Awkward Conversations And Other Stories

by No one is home

Saturday Nightmare Night Fever (Trixie/Tarot & Family): The Great and the Powerful

“Billy, don’t be such a kid about it,” Candy Apple stamped her hoof in a huff, “It’s just a cape.”

“It get’s in the way,” Tarot huffed, “I need my hooves free to do the act.”

“But, Billy, it’s Nightmare Night,” the burgundy lunar pegasus flared her wings in irritation, “You can’t not be dressed up for Nightmare Night. Not on a show night!”

“You’re slipping, Tarot,” a new voice rose up from the backstage entrance, surprising both the goat and the pony, “Trixie expected more from her great and powerful rival.”

“Trixie” Sweet Tooth rushed over to wrap the blue showmare in a warm embrace, “It’s been years! How have you been? We were all so worried when we heard you had stopped touring. What happened?”

“I’ve been through… a lot,” Trixie dropped her stage voice in the presence of her peers, “Some good, some… less than good. I’m a wife now, and a mother. Meet my husband, Rough Draft, and our daughter Sapphire Streak.”

Rough shuffled into the room with their daughter on his back in her baby-saddle and managed a nervous, “Hi.” trying not to look nervous in front of the infamous Blind Goat.

“Excuse my husband,” Trixie rolled her eyes, “He believes too many of the stories and doesn't properly understand the business.”

“It’s alright,” Sweet Tooth smiled, “It’s dad’s fault really. He encourages all that mumbo jumbo.”

“I can’t hold it against him,” Tarot flipped absently through his show-deck, sending the cards flying from one hoof to the other with ease, “It’s my reputation that brings in the marks.”

“See, Billy!” Candy Apple swatted playfully at the goat, “I told you the cape wouldn’t get in the way!”

“It’s the stories I’ve heard about you that I find troubling,” the goat continued as he placed the cards in precise, if obscure patterns on the table before him, “It’s one thing to show up a heckler now and again, but to make it into your whole act? You’re better than that Trixie.”

“Really?" Trixie deadpanned, “That’s what you’re going to criticize, my schtick from the last tour. Not the town I tried to enslaved?”

“Actually I found that last part pretty impressive,” the goat walked over to the stage controls and tested a series of lights and two smoke machines, “And I hear that’s going to be the starting point for your next tour. Gonna be a hard act to follow up on. I can hear it now, ‘Sure it was a great show, but the last time there was an actual magic duel, you should have been here for THAT show’.”

“Why you impudent, no-account,” Trixie fumed only for Candy Apple to quickly jump in.

“Hey!” the lunar pegasus quickly stepped between the two magicians, “Did I mention I got my cutie mark sense the last time you were here, it’s really been a while, huh?”

“Oh, cotton candy!” Rough said brightly, “Are you a candy maker?”

“Are you staring at my marefriend’s flank?” The goat turned his attention to Rough Draft, causing the older stallion to blanch visibly.

“I d-didn’t mean anything by it! I swear” Rough nearly stumbled as he backed towards the door, “Please don’t put a heck on me!”

“That’s Hex, dear,” Trixie rolled her eyes.

“There’s two of them?” Sweet Tooth chimed in, “That’s even worse!”

The goat just chuckled and got back to preparing for his show.

“I was just the butt of a joke wasn’t I?” Rough sulked quietly as even Sapphire giggled at her father’s expense.

“Yes. Yes you were,” Candy said between giggles, “But to answer your question, my cutie mark isn’t as literal as that. Cotton Candy is a tradition food of carnivals. It means I’m a carnie pony. Both mine and Billy’s parents were carnie ponies. They went in together and bought The Belfry with the idea of making a carnival that stays in one place. And that’s kinda what we are. We get traveling acts from all over equestria!”

“Wow,” Rough Draft was indeed impressed, when Saphire wiggled free of her saddling and flew straight for a velvet bag sitting innocently on a storage shelf.

Trixies eyes went wide with panic, knowing too well what that bag contained, but the goat was already in place to prevent disaster, grabbing the little filly by the scruff of the neck gently in his teeth and carrying the now disgruntled foal to her distraught mother.

“Interested in the cards at such a young age, little one?” Tarot chuckled as Trixie admonished her daughter, still shaking from the near disaster, “I don’t think you’re quite ready for THAT deck, but I do have something not quite so dire to entertain little hooves.”

Shuffling through some old nick nacks, the goat brought out an over sized, overly brightly colored deck of cards, “My mother gave me these when I was nearly as small as you. Good practice for curious hooves and bright little minds.”

The bright blue filly greedily snatched the gift from the goat's mouth in her hooves, cooing at the pretty colors before throwing the cards to the floor in a fit of giggles. The cards lay scattered in no particular pattern, with only one card prominently displayed.

The card portrayed a happy stallion made up of shimmering silvery stars dancing amid the constellations, both the sun and moon shone light on the path before him.

“The Prince of Stars,” the goat smiled brightly at the foal, “He is guided by the Sun and Moon and walks between the dawn and the twilight. It represents hope, and acceptance of fate and a victory. You are certainly your mother's great and powerful offspring. But as much as I hate to cut this reunion short, I do have a show to prepare. It was good seeing you again Trixie. If you wish to stay for the show, you know you’re always welcome to use the family balcony seats.”

“As much as I would love to, my husband would think me a bad mother if I did not take my daughter to gather her candy for Nightmare Night,” the show mare laughed.

“It was good meeting you both,” Rough Draft smiled sincerely, “And thank you for the gift.”

And with that the family quietly departed, leaving the other couple to prepare for their performance.

Author's Note:

A gift for the Great and Powerful Sapphire Streak. Surely this is no Typo! A deck made especially for little ones, it gives only happy readings, with no nasty, scary cards to frighten off curious young minds. That wraps up my Nightmare Night chapter.

Ca't have a blind goat chapter without a tarot reading. Who knew it would be little Sapphire to draw the card?

Comments

[Dravkwn]

This seems to pay some homage to Prince Silver Stars.
He shall be missed.

[terrycloth]

The real tarot deck is kind of like that. If you don't use Reversed cards the readings are all happy and fluffy. Anyone who plays CCGs should know how to make sure the cards don't get reversed when you shuffle.

[No one is home]

7184333 Yeah, nopony coud ship with all the pricesses quite like him. I imagine his card in Tarotius' deck is conciderably less "family friendly".

[No one is home]

7184391 A good tarot reading is one part card stacking, one part psychology, and three parts creepy mumbo jumbo. The key to being good at the cards is giving good advice. Tarot readers get a bad rep unfairly compared to other stage magicians I've always felt.

[Boulder]

Does this mean there's such a thing as a junior tarot deck?