like Pinkie said.”
“I understand that. I just don’t want to get in the way between you and Trixie. If you’re worried about that, just talk to her about it. She will listen, trust me.”
It didn’t completely settle Surprise’s nerves down, but there was a small weight off her chest, too. “Thanks, Starlight. That’s probably what I needed to hear.”
“Surprise? Surrrrprrrrrise? Where are you?” Trixie called out from the edge of the stage. “Are you there?”
“Oh yeah. I probably need to go out there with her. Thanks for the help!” Surprise went on her way out of the stage, joining Trixie out there.
“No problem. Go break a leg!” Then Starlight was facehoofing herself. “Not literally! Why did that even become a saying...”
Surprise giggled from the thought, but she was quick to follow Trixie out there. “There you are,” Trixie replied. “Now then, where were we...”
Still blown away from the massive size of the crowd, Surprise followed the cloaked unicorn along the sides of the street. Every now and then, she heard the ponies waiting on the show, excited and curious what laid in store for them. “I wonder what’s the deal with that white pegasus... this is a magic show, isn’t it?”
She did her best not to let it get to her. It sure helped that Trixie seemed more comfortable with her around, and they went on their way. It would take some time, but Trixie led them back to the park. There, the only thing that would be waiting for them would be an old fashioned cannon, with a barrel big enough for one pony.
“Oooooh, I see what you’re doing now,” Surprise noted. “So I point the cannon so it’s aiming at the stage, and you land on it. And the reason Starlight’s still on the stage is so she can help catch you?”
“Why, yes,” Trixie gleamed. “Isn’t it a magnificent start to the show? Of course, that’s just the beginning. You do have a crucial part in this act, however. Be sure to get the angle just right.”
“Alright. I can do that.” Surprise hung around the backside of the cannon, and she noticed a box full of matches waiting for her. Seeing the massive fuse on the side, she understood her role perfectly.
Trixie would twitch and groan as she climbed up into the cannon. “Isn’t this big enough for a pillow? It’s so uncomfortable...” Still, she got past the muzzle and landed on the base of the cannon. “Alright, Surprise, you know what to do.”
“Aye aye, Captain!” Eager to prove herself, Surprise grabbed a match, mostly with her mane, and lit it up. There was a small sense of glee to her senses as she lit the fuse, and it started its countdown to the cannon. “It’s all lit up!”
With that in mind, Trixie braced herself for the big entrance, and she took a deep breath. The whole time, Surprise grabbed the sides of the cannon and tilted it up. She had to get the angle just right, after all. Thank Celestia and Luna, she could see the stage from there.
However, something started to happen when she got to work. The whole time, her mind was filled with anxious thoughts. What if I mess this up? Will Trixie still want to work with me? I can do this, right? What if I’m off by a single degree? No no, please don’t do this to yourself. She trusts you for a reason.
Trixie either had no idea what was going on or completely trusted Surprise, as her eyes remained closed. From the distance, she could hear the crowd erupt as Starlight came onto the stage.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, let me introduce to you, the greatest magician you will ever see, the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Starlight began, pointing up in the direction of the cannon.
Something about that unnerved Surprise, and she almost screamed when her hooves slipped. The cannon went a few degrees higher in the air than it was supposed to, right when it went off. “NOOOOO!”
Trixie couldn’t hear it at all. The roar of the cannon filled her ears, and she flew up into the air. Her front hooves extended out as her cape flapped in the air. The crowd was marveled; it looked like the unicorn was flying with the ease of a pegasus.
The whole time, Surprise was screaming on the inside. She took off after Trixie, determined to catch the unicorn. With the angle she left Trixie with, there was no way she was going to make the stage.
Starlight had no idea about it at first, and she cast a spell near and around Trixie. Soon enough, Trixie’s body was leaving behind a fire trail, just like the spell they learned. That left the crowd applauding from the sight, but it was the worst case scenario for Surprise. “No, no, no, I can’t chase after her without catching fire...”
Seeing Trixie’s body dip, threatening to crash into the crowd, was even worse. Even with the spell, Surprise panicked and chased after her anyway, determined to save her. It was the right thing to do.
However, Starlight spotted Surprise chasing after Trixie. “I wonder why she’s doing that?” Then she saw Trixie threaten to crash, and she understood it perfectly. “Oh no...” Right away, she cast another spell at the blue unicorn, trying to catch her with a levitation spell. It worked: She had a good grip on Trixie in no time, and she guided her friend to the stage.
The moment Surprise caught it as well, she felt massively relieved. Trixie glided up into the air again, only to be guided down to the stage like this was the plan all along. The whole time, Trixie had no idea about all of it. In fact, she turned around and posed for the crowd to a parade of fireworks at her back. With her infectious grin, it was obvious she had no clue what just happened.
Still, Surprise was nearly about to pass out from the massive anxiety she just put herself through. She flew over to the sides of the crowd like she was always there, and she did her best to join backstage for the rest of the other acts. Starlight would glance over her shoulder to see if Surprise was okay, right when Trixie introduced herself.
“Citizens of Ponyville, the Great and Powerful Trixie has graced your town with her presence again! As you can already see, things have changed. Not only does she have a new magician joining her today, Starlight Glimmer...” There was a spotlight set right on Starlight, and she nervously waved to the crowd. “She also has her trusty new assistant with her, Surprise!”
Another spotlight went over to shine on Surprise. She was still coming down from her panic attack, but hearing all the audience applaud her and Starlight was a welcome touch. Just like Starlight did before her, she waved nervously to their patrons. This wasn’t about her and it shouldn’t be, but this was nice.
“And now, on with the show!” Trixie proclaimed. With what just happened, Surprise almost forgot that the cannonball act was just the entrance. This was going to be a long show. Hopefully, in all the good ways.
Surprise immediately got into position for the next part of the show. She wheeled out the boxes for the classic cut-a-pony-in-half act, and she opened the set for Trixie to jump into. “Behold, as Trixie is cut in half!” The unicorn plopped right into the set, used her own magic to close it off, and waited for the pegasus to do her part.
The whole time, Starlight kept a close eye on Surprise as she brought out the saw. Surprise was more than eager to make up for the mistake earlier, and she got to work. She cut through the cube along Trixie’s waist, all while the magician closed her eyes and pretended like this was just a normal day for her, being “cut in half”.
The act went as usual, but Starlight nearly panicked and halted Surprise’s saw before she could continue. Surprise wondered what was up with that until she actually looked. Had she come just a few inches lower, she would have cut Trixie for real. That was way too close. Keep it together, Surprise...
Still, Surprise was able to pull the blocks apart to make it look like Trixie was split down the middle. With the magic of illusion, Trixie’s hindlegs kicked around like they were still okay. “Ta da!” Surprise would put the blocks back together and help the completely fine Trixie out of the set, but inside, she was sweaty and maybe a little panicked.
While Trixie went up on stage to boast about how she was about to do it (without actually saying how; a magician would never give up that part of the show), Starlight came to Surprise’s aid. “You’re the one that stopped me with the saw?” Surprise asked.
“Yeah, it was me,” Starlight whispered. “Do you need a moment to sit back? I can explain it to Trixie after the show.”
“No, I can still do this. Just give me one more chance. I screw up anything else, then I’ll go backstage. I need to make it work…”
Then it really dawned on Starlight how much this meant to Surprise. “Alright. Then let’s make the best of this.”
With that settled, the two of them went back to work on Trixie’s show. To her credit, Surprise did much better after that point. She followed her cues and positions to a tee for every other act, be it a see saw daredevil act, pretending that Trixie transformed her into a fearsome tiger, all of those things. Starlight would pitch in as well, acting as if she was in a magic duel with Trixie. Trixie won, of course, but she gave Starlight some shine (sometimes literally) along the way.
The whole time, they had no idea that there was a telescope from the balcony on Twilight’s castle. It stayed fixed mostly on Surprise, occasionally acknowledging the other unicorns on stage with her. The pony on the other side sighed and rubbed at her forehead here and there.
“What should I do about you?” Sunset asked from the balcony. “You seem like you’re in a good spot, and you’re not like the other clones. But still, it’s better that she knows…”
“That I know what?” another voice asked.
Sunset jumped back and nearly dropped the telescope from the jolt. Using her magic, she steadied it up as she turned around, finding Twilight standing there with her. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just found a wonderful constellation in the sky. Ursa Major or something like that.”
“Ursa Major?” Twilight’s bookhorse side kicked in, and she pulled out a miniature telescope of her own to look for the bear in the sky. “So it is that time of the year... nice work, Sunset. I had no idea you were into constellations. Which one’s your favorite?”
“I have no idea.” Sunset gazed back at the show down in Ponyville, still trying her best to glimpse at the pegasus. “There’s a lot of things I’m learning about for the first time, apparently.” I’m going to sleep on this before I decide what I’m going to do about her.
As for the show itself, it went off without another hitch. The only other mistake Surprise made was forgetting to light a few fuses for the fireworks finale, and Starlight was willing to pick up the slack. For whatever it was worth, the crowd adored it and applauded the trio before they went behind the curtain for the final time that night.
“The pony that said that three’s a crowd is full of horsefeathers!” Trixie shouted. “If anything, having our first ever three-pony show was dynamic, wonderful, and with nothing lacking!” She finally took off the cape and hat for the time being. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
Surprise wasn’t sure how she did it, but she did a good job hiding how sweaty and clammy she was. “Y-Yeah! It was perfect. You were a great showpony, Starlight did a great job, too, and... I hope I was good, too.”
“I didn’t say what kind of job you did because it’s obvious.”
The pegasus blinked a few times. “What do you mean?”
“It’s obvious you were wonderful. Getting that cannon aligned just right, the fireworks, everything!”
Surprise winced, and Starlight felt awful for her, watching the whole thing. “Yeah...”
“Oh, you still haven’t been to the spa yet, have you?” Trixie realized. She dropped another bag of bits on Surprise’s back. “Go ask for the package I asked for. If it’s good enough for somepony as magnificent as me, it’s good enough for you.”
Surprise was about to open her mouth, but she nodded and went on her way. Before she could leave, however, Starlight gave her a quick hug. “You really were good tonight. We’ll see you back here, right?”
“Right.” The pegasus left the set, her head a little heavy, and she made sure the door was shut. She would go to the spa on her own, a little heavy hearted, but a little relieved that Trixie seemed to be happy about it.
However, things changed after she left. “What was wrong with her?” Trixie inquired Starlight. She checked out the window to ensure Surprise couldn’t hear them. “She never acted that way before.”
“So you did know?” Starlight pointed out. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“What? We all get stressed out. Why did you think I told her to go to the spa?” Trixie sat her haunches down on the floor and downed a bottle of water. “I just don’t get why she’s stressed. Anypony would be thrilled to be part of a three pony show.”
“I’m afraid it has something to do with me,” said Starlight. “From the sounds of it, she didn’t really have friends until she met you. I remember when I only had one friend in the world, and it was scary to think I could lose him.”
Trixie stopped, stared at Starlight, and snorted in laughter. “That’s rich! Like she has reasons to be afraid of THAT! It takes specific talents and charisma to be my friend, just like you. She won’t lose me.”
“Then maybe you should convince her of that.” Starlight would get started on tearing down the stage, bringing in parts here and there, and keeping the curtains tied around the set. She would occasionally check again, see if Surprise was there yet.
The thought left Trixie startled. She kept sipping away at her water, and she thought about it for herself. Surprise did seem more clingy ever since Starlight showed up, now that she thought about it. And she did go out of her way to rope the Great and Powerful Trixie into the party games...
“Starlight, I think you might be right.”