It has been three days.
Three days of frantic running around Ponyville, placing orders for flyers, wall posters, and even a hot air balloon advertisement provided by Cherry Berry.
Today, all the work was finally paying off, and the rumors began to fly around the town as the posters started to go up.
"She could die,"
"I heard that this is an elaborate ruse to fake her own death."
"Isn't that the pony that had trapped us in a giant dome?"
"Simpsons did it."
At the center of it all, was Trixie herself, but nopony has seen her at all since the posters had been ordered, choosing instead to hide away in the Books and Branches Library, leaving Twilight Sparkle as the pony in charge of propaganda distribution, and under her command, was Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and a reluctant Rainbow Dash.
"I just don't understand why we are helping out that fraud."
Fluttershy smiled kindly as she passed another flyer out to a passing pony, "Well they are going to need help with setting up clouds, and you did offer to buck out the clouds holding Trixie."
Dash grinned a bit as she passed out another flyer, "Yeah, but I just want to watch her fall, I mean come on! The biggest reason anypony sees a magic show is to watch them fail."
"Rainbow Dash! How could you say such a thing?"
"Look Shy, if Trixie messes up, it's her own fault for setting herself up to fail, and besides you saw what she did to Ponyville, I don't care what Twilight says, she is a long ways away from earning my trust any time soon."
Fluttershy looked at the ground and folded her wings rather than actually telling her friend what she thought. She pawed the ground nervously before passing out another flyer, "Well, everypony needs a little kindness." she then squeaked and closed her eyes before Rainbow Dash could say anything.
Suddenly, a stallion that was approaching the duo grasped his chest and shouted, "HNNNNNNNNNG!" before falling over from a combination of diabetes, heart attack, and chronic cuteness overload from looking directly at Fluttershy during her timid moment. Fortunately, Nurse Redheart happened to be near by, and quickly had a team of ponies remove and revive the stallion before Fluttershy could see what had happened, preventing her from crying and unleashing a massive breakout of chronic dawww's that could have put many ponies in the hospital.
Dash folded her arms and harrumphed, "That's your answer to everything."
Not too far away, Trixie and Twilight Sparkle were busying themselves with setting up the actual stunt.
It did not require too much concentration, especially for two ponies that had magic related cutie marks to put together. It was decided however that since Trixie knew what she wanted, she simply had Twilight do the heavy lifting while she used her own magic to make finite adjustments.
"Are you sure you know what you are doing Trixie? That doesn't look too stable."
The magician flipped her hair with a hoof, "Naturally, I wouldn't expect you to understand the fine art of stage magic, but I assure you it is as sturdy as a rock." To prove her statement, Trixie kicked one of the hard glass walls, immediately causing the whole thing to fall apart.
Trixie smiled sheepishly and shrugged at the glaring face of Twilight, "Well, I can't be right all the time."
Twilight closed her eyes and rubbed the spot between them with a hoof and groaned a little bit, "Trixie,"
The magician smiled at Twilight as she leaned in, "Yes Twilight?
"Why don't you go check up on the spot we rented by town square."
"And furthermore, I am the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie, and I tell you what to do, not the other way around! Yeah, that's what I should have said. Stupid Twilight with her answers and her bossiness and her know-it-allitude and her being Celestia's prized pupil.
The blue unicorn was trying to keep a low profile as she wandered through the town, making her way over to an empty field to check up on the construction of the stage that would start off the show.
The stage was made out of wooden boards and had all the rigging necessary to start off the show, and host a few others. Needless to say it was very tasteful and extremely expensive.
But because she is donating it to the town after the show is over, it is tax deductible, and that's always a good thing.
At the moment, construction ponies were working around the clock to make sure that the stage would be complete on time and Trixie's presence there was unnecessary. As she sat down thinking about what she SHOULD have said to Twilight a shadow fell over her, "Pardon me, but are you The Great and Powerful Trixie?"
The mare stood up faster than a flash and instantly got into defense mode, and stage presence mode, "That depends, who are you to seek the Great and Powerful Trixie?"
An ashen grey unicorn in a black suit and a fedora was standing before her with wayfarer sun glasses on his face. Next to him was a burnt orange pegasus dressed note for note the same, "My name is Dark Star, this is my associate Essence." the grey one started.
"We are looking for The Great and Powerful Trixie to ask her a few questions." the other started imediatly after he stopped.
"I assure you that her safety will not be compressed, we simply need to discuss a matter of bits."
Trixie's ego had finally bested her capability of rational thought and she felt the need to introduce herself. But she wasn't fully stupid, "Well, I am her manager, Lulamoon. Any questions you would like to know about her can be directed to me."
The orange mare looked at her partner before the two nodded, "Is she reliable with her money?"
"Yes, she always pays her debts."
Dark Star then entered, "Has she ever failed to perform before a crowd?"
Trixie blinked for a few moments, "Well, she has never failed to perform before a crowd, however sometimes a crowd really does try their best to ruin her show. Are you the police?"
"No ma'am,"
"We're musicians."
Trixie looked at the two of them for a few moments with a blank look on her face, "Umm, how are you so in synch?"
"We have been married for a while now." the orange pegasus started.
"You tend to know what the other is thinking once you really know them." the grey unicorn finished.
The showmare backed off a little bit more, "Right, well I'm glad to see that you have taken an interest in this little act we are putting together, perhaps you will be around to enjoy the show."
"You don't seem to understand us," the Essence got close to Trixie and held up one of her hooves as a blade came out, "We heard that you were lent money from a Lyra Heartstrings to perform here, money that she owes us."
The grey unicorn's horn glowed as he stepped forward, bringing a set of drum sticks into view, "Now since you are new to this town, I decided to cut you a break. But that stage over there," Dark Star raised a hoof to point out the nearly complete stage, "you are now renting from us."
Essence stepped in as she held the knife to Trixie, "Now miss Lulamoon, I don't know what agreement you have made with miss Heartstrings, but once you pay her back the loan, you as a performer will have to pay us two percent of your personal earnings, or else."
Trixie stood her ground as she leared at the two musicians, "Or else what?!"
"Heh, tell her Essence."
Essence smiled, "Well, it would be just terrible if your star just suddenly... disappeared, wouldn't it? Or perhaps if Trixie suffered an accident where she could never perform again, GOT IT!"
Trixie nodded as the blade was held up to her throat, "Yes, I got it."
"Good," the blade went away as the two ponies turned about, "get to advertising, you got money to make."
Trixie watched the two walk away until they rounded the corner before she finally had a break down, "Oh my Celestia, I think I have just been threatened by the mob!"