"It's just over here Anon." Trixie says to you as she leads you both down the path at which she is staying.
A sign greets your eyes and upon reading it you see it says 'mobile home parking' written a bit crudely.
"Man I knew Canterlot was a tourists dream but wow." You say as you look at the many trailer's that line the area. "Where's yours at Trixie?"
"Uh, somewhere around here." She says to you, observing all the metal homes around her whilst trying to find her own.
"Oh welcome back Trixie! I'm glad you weren't gone too awful long!"
A grey mare with fashionable attire greets Trixie with a cheery attitude.
"Yes hi, it's nice seeing you again too." Trixie says.
"And who's this? A friend? I've never seen such a creature like you before but any guest is a welcomed guest I always say!" The grey mare eyes you up and down to try and get a gist of just 'what' you are.
"Oh I'm a human." You tell her. "I'm not quite sure there's a lot like me in Equestria but I won't bite." You say to the mare and give her a playful wink.
"Yes well I'm glad I was able to see you again but we really must be going." Trixie says impatiently.
"Oh there I go again! Talking my mane off!" The grey mare giggles. "Well don't let me stop you two now ya hear?" She continues with a friendly demeanor.
She waves a hoof as you two walk off. You and Trixie walk along until you come to her wagon that is stationed far off to the side.
"What a parking place Trixie. It's quite a walk just to get here." You say.
"Do you see how crowded this place is? I had to choose somewhere that wouldn't be overwhelmed with noise. Now are you going to keep complaining or can we go inside?" She says.
"Lead the way." You reply.
Trixie closes the door behind you and sets her saddle bag down. You look around the small house to where you patched the window up for her a couple months ago and see that the wooden boards are now gone.
"Oh I see you got the window replaced, nice."
"Yes well I still can't undermine your handy work that you did, just know that Trixie doesn't let that go unappreciated." She says while cleaning up her establishment. Her house isn't very messy as far as you can see, notes here and there, but it's nice and neat beyond that.
"Hey Trixie do you need any help?" You ask.
"No it's fine. I just wasn't expecting any visitors but I should get this place cleaned up pretty quick; just a little unorganized is all." She tells you as she picks up papers from her desk.
"What's all on those papers anyhow?"
"Nothing important."
"Can I see it?"
"No Anon, I'm putting them away, I told you they aren't important."
"If they aren't important then why can't I-"
"Anon please!" She says in an agitated tone. You figure egging her on about seeing whatever is on those notes is making her upset so you don't push it.
Trixie takes a deep breath and looks at you before speaking. "I'm not mad at you Anon." She says in a mellowed out tone. "I'm just stressed out is all."
"Trixie it's fine. That's what I'm here to help you with right? Now would be a perfect time to be more open, tell me what your so stressed out with and such."
"Well...." She hesitates. "It's just coming here honestly."
"To Canterlot?" You ask.
"Yes here, to Canterlot. I haven't told you this but... well this is where I grew up and lived my life as a young filly."
"What's so wrong about that? This seems like the perfect place for you to fit in with the crowd and I'm sure you've got a ton of friends here that would just love to see you again."
Trixie looks down and shuffles a hoof on the floor, she doesn't say anything for a moment.
"Trixie? You ok?"
"-You're right Anon." She looks back up with a sudden mood whiplash. "Trixie has a bunch of friends that would love to see her. I guess that's why I'm so stressed... being popular can be overwhelming sometimes, especially when you're as talented as I am." She finishes.
"And what talent do you have exactly Trixie? You keep going on about how 'great and stuff' you are but what do you do? The whole time I've known you that's really all you've been saying."
"That's not true! Trixie has shown her generosity as well to you has she not?"
"....For buying me food?"
"And letting you into her house! Geez you say it like you aren't grateful." She says with disappointment in her voice.
"I mean I can always pay you back."
"What would be the point of treating you out then?"
"Well I'm sure you treat a lot of your friends out to food too don't you?" You ask.
"Uhmm.... well of course. Trixie is just that humble and great, she'll help anyone in need!"
"That's another thing, why do you keep talking in third person? I'm literately five feet away from you. That has to be with the job that you do right?"
"Trixie does.... I mean.... alright fine you got me. Do you really care that much what I do?"
"Of course." You tell her.
She motions you over to a stack of playing cards that are neatly tucked underneath her nightstand.
"Alright sit." She tells you.
"Where?"
"Where do you think? The bed, come on sit."
You sit on her bed slowly as the mare commands.
"Scoot." She tells you once again.
"Scoot?"
Trixie shakes her head. "Scoot over. I need to sit down too."
You slide over to the side of her bed where Trixie has enough room to lay her flank. She sits down beside you fairly closely. You smell her soft blue fur as she whiffs past you, her body almost close enough to be touching yours. You must confess you are a little nervous by being this close, though to her this is just a normality in Equestria.
"Now then." Trixie says.
Her horn lights up with a bright blue glow as a small humming noise comes from it. She levitates the cards in front of you and pulls them out one by one. She smiles to herself and closes her eyes with assurance as she does.
"Ok Anon, pick one."
You do as she says and pick a card from her magic grasp.
"Now don't tell me what you have, just keep the card to yourself."
You keep the card looking away from Trixie and take a note of what it is, a ten of diamonds.
"Ok now put the card back in the pile."
You inch your hand close to the levitating cards held up by her blue aura and put yours in where it now floats along with them. She shuffles the cards with expertise and confidence, her eyes still closed as she does this.
"Pssh show off." You think to yourself.
"Trixie I know this trick already, you aren't going to be surprise me."
"Just wait!~" She says in a sing-songy voice as she continues to shuffle the cards in the most creative ways you could think of. She slows down and her face seemingly looks like as if it's concentrating on something until she finally stops and lines the cards up just like how they were when she got them out of the pack. The cards face away from you and you can't tell which one is which.
"Now." Trixie finally opens her eyes to look at you, still smiling with that same smug smile.
"Trixie I know this I'm telling you I won't be-"
"-Is this your card?" She finishes off in a satisfied tone. All the cards have changed into the ten of diamonds and you almost can't believe your eyes.
You look at her, jaw open and eyes widened.
"Impressed? Well don't be. That's just the tip of this magical showmare's arsenal. I have lots more where that came from!" She says with giddiness in her voice.
"Wow Trixie I can't- I mean how did you-"
"A mare-gician never reveals her secrets, you know this Anon." She tells you as if for one you've ever heard the term 'mare-gician' and two as if only the most knowledgeable and secretive of ponies know this wisdom.
"So you're a performer?"
"Ah-hem, 'showmare', and a good one at that!" She gloats.
"So you host shows and everypony just gathers around to watch?" You ask.
"Precisely!" She exclaims with excitement.
"Well I'd certainly love to watch your next performance Trixie."
"Y-You would?" She asks with surprise.
"Well yeah of course. I think it'd be fun. You seem to enjoy what you do and I'd love to see the one and only 'great Trixie' in action." You say to her lightheartedly as you mimic Trixie's mannerisms.
She looks at you graciously, a huge grin forming on her face. "Why of course you would and the great Trixie would also like for you to come as well.... human!"
"Then it's settled." You say. "I think here in Canterlot would be a perfect place to perform. Seeing as there's a good crowd here I think it would be-"
"I-In Canterlot?" She says.
"Well yeah! There's tons of ponies here that would love to see you live I'm sure of it. You could invite all your friends too, I'm sure they'd love to see you perform as well." You say confidently, you think to yourself how this could be a chance to get her mind off of whatever was bothering her yesterday and hope that she'd return to that same cocky mare that you've seen today in full force.
"But... I.... N-No honestly, I don't think Canterlot is good enough for me. Why don't we try somewhere else?"
"C'mon Trixie, don't be shy on me now."
"I'm not shy Anon!"
"Then what's the harm? You do shows anywhere and everywhere right? I'm sure the ponies in Canterlot can offer up a lot of bits. Besides I think it'll be good for you."
She looks down and thinks for a moment, not saying a single word for a couple seconds.
"Mmmmk... fine." She grudgingly agrees.
"Alright!" You yell out.
"But only on one condition." She says sternly. "You help me with the preparations before-hoof and all that comes with performing a successful show; this has to be jaw dropping of course."
"Deal. But what 'preparations' are you talking about?" You ask.
Trixie gets up from her bed with elegance and puts the playing cards away neatly in her nightstand once again. She trots over to the door and looks at you.
"Come on Anon, I got something to show you."
Without another word you get up from her bed and follow her outside, she leads you into a secluded area behind her house and a tall wooden structure greets your eyes.
"Behold Trixie's very own stage!" She says overdramatically, raising her hooves in the air.
"Wow how have you been hiding this?"
"Trixie has her ways." She says smugly. "...Though it has seen better days I'll admit."
"I'll say. It looks like a mess, what happened?"
"I might have gone through some, how should I say this, unwanted territory?"
"Don't tell me it was those dogs." You say with worry.
"Oh no not them." She says assuredly.
"Then what?"
"You really want to here it?"
"Trixie I wouldn't ask if I didn't."
"Very well then. Trixie will explain the whole story."
Trixie begins to tell the story in the most 'Trixie' way she could, being over-dramatic, exaggerating the action, and playing it off as just another day. Honestly you can't even tell at this point if this story was true but she definitely knew how to keep it interesting.
"-And just when I narrowed a brutal attack, Trixie used her brilliant magic to poof the ponies that wronged her away! That's the gist of it I guess." She says looking satisfied with her story telling abilities.
"That sounds pretty wild, especially with the part about the kraken." You say not believing that what she actually said was true but trying to go with it regardless.
"Oh yes the kraken was absolutely one of my favorite moments."
"So you're wanting me to clean up the stage and fix it brand new?"
"Just like you did with the broken window yes. I see potential in you Anon and Trixie knows you can do it." She says as if she chose the right person for the job.
"Well if it'll get you to perform in Canterlot then I'll do it."
"Excellent! Trixie puts her full faith into you young one!"
"You know I'm probably older then you right?" You say with annoyance.
"Not in pony years!" She says gleefully.
"How do you know humans don't age like horses?"
"Well.... I don't. But Trixie knows she's older then you."
"Uh-huh." You say rolling your eyes. "Regardless, when do you want the whole stage cleaned up by? I mean when do you think you'll be ready to perform?"
"Oh that. I'm not too sure yet. Maybe in a couple days, need to make sure I have all my acts practiced proper before I make a definite decision. But make sure not to slack off on the job." She says to you.
"Yes your royal highness." You say teasing her while bowing down, though by the look on her face she seems satisfied at your response.
"That's my Anon. Now onward, we have a lot of work to do!"
The two of you begin working on each of your parts, with her practicing all her magic tricks that she's learned in her sturdy wagon, and you making sure the dirty and partially wrecked stage is in beautiful order before the big day that you hope will make Trixie that happy mare once again.