//------------------------------// // Happy Not-Quite Birthday! // Story: Living in Equestria // by Blazewing //------------------------------// Saturday dawned clear and bright, with only a few clouds dotting the sky. I could see some pegasi, most likely from the weather team, setting a few more in place. As I stepped out, after showering and breakfast, to get the mail, I could have sworn I saw a familiar pink pony bouncing away toward Ponyville. No other pony bounced like Pinkie, but there was something different about that silhouette. It was wearing a strange kind of hat, a hat I’d never seen Pinkie wear before, so I was just confused all the more. That got me thinking: I hadn’t seen much of Pinkie lately, since I’d been so busy with odd jobs with the Crusaders. Perhaps it was about time I went and paid her a visit. “Morning, Dave!” At that moment, Scootaloo came rolling in on her scooter. It could have been my imagination, but it seemed like her wings weren’t buzzing quite like they used to, and yet she was still propelling herself sufficiently. Perhaps those lessons were starting to pay off, after all. “Morning, Scoot! Can you call the girls together in the town square, say, after lunch? I’ve got a bit of an announcement to make.” “Sure thing!” Scootaloo sped off once again. Once more, I couldn’t help but note the steadier beat of her wings. Sooner or later, she was gonna be soaring. *** Once all four fillies had assembled at the appointed time, and were waiting to hear the news, I clapped my hands together once. “Well, Crusaders, we’ve hit a milestone. As of yesterday, we have reached 200 bits!” The four looked surprised. “When did that happen?” asked Sweetie Belle. “I told Moonlight about it, and she donated to the cause, rounding us out to 200.” “Sweet!” said Scootaloo. “That was real nice of her!” said Apple Bloom. “I quite agree,” I said. “But we can’t relax yet, girls. We’ve still got 300 to go, and we’ve gotta give it our all once again!” “Yeah!” chorused the fillies. “Now let’s go, Crusaders. Forward, march!” I almost imagined I heard drums accompanying us as we set out through the streets of Ponyville. It reminded me of the ‘Follow the Leader’ scene from Peter Pan, with Michael and the Lost Boys following John as he led the way. However, none of us spontaneously broke into song, for once, which was something of a relief. “Actually, Dave,” Apple Bloom piped up, “we’re gonna need to split up right here.” “Huh? Why?” “Before the meeting, Pinkie Pie gave us a couple requests: one for you, and one for us. She said you need to go see Mr. and Mrs. Cake about your job, and she needed our help with somethin’.” “Oh, is that right? Well, all right, then. On to Sugarcube Corner!” As a matter of fact, we weren’t that far away from the bakery at that moment. Before we could enter, however, the door swung open, and Pinkie poked her head out. I could now see that she was wearing a basket on her head, held on top via a rope secured under her chin. “Davie!” she said. “Hey, Pinkie. Long time no see, huh?” “Hi, Pinkie Pie!” squeaked Dinky. “Hello, girls!” said Pinkie, sweetly, to the Crusaders. “You ready to help?” “Yes, ma’am!” the four chorused. “Great!” She then turned back to me, without skipping a beat. “Yeah, I guess it has been a while, huh?” “Well, listen, I feel like I’ve been ignoring you lately, what with running around Ponyville looking for odd jobs and all that-” “Oh, no, no, Davie, it’s ok,” Pinkie cut in. “I understand. I know all about the Junior Derby, and I think it’s super-sweet of you to help the Crusaders out. You don’t have to feel bad.” “Thanks, Pinkie, but even so, that’s no excuse for neglecting my first and best pony pal.” “You’re right, we should get together sometime soon. It’ll be a blast!” “Sometime soon?” (But aren’t we already together, Pink...You know what, never mind.) “So, Apple Bloom told me you have some work for us.” “Yeppy-deppy! Girls, you come with me. Davie, just go see Mr. and Mrs. Cake. They could really use a helping hoof.” Pinkie took us inside and sent the Crusaders upstairs with her. Mrs. Cake was just feeding Pound and Pumpkin from a pair of milk bottles at the counter. “Oh! Hello, deary,” she said. “Hi, Mrs. Cake. Pinkie said there was something I could help you and Mr. Cake with.” “Yes, of course. Carrot, honey!” she called. Mr. Cake peered through the kitchen door and spotted me. “Ah, Dave! Good timing. I could really use a hoof over here.” “Well, I can’t offer a hoof, but I can offer a hand,” I said, even though I was mentally reprimanding myself for such a bad pun. “What is it?” “The babies’ diapers have started to pile up, I’m afraid, and Cup and I have been so busy. Twilight recently tested a ‘fresh scent’ spell on the kitchen, but it’s starting to wear away. Do you think you could help take them out to the dumpster out back?” Handling dirty diapers? Not a very enviable job, but if the Cakes really needed help with it, I wasn’t about to turn a blind eye. “It couldn’t hurt,” I said, glancing at Pound and Pumpkin, who had emptied their bottles and were now being burped. “How many diapers can two little foals possibly go through?” *** Oh, how I wish I hadn’t asked... There were five, five bags full of soiled baby diapers. Even that fresh scent spell Twilight apparently cast couldn’t mask that stench... “If it’ll help,” said Mr. Cake, seeing my nauseated expression, “Cup and I will be willing to pay you 5 bits for each bag.” That sounded like a fair trade...I think. The fumes were messing with my reasoning. “Sure, no problem,” I muttered, a hand clasped over my nose and mouth. “Leave it to me.” Now feeling utterly envious of what Pinkie would be tasking the girls with, I grabbed the first bag and began hauling it out the back door, trying to keep from breathing through my nose the entire time. Thankfully, the dumpster wasn’t too far off, but it made me wonder how ponies, especially Earth ponies, were supposed to handle taking out the trash with their mouths. More than that, I wondered what the heck these babies ate that made them go through so many diapers... It wasn’t a very pleasant experience, having to haul five reeking garbage bags full of soiled diapers into an already stinking dumpster, but, in the end, I was just grateful none of the bags burst open on me. That would have been really unpleasant... I washed my hands fervently in the kitchen sink when I was done, hoping I didn’t smell like dirty diapers now. I wasn’t a complete mysophobe, but at the moment, I felt like one. “Thanks very much, Dave,” said Mr. Cake, once I’d dried my hands. “You really gave us a big help today.” “Glad to be of service, Mr. Cake,” I said. “And, as promised, here’s your pay for a job well done.” He handed me a bag full of bits, which I gratefully accepted. “Thanks, Mr. Cake. Can you tell Pinkie I’ll be right back? I feel like I need to take a shower.” “Of course, Dave. We’ll keep an eye on the girls, too.” “Great. Thanks.” As I walked homewards, I saw some ponies I knew passing by. “Hey, Berry. How are you, Golden Harvest? How’s it going, Minuette?” I got a few waves, but nopony stopped to chat, which I was actually grateful for; I didn’t want anypony commenting on whether or not I stank like used diapers. *** Now I felt utterly refreshed and renewed, even though it was early in the afternoon, and I’d already showered beforehand. Hopefully, nopony would ever guess what I was doing earlier. With that done, I returned to Sugarcube Corner, and, this time, as nopony greeted me at the door, I stepped inside on my own. “SURPRISE!!” I felt my heart jump in my chest, and a swear almost escaped my mouth. This was a startling bit of deja vu: ponies everywhere, smiling broadly, balloons and streamers everywhere. “What’s going on here?” I asked, once I found my voice again. “Happy ‘Not Quite Your Birthday’, Davie!” came a familiar voice through the crowd. Sure enough, with a bound, Pinkie cleared the crowd and tackled right into me, wrapping me up into one of her bone-tenderizing Pinkie hugs. “Pinkie, what’s this all about?” I asked, entirely confused. It didn’t help that my words were strained from Pinkie’s grip on me, and her cheek pressed so hard against mine. “Well,” Pinkie said, “I was just sitting in my room one day, when I got this really great idea! Well, I shouldn’t say it was entirely my idea, because Gummy put in a few suggestions, too! We both thought, since we hadn’t seen you recently, that we’d give you a big ol’ surprise party, just to surprise you! The only question was, what kind of party should it be? I didn’t know when your birthday was, but if I asked, you probably would have gotten suspicious, so I decided to make it a ‘Not Quite a Birthday but Close Enough’ Party! The name was Gummy’s idea, by the way. He’s such a clever little guy! I passed out the invitations early this morning, but then you came around, and I needed some help setting up, so I took the Crusaders with me to help with the final touches, and kept you occupied with helping with the babies’ diapers! My Pinkie Sense told me you’d want to go home and wash off after handling so many garbage bags (an ear flop, that means somepony I know is going to need a bath), which gave me the perfect chance to assemble everything down here and bring everypony inside! So, what do you think? Were you surprised?” It must have been a while, because I had forgotten her ability to speak without even taking a breath. “Very surprised,” I finally said, then added, in a kinder tone, “and very grateful. My birthday’s all the way back in June-” “Shoot. I knew you were a Gemini,” said Pinkie. “I had this nagging feeling.” “But this was still a wonderful surprise, Pinkie. Thanks.” Pinkie beamed and renewed her hug, which I tried to reciprocate while my bones groaned from the strain, to many cheers from the crowd. “So that’s what you were doing when I spied you,” I said, when we broke apart, “passing out invitations.” “Yep! I wanted to be sure to invite everypony!” She gestured to the crowd. I could pick out many ponies I already knew, among the many more I hadn’t been acquainted with: Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Spike, Derpy, Sparkler, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Dinky, Big Macintosh, Lyra, Bon Bon, Zecora, Golden Harvest, Berry, Minuette, Screwball, Caramel, Vinyl, Moonlight, and...Trixie? Yeah, I could see Trixie in the crowd. Who could mistake that wizard’s hat? “How did you get Trixie to come?” I asked. “I’ll let her tell you that,” said Pinkie. “But right now, leeeet’s party!” This seemed to be the magic phrase, as Vinyl zipped over to a turntable, flipped a record, and started up a dance beat. Everypony dispersed into their own things: talking, dancing, joking, etc. Pinkie suddenly dashed up to Twilight. “Twilight, I’m putting you in charge of capturing some snap-a-riffic party photos!” With hilariously exaggerated reverence, she handed Twilight a camera, which the unicorn took in her magic, giving Pinkie a weird look for her behavior. “Uh, sure, Pinkie. You can count on me.” “Great! I’ve gotta get my stand-up on!” She zipped off, earning another weird look from Twilight, who merely shrugged and started going around, taking pictures. I actually caught a good glimpse of Lyra trying to give Bon Bon ‘bunny ears’ behind her head, though she didn’t seem to understand that one needed fingers to make it work. For now, though, I looked for Trixie to see what brought her out here. She was currently wowing the Crusaders with flowers she poofed out of thin air, which then turned into butterflies. They (and Fluttershy, who was nearby) were visibly impressed, watching them flutter out an open window. “Hey, Trixie,” I said, coming up to her. “Well, how is this for irony!” said Trixie, grandly. “This party is for you, but Trixie has the most eyes upon her!” “Great to see you here too,” I said, with a small eye roll. “I didn’t think you’d agree to something Pinkie suggested.” “Oh, she’s not as bad as Trixie thought,” said Trixie. “Besides, this was the perfect chance for Trixie to tell you.” “Tell me what?” “This shall be Trixie’s last day in Ponyville. Thus, she shall give one final performance tonight in the town square!’ “What?!” I asked, shocked. “Last day? But I thought-” “Trixie!” came Berry’s voice from across the way. “Show me that one trick you were bragging about! The one about the never-ending juice!” “Sorry, Dave, Trixie wishes she could talk more, but her talents are wanted!” She said this with a dramatic flair and whirl of her cape, then walked off to seek out Berry, leaving me perplexed and somewhat regretful. Trixie leaving? Her last day today? I had almost fancied that she would want to stay in Ponyville a little longer. To see her going so soon was...sad. Then again, I suppose I should be grateful that she decided to come to this party of Pinkie’s just to see me. She really did think of me as a friend. “Hi, Dave!” I looked over to see Moonlight smiling up at me. “Hey, Moonlight. How are you?” “Great! I was just talking with Derpy. She was introducing me to this stallion friend of hers. She says he’s a doctor!” “A doctor, huh? Sounds interesting.” “I’m surprised I actually made it,” she admitted. “I spent all of last night completely reorganizing my house. Cleaned it from top to bottom.” “Hey, Moonlight!” called Minuette, from a different part of the room. “Come over here, quick! Lyra’s showing off her human walk!” “Wow! I’ll be right back, Dave.” Moonlight dashed off, and only a few seconds later, Trixie returned. “Another successful piece of magic, though not unexpected from the Great and Powerful Trixie.” I looked over at where she had just come from. Berry was holding a bottle in her hooves, a bottle that was spewing a fountain of juice into the air, which fell back into the bottle through the mouth. She looked quite elated. “Wow. Is there a limit to what you can do, Trixie?” “Ha! Why ask that when you know the answer to be no?” Trixie asked, smugly. “Er, right.” “Anyway, as Trixie said, her final performance shall be this evening, in the town square. You wouldn’t want to miss it.” “And I won’t, but, Trixie, could I-?” “Sorry, Dave, Trixie can’t just sit idly by. She has ponies to wow.” And with that, she was off again, leaving me unable to finish my thought. I was still in this attitude when Moonlight came back, giggling. “You should have seen Lyra, Dave! She was hilarious!” I gave my head a shake to clear my thoughts before responding. “Oh, was she? I’m sorry I missed it.” “Are you all right? You looked a little out of it.” “Yeah, I’m ok. Just kinda lost my train of thought.” “Oh. I know the feeling.” She went back to mingle, while I did my best to do the same, glad Moonlight was making more friends. *** A little while later, Pinkie wheeled in a big, chocolate-frosted cake littered with about 20 candles. Well, she wasn’t that far off with my age, that’s for certain. “Cake time, everypony!” she called. She zipped over and shunted me in front of the cake, obviously urging me to blow out the candles. Everypony was watching, and the music had stopped, so I took a deep breath and extinguished the candles in one gust. “Whoa! I think I just caught a whiff of your human breath, Dave!” shouted Lyra, bringing a round of laughter from the ponies. “Aw, gimme a break, Lyra, I did brush,” I retorted. Twilight stepped forward, rolling her eyes at our banter, and started cutting the cake, rather skillfully, I must say. The amazing thing was that the cake was so big, everypony got at least one piece, and, of course, it was absolutely delicious. I wondered how long it took Pinkie or the Cakes to make such a cake, and how long she or they had been planning it. From there, the party went back into full swing. It was a lot like the party Pinkie threw me when I first arrived in Ponyville, only without the apple-eating contest, or Rainbow’s continued hoof-shake buzzer prank. There were plenty of party games, though, like apple-bobbing and Pin the Tail on the Pony. I decided to try the latter again, and this time, I managed to get the tail on the flank, where a cutie mark would be, but still not quite where a tail should go. Pinkie, meanwhile, was keeping the Crusaders in stitches with a stand-up comedy routine set up in another corner. Out of curiosity, I decided to see just what my pink pal’s brand of humor was. “I spent 10 minutes trying to get it open, but then I realized something! I wasn’t trying to open a jar of pickles. It was a jar of jelly! Well, no wonder I couldn’t get it open! It was jammed!” The girls burst into another bout of laughter. I remembered that joke from an old cartoon, and it still made me smile, even if it didn’t make me burst out laughing. Seeing me in the crowd, Pinkie's face split into a wide grin. “Fillies and gentlecolts,” she said, “for your entertainment today, the comedy stylings of Pinkie Pie and Dave!” Wait, what? Before I knew what was happening, she bounced over, grabbed my arm, and dragged me back to where she'd been standing. I felt perplexed, and a little hot in the face, at being center-stage like this. The Crusaders giggled, looking expectant and eager. “Just improvise," Pinkie whispered. Improvise, huh? Well, all right. We were amongst friends after all. I gave it a shot. "You know, Pinkie, I was attending a posh restaurant the other day." "Oh?" "When all of a sudden, this pompous old stallion up and shouts, 'Waiter! There's a fly in my soup!'" "And what did the waiter say?" "'Well, I'm sorry, sir, but we were all out of mosquitoes!'" The girls started laughing anew. This was kinda fun! “Say, Pinkie, what’s the difference between a jeweler and jailor?” “I dunno, Davie, what is it?” “One sells watches, one watches cells!” Some other ponies, interested, came to see what was entertaining the fillies so much. “Speaking of watches,” said Pinkie, “I know a friend with a really great job at a watch factory.” “Oh, really? What does he do?” “He stands around all day and makes faces!” Ahhh, she liked it corny, just like me. “You know, I once knew a man with a wooden leg named Smith,” I said. “What are the names of his other legs?” Pinkie asked. Our ever-growing crowd was in stitches. From there, I dunno how, but the two of us dissolved into ‘Who’s on First’, with me taking the part of Costello and Pinkie the part of Abbot, the audience laughing heartily the whole time. I was working myself into a fever pitch as we reached the finale. “I throw the ball to Who. Whoever it is drops the ball and the guy runs to second. Who picks up the ball and throws it to What. What throws it to I Don't Know. I Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow, Triple play. Another guy gets up and hits a long fly ball to Because. Why? I don't know! He's on third and I don't give a darn!” “What’s that?” asked Pinkie. “I said, I don’t give a darn!” “Ohh, that’s our shortstop!” I facepalmed as the ponies, which now included everypony at the party, roared with laughter. I had no idea how I was able to pull this kind of stuff out of nowhere, but with Pinkie at my side, it somehow made it easier. This crazy pony really knew how to rub off on me. *** Around 3 o’clock, Pinkie seemed to sense that the party was beginning to run its course. I’d peeled my throat from all the yelling I had to do for ‘Who’s On First’, and was still trying to ease it with ice-cold punch. She nodded to Vinyl, who waited until the last beat of the current song, then cut the music. “Attention, mares and stallions!” she said into the mic. “You’ve all been a great audience, but the Pinkster says it’s time to wrap this up! Thanks again for another rockin’ party, D-dude! DJ-PON3, out!” The ponies in attendance cheered as Vinyl cut the power, giving a kind of ‘peace out’ wave as she did so. Everypony started heading for the door, where I stood to see them off, for politeness’ sake. “Great party, Dave!” said Lyra. “It’s been delightful,” said Bon Bon. “See you later, sorta-birthday alligator!” said Berry. “We really should do this again soon,” said Moonlight. She looked really tired, now that the party had wound down. “You ok?” I asked her. “Yeah,” she said, letting off a huge yawn. “I’m just exhausted. I think I’m gonna go to bed early tonight, maybe take a nap when I get home.” “All right. Take care, you party mare.” She smiled and headed out the door. “Thanks for the shindig, Dave,” said Big Mac. Then he paused and added, “When y’all get a chance, come by the farm. Ah’ve got something Ah need to ask you.” “Oh? Sure, no problem, Big Mac.” All of this, and other such goodbyes, sayonaras, and hasta la vistas greeted me as they went.. As Vinyl packed up her gear, Twilight and her pals, except for Pinkie, came up to me. The lavender unicorn seemed to have been taking her time with something during the party, especially after cutting the cake. “Dave, we know it wasn’t quite a birthday celebration,” said Twilight, “but we thought we’d give you something special anyway.” “Oh, Twi, you didn’t have to go to the trouble-” “It was no trouble at all. Rarity?” Rarity levitated a wrapped box over to me, and, encouraged by their ‘go ahead’ nods, I opened it. Inside was a scrapbook, containing all of the photos Twilight had taken over the course of the party, all of their goofy antics and sunny smiles. I could see Lyra’s attempt at the bunny ears on Bon Bon, Trixie making the juice fountain for Berry, Zecora enjoying a glass of punch at the refreshment table, the Crusaders all bunched together for the camera; even Screwball got her own picture, though hers seemed to make every color in the picture except hers inverted, like a ‘G Major’ effect. Now I had a keepsake of the ponies I knew here in Ponyville. Below that was not one, but two sets of new clothes, including a green T-shirt and a pair of brown pants, a red T-shirt with charcoal pants, and accompanying socks and undergarments. “Wow. Thanks, gals. This means a lot to me.” “You deserve it, big guy,” said Rainbow. “Especially after all you’ve been doin’ to help out lately,” said Applejack. “Shall we see you tonight at Trixie’s performance?” asked Rarity. “Heh. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I spoke lightheartedly enough, but inside, I was still regretting Trixie’s decision to leave so soon. Hopefully, I’d be able to say a proper goodbye to her after the show. “Then we’ll see you tonight,” said Twilight. With that, she, the girls, and Spike left, followed closely by Vinyl, wheeling away her speakers. It was just me, Pinkie, and the Crusaders left now. “So, what did you kids end up doing?” I asked. “Helpin’ Pinkie make decorations to shoot from her party cannon!” said Apple Bloom. “I gave them 5 bits for it, plus early snacks, courtesy of Sugarcube Corner,” said Pinkie. “I hope that wasn’t too cheap.” “Nah, don’t worry. Mr. Cake gave me 25 for helping with those diapers.” The Crusaders’ eyes lit up, expanding to the size of dinner plates. “That means we’re already up another 30 bits!” said Sweetie Belle. “This weekend’s off to a very good start, kids,” I said. “Tomorrow, we’re gonna work harder than ever. But for tonight, we’ve got some great and powerful magic to witness.” “Yay!” *** It wasn’t even New Year’s, and already the sky was alight with fireworks. Granted, they were all being fired from cannons Trixie had set up around her stage, but it really knew how to grab your attention. All of Ponyville seemed to have come out to see her final performance. It was lucky that I was so tall, or I might not have been able to see the stage properly. Trixie pulled out all the stops this time around: swapping animals for objects, or objects for animals, from beneath her cape or her hat; creating neon-esque images in the sky that twisted and warped themselves into something of a miniature picture show, putting the crowd into hysterics with the failed amorous attempts of a stallion trying to grab the attention of a mare, who responded with hooves to the face, pepper spray, and other such defenses; creating balloon shapes that actually glowed in the evening dark, reshaped themselves into other forms, or played musical jingles as they ascended; it was all visually stunning. “You have all been a wonderful audience,” said Trixie, “but Trixie has a few more tricks to bestow upon you. For these next feats, she shall need a volunteer.” Several hooves raised themselves into the air. “Hmm...how about...you, sir!” She was pointing straight at me. I hadn’t even raised my hand. “Me?” “Yes, you. Come forth, don’t be shy.” Wondering what she could want to use me for, I waded through the crowd and ascended the stage. “Your name, volunteer?” “Dave, oh Great and Powerful Trixie.” I accompanied this with a bow that made her smile. “Well, Dave, you’ve seen Trixie display feats of illusion, but have you ever experienced magic such as this?” She aimed her horn right at me and fired. Her magic hit me right in the throat, causing several ponies to gasp. “Why does my throat tickle?” I asked aloud, before clasping my hands to my mouth in horror a second later. Was that my voice? It couldn’t have been! It sounded like a chipmunk’s! “What happened to my voice?! This is weird!” The ponies in the audience began to laugh. Trixie caught my eye and winked, as if to say ‘No harm done’. “How about gracing us with a song, Dave?” she asked. “A song? Like this? You can’t be serious.” “Come, now,” said Trixie. “You shouldn’t deny an expectant audience a treat. If they laugh, remember it is all in good fun!” Well...I was always told that I had to learn to laugh at myself, so I decided to go with a song that would sound intentionally ridiculous with a goofy voice. “A wandering minstrel I, a thing of shreds and patches” Trixie fired her horn once again, and now my voice was a deep rumble, almost demonic in tone. “Of ballads, songs, and snatches, and dreamy lullaby” The crowd was laughing harder than ever now. Trixie sent another blast, and now I was singing with a Scottish flair. “My catalogue is long through every passion rrrranging” *Zap* Now it was with a Russian accent. “And to your humor’s changing, I tune my supple soooong” *Zap* Now it sounded like I was singing with all four of those voices, plus my own, as a choir. “I tune my suuuuupple sooooooong!” The audience exploded into wild cheers and laughter. Though my face was burning with embarrassment, it had been pretty funny, I had to admit. Trixie nodded to me, and the both of us bowed together. “Thank you, everypony, thank you!” she said. “Please, another round of applause for Trixie’s benevolent volunteer, Dave!” Another set of cheers, as I waved and bowed once again. “And thank you, Ponyville, for being such good sports. The Great and Powerful Trixie shall not forget you as she tours Equestria once again. Thank you, and good night!” There was another explosion of fireworks, a puff of smoke...and Trixie was gone, leaving me all alone on stage. The firework cannons had even come with her. The crowd dispersed, talking wildly about what they had just witnessed, while I, for my part, went to seek out Trixie. *** It took a while to get to her caravan alone, seeing as how she had fans wanting autographs or whatnot, but eventually, the area cleared out, and I had my chance. Stepping forward, I knocked at the door. The top half swung open, and Trixie appeared, still wearing her hat and cloak. “Dave! So good of you to come! Please, come in!” She opened the door fully, allowing me to step inside. There were baskets of rolled-up posters sitting by her dresser, and her firework machinery took up quite a bit of room in the back corner. Her blue face was aglow. “What did you think? Wasn’t it the most magnificent display of magic you’ve ever seen?” “It was incredible!” I said. “You really wowed me, Trixie.” I glanced from her to a sack sitting on the ground, filled nearly to the brim with bits. “And you’ve made quite a bit of coin out of it. If anypony deserves it, it’s you.” “Thank you. You were quite the accommodating assistant up there.” “Well, it caught me by surprise, but in the end, we’ve all gotta laugh at ourselves, don’t we?” What was I doing? This wasn’t what I came up here for. “Trixie,” I said, after a pause, “there’s something serious I wanted to talk about.” “Hmm?” “It’s about...well, your decision to leave so soon.” Trixie’s smile faded. “Ah. Yes. I suppose I did spring it upon you rather haphazardly, didn’t I?” “It’s not like I’m angry with you. You said yourself you had to keep traveling, and I’m really happy that you’re back in the swing of things. I just, well, hate to see you go so soon. I feel like we’ve only just gotten to know each other.” Trixie smiled softly and put a hoof to my hand. “I owe a good deal to you, Dave. If you hadn’t, well, let’s be honest, meddled in my affairs, I might not have had the guts to try and turn my life around. All it took was venting on someone and being struck with Goronide Bolezn to realize that. The Great and Powerful Trixie’s stubbornness is just as great and powerful as she is.” “Heh, yeah, I guess so.” “Just know one thing, Dave: whether I’m using the mantle of Beatrix Lulamoon or the Great and Powerful Trixie, neither will forget you. And don’t worry, I’m certain we’ll see each other again.” She added, in an amused aside, “These ponies will be sorely missing their Trixie-fied entertainment before long.” I couldn’t help it; that made me smile. “And before I forget,” she added, suddenly. From out of a drawer flew a pair of black and white glossy photos of Trixie, signed in her own penmanship, with the ‘i’ of ‘Trixie’ dotted with her cutie mark. These floated delicately by my side. “Why two?” I asked. “To give to somepony who may have missed my performance,” she said. “Spread the word of Trixie! And besides, what’s more enjoyable than one Trixie but double the Trixie?” “Ha! Can’t argue with that logic,” I said, grinning. Then, in a more somber tone, I said, “Well, then, I guess this is goodbye, Trixie,” To my surprise, she reared up on her hind legs and put her forelegs around my neck in a hug. I hadn’t been expecting her to initiate it; in fact, I hadn’t been considering it at all. Still, I reciprocated the embrace, and she stepped away a few moments after. “Until we meet again, Human in Equestria,” she said. “I’ll be waiting, Oh Great and Powerful Trixie,” I responded. That showmare’s smile was back on her face, along with that gleam in her purple eyes. She truly was back. As soon as I stepped out of the caravan, the glossies held gently in my hand, the door shut quite suddenly, and the entire carriage became surrounded by a glowing aura of magic. The next moment, the wheels began to move, and, slowly but surely, the caravan began to rumble off, of its own accord, toward the borders of Ponyville. I really shouldn’t have expected less, since otherwise, Trixie would have to pull her own carriage herself. The window opened, and there was Trixie leaning out of it, silhouetted against the moon. She turned in my direction and doffed her hat, and I waved to return the gesture. The next moment, she had disappeared back inside, and the caravan disappeared over the evening horizon. “So long, Trixie,” I muttered. “And good luck.” Saturday, November 9: 233 bits.