Trixie needs some help, and Lyra Heartstrings is happy to provide. Yet is it truly safe for a stage magician to team up with a pony obsessed with mysteries?
What can possibly bring together a great illusionist and an ill-famous weirdo of Ponyville? And not just any time but on the verge of Hearth's Warming Eve. As it turns out, nothing is impossible with some unhealthy curiosity, an overwhelming pressure of holiday deadlines and a bit of street writing magic.
Cover pic borrowed from CodyandGwen @Deviantart. If you have a better one (or are so awesome as to draw it), leave it in the comments and get a free boop!
It always amuses me how some moments in a story are carefully planned while other just sort of happen. Creativity is funny like that. Apparently a deadline and a sense of responsibility (coupled with some therapy and an AD course) is a nice workaround for the writer's block.
The strange thing is, this is probably the closest thing to canon I ever wrote. Also, I never thought of writing about these two, and I would probably never do it without the big event. So thanks for the opportunity, I guess. Hope you like it.
"Now that's odd," she muttered, taking the oven sock off. "Bon Bon shouldn't be back so soon... A minute, please!"
She double-checked the stove and trotted into the hall.
"Who's there?"
After making a pause for an answer (and getting none) she swung the door open and peeked out into the thickening gloom. Darkness responded with a gust of biting winter wind in her face.
"Psst," a bush of dogrose on the lawn near her whispered. "The Great and Powerful... ouch!"
"Trixie Lulamoon?" Lyra inclined her head. "Since when did you decide to take up gardening?"
"We shouldn't be... ow!.. seen! Can you let The Great and Powerful Trixie in? It's cold out here!"
Lyra giggled and moved aside.
After closing the door the unicorn examined her guest curiously while the latter picked thorns out of her mane and cloak. They haven't been acquainted — not personally, at least, — but Lyra's been to some of the magic shows, including the last one, Moonshot Manticore Mouth Dive. Truth be told, most of them were quite thrilling to watch.
Yet what could the sorceress possibly want from her?
"Trixie hates to admit it but she needs your help," the illusionist forced out, taking her hat off. She was clearly upset. "Your telescope, actually."
"My... telescope? Wait, how do you know I have one?" unicorn's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
The sorceress snorted.
"What a dumb question for Trixie? I have my ways of knowing things," she caught her distrustful look, sighed and bluntly admitted. "It's sitting on your roof."
Lyra facehoofed.
"Okay, I suppose. But why do you need it? Oh, sorry," she suddenly remembered and motioned an invitation. "My pie has just finished baking, and you must be freezing. Want a bite?"
When slices of cobbler were sitting on the plates, teacups steaming from hot tea, her guest sighed again and grudgingly began talking.
"It's for the new show. Didn't you see the posters? Homecoming from the Humble and Penitent Trixie's Equestrian Apology Tour?"
"I barely left my home this week," Lyra chuckled. "Isn't that a mouthful."
Trixie rolled her eyes.
"It's a working title," she grumbled through clenched teeth, then breathed out and continued. "Rather fitting for Hearth's Warming. I'm going to reenact a quite difficult performance of one famous sorcerer. Not as dangerous as Hoofdini's jump into the jaws of a pony-eating monster, but no less Great and Powerful! And... I need your telescope for that," she ended quietly in a sputter.
"I'm flattered and all. But why mine? We're not exactly the best of friends."
"Coming here wasn't Trixie's first idea..." sorceress began, then hesitated. She clearly tried to keep her cool, but her serious distress didn't evade Lyra's trained eye.
"My friend Bon Bon always said, if you got a problem that you can't solve, helps to get out of your head. Pie, it's good. Come on," Lyra pushed a plate to her and decided to show an example by tasting her own bit.
"After returning to Ponyville I was going to ask princess Twilight... Such a star pupil of the School for Gifted Unicorns and a fan of magic sciences must have had a telescope for sure. We're not the best in terms of relationships but her student, Starlight, is my Great and Powerful Assistant... I had hoped she'd put in a word for me," the sorceress grew silent, looking into the ghostly streams of steam over the cup. "And all that only for me to learn that she and Starlight had left a moment before I arrived. And not just anywhere. The Crystal Empire! Who would possibly go to the Crystal Empire on holiday's eve, at the very same day when the Great and Powerful Trixie returns from her Tour of Penance?"
"If this makes it any easier, Bon Bon is out of town, too," Lyra said, then mentally cursed her blabbering mouth. "A mis... I mean, a business trip. I'm all alone here. Feels almost like missing a part of myself."
"You understand, then. Now Trixie has no best assistant nor a telescope," — her guest continued, despaired. "And I've already put out the posters!"
Lyra shook her head.
"I sense you're not embracing the concept here," she said sententiously. "Pie don’t work unless you let it."
Trixie was going to object, then stopped and took a bite, unsure. Then another one.
"Mmm, that's tasty."
"Told ya. Listen. You have your telescope, I'm going to lend you mine..."
"Really?" her guest started. A flicker of hope flashed in her eyes. "I mean, the Great and Powerful Trixie is much obliged for your help!"
"...with one condition," Lyra smiled slyly.
"And that condition would be..." the sorceress began, unsure.
"Can you make me a little "present in advance"? I want to assist in your show."
"Come on, come all and behold the unforgettable miraculous show of the Humble and Penitent Trixie!"
Lyra swallowed hard and pondered once again if it was really worth it. Taking part in a show, especially in a complex stunt such as this one, was no small feat. Illusionists and their assistants could practice for years to achieve flawless precision. That little amount of time she spent preparing for the big event didn't feel even remotely adequate.
Still, each stage magic show has a mystery to unfold, the key to that mystery only available to the selected few. She wouldn't forgive herself if she'd missed the chance.
After all, didn't Trixie herself mention she needed an assistant?
The unicorn let her breath out and concentrated. As with many other stunts, picking the right moment here was paramount. Trixie relied on her. She simply could not fail!
"Each and every one of you knows how important the Moon is for ponies. It causes rising tides and ebbs, boggles our imagination, lights the way for travellers after dusk and occasionally serves as a place of exile for the less fortunate."
The sorceress paused, and there were several distinct chuckles in frosty air above Ponyville's village green. They quickly subsided, however. She cleared her throat, feeling the attention of dozens of pairs of eyes focusing on her again, and smiled confidently.
"One of our Royal Sisters, Princess Luna, is the patron of lightless hours and the master of the Moon. She bestows on us her night, the time for soothing and rest, she alone controls the movement of the Moon though the celestial spheres. So it is said," she swung her forelock to the side and gestured with her hoof, drawing around the square. "But is that true? Tonight we will uncover the truth. Tonight the Great and Powerful Trixie will make the Moon disappear!"
This time the silence that overhang the crowd was absolute. The ponies, hardly distinguishable in the gloom, looked at each other in shock and confusion. Soon the murmurs rose, apparently some could hardly believe what they've just heard. The posters promised them an "unforgettable holiday show" but were vague on the details.
"Please, hold your astonishment for a moment. Now pay attention and don't avert your eyes. Maybe there's a chance one of you is able to uncover the mystery behind the sorcery of the Great and Powerful Trixie?!" the illusionist raised her voice and smiled triumphantly. "Or maybe not. We shall see."
She raised her hoof, and all the spectators looked up following her gesture, to the freckled pancake of the full Moon hanging above the top of the stage's wooden frame. Tonight it seemed especially close.
"And now I need your help. Let us count to three!" Trixie stepped forward. "One!"
"Two..." a few forward rows picked up, and the sorceress pressed her eyes shut, her muzzle visibly straining.
"THREE!!!" screamed everypony in unison.
Say what you will about her, but the young sorceress knew a thing about keeping the tension. Lyra herself was so caught up in the act, she'd almost missed the right moment. Trying to steady her crazy beating heart she tugged the rope and put out the light at the telescope that they have transformed into an improvised gobo projector. The flash of floodlights that she momentarily uncovered blinded the onlookers, pyrotechnics near the stage thundering in accompaniment. And when the rumbling was over...
"It's gone!" somepony screamed.
"It's gone! The Moon is gone!"
Cries rolled over the crowd, covering a whole spectrum of reactions: bewilderment, shock, fear. Sounded like many couldn't believe what they just saw. Trying to put her own emotions in check, Lyra took a glance at Trixie and was amazed by her self-restrain. Not a single muscle trembled on the illusionist's muzzle. Anxiety of the public grew by the minute, however, and there was a rather serious reason.
There was no Moon.
Winter was late this year. If Lyra remembered it right, there were rumors that the farmers had trouble with their usual schedule, and Mayor Mare asked Cloudsdale authorities to postpone snowfalls for a while. Still, there was no way around the calendar. The air was winterly chilling, the dome of night skies peppered with stars crystal clear, resonant even, sure sign of a frosty morning thereafter.
And not even a hint of the Moon in it.
Lyra smiled in satisfaction. Everything went smooth, it seemed...
"Wait a minute," a familiar doubtful voice rose from the crowd. A moment later Lyra recognized it, even before the pink pony wearing a scarf and a knitted earflap hat came into the light near the stage. Pinkie Pie stretched her foreleg, pointing upwards. "Is that a smoke cover?"
The sorceress on the stage seemed to shift to a lighter shade of blue but still tried to look unmoved.
"Don't know what you mean, Pinkie Pie. You're just jealous that it was the Great and Powerful Trixie who sole the Moon, aren't you?"
"No way, Trixie!" Pinkie Pie proudly stood straight. "Come on everypony, let's make some wind!"
Lyra swallowed. Looked like the whole event was derailing quickly. How did Pinkie even see the smoke in this darkness? Was it her famous intuition? The unicorn couldn't remember a single Pinkie-sign talking about smoke covers or magic shows.
Meanwhile there was some movement near the podium. Pegasi were stepping forward, stretching their wings. Some of them, like Blossomforth, Cloud Chaser or Derpy, Lyra even knew by name. They all started working their wings on Pinkie's cue, creating a flow of wind. The drapes flapped, sticking to the scaffolds, and the dark air above the top of it adorned by a large plywood symbol of crescent and magic wand started to shift, confirming what Lyra already knew. There was a thick layer of theatrical smoke hanging above the stage, obscuring the view of spectators.
"A-ha!" Pinkie exclaimed in triumph when the presence of the smokescreen became obvious even to the least attentive guests. "It seems I have solved... your... riddle..."
Image of confidence on her face was replaced by a puzzled frown, then by utter confusion. Now-clear sky directly above them was full of stars, there was no trace of smoke.
No trace of the Moon either.
"You know, Pinkie," the voice from the podium responded, making heads turn once again to it. The sorceress was shockingly calm. "A great magician of old, Hoofdini, once said, "Scientific magic is a list of instructions leading to a predictable outcome. Real sorcery is in gifting others with a miracle."
Pinkie seemed ashamed, while Trixie smiled and flapped her cloak.
"But enough about this. As I've been saying, the Moon is very important for us ponies. Let us not offend Princess Luna and return it to its rightful place."
Lyra frowned in confusion, ignoring the uncertain giggles from the crowd. What's on her mind? This flap of the cloak, as they agreed prior to the show, meant the flash of floodlights. But why? She couldn't switch their telescope-turned-projector back on, without the smoke serving as its screen it was absolutely useless.
"One!" Trixie suggested, closing her eyes and concentrating.
"Two..." Pinkie and the pegasi around her continued. It looked like the pink pony had already forgotten about her little failure.
"THREE!!!" the crowd concluded.
Still puzzled, Lyra nevertheless did what she had to do: she tugged the rope, uncovering the floodlights. Squinting in anticipation of the flash to avoid being blinded herself, she looked intently into the sky, trying to remember where the Moon should be. She almost succeeded.
Full Moon was hanging in the cold sky exactly where it was supposed to. Surreal feeling was amplified by overarching silence and bleak, ghostly moonlight. In that moonlight both town square, all of its lightposts dark, and ponies in it looked fake.
Then the cheering began. Ponies yelled in approval and stomped their hooves in admiration.
"Thank you, thank you all! Ponyville has a special place in my heart, you're a wonderful audience!" Trixie bowed. "It is here where I first met my best friend and my Great and Powerful Assistant. Although she's not here today, I always knew I could get some help from one of you. Meet my short-term helper, Lyra Heartstrings!"
Lyra swallowed and clinched her eyes when the spotlights (and then the heads of ponies) turned to the small tent behind the last rows where she hid. This unexpected attention was not at all like the one at her lectures or music concerts. Still, the instinct trained by a multitude of performances kicked in where the head had failed. She felt herself rising up and bowing politely to the public.
Fireworks, mandatory for the finale, painted the sky, giving her the salvation she hoped for so badly right now. While she was busy catching her breath, Trixie's final words flowed above the crowd.
Lyra couldn't say she was left dissatisfied with the show. Delight of the public was contagious. Still, there was one question that was gnawing at her insides while she pushed through the multicolored crowd of onlookers.
How on Equus did Trixie manage to pull it off?
"It wasn't very fair!" she stated, diving behind the curtains. "Don't make such a face, Trixie Lulamoon!"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie has kept her word," the sorceress proudly raised her muzzle. "I have no idea what are you talking about."
"You didn't tell me how your stunt was performed, not entirely! Come on, Trixie, you can trust me! I'm..." Lyra paused for a bit, then swallowed her pride and continued. "I'm a famous conspiracy theorist, I can keep a secret! Who would believe me, anyway?"
"Trixie never promised you the secret."
"No really, she didn't," Pinkie intervened. "I keep track on all the promises here and there was no mention of the secret."
Lyra was taken aback.
"Pinkie Pie? Where did you... How did you get in here?"
"Duh," pink pony waved her scarf. "I went to the backstage, silly! It's about time for a "Happy-Homecoming-Trixie" party."
"You know," Trixie hesitated before continuing. "This place really becomes the closest to what I can truly call 'home'. Thank you for you help."
"Wait," Lyra frowned. "She was helping you, too? And who else was on the list? Half of Ponyville?"
"Come on, "half of Ponyville"," Dash retorted, pulling the curtain aside and joining them. She was wearing a dark purple costume with black patches and lightning-shaped golden cuffs. Lyra found it vaguely familiar. "I'm awesome, no doubt about it, but "half of Ponyville"? Seriously?"
"Rainbow Dash?" Lyra felt her head starting to swell. "You too?"
"Couldn't miss the biggest prank of the year," Rainbow Dash grinned. "Especially when the year as almost done."
"My head is starting to hurt," Lyra complained.
"Doesn't sound very fun," Pinkie observed.
"Chillax," Rainbow shoved her with a hoof cloaked in dark. "We're going to a little afterparty at the Sugarcube Corner. Join us. There won't be another chance to try Pinkie's eggnog until the very celebration day! So whacha say, you're game?"
The unicorn sighed.
"Yeah, count me in. Can't believe I'm the only one in the dark about how Trixie did the trick."
Trixie smiled wickedly, wrapping her cloak tighter.
"You're the famous conspiracy theorist. Put it together."
Lyra's eyes narrowed in irritation but then the words sunk deeper. The sorceress had a point. Bon Bon won't be back till Hearth's Warming...
She smiled. There were mystery and eggnog, the Moon was shining peacefully in the sky, and midnight was a long, long time away.
Body of the message: Object "Magic" with accompanying person left for Crystal Empire from Ponyville station on schedule. Illusions of object "Trickster" continue to increase in complexity. Latest performance in Ponyville was directly related to the Moon. My assessment is, it is worth Your personal attention. Zeta, signing off.
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