Saving Face
"Here you are! One more bag from the prop shop!"
"T-Trixie, I don't know if-"
"Come! We have only six more stops!"
Trixie trots along the dirt path ahead of you, ignoring the ever-increasing pain in your shoulders as she tosses yet another shopping bag into your arms. This is the tenth one, and you're not sure how much more of this you can endure. Yet, you'll still try your best. For her.
You came to Equestria a few years ago. All it took was a freak accident combined with being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You plopped down on the middle of a stage in front of a small crowd of talking ponies, who seemed extremely impressed by your sudden appearance. You were then shown off by an anxious-looking blue mare in a magician's outfit who was on the stage next to you. She was referring to you as her "familiar," and to say that you were confused would be an understatement. Once you got to your feet, she promptly ended the show before dragging you backstage.
And then she immediately hit you in the face with a blast of what you would later understand to be magic from her horn.
Apparently, she was attempting to show off a "summon familiar" spell but, knowing that the spell had never actually been successfully cast in all of history, had planned to use a mixture of smoke and mirrors to make it SEEM like she had summoned a familiar. As such, it came as a real shock to both of you when the spell produced... well, you.
And you, of course, are not a familiar.
You meet none of the conditions of what a familiar should be. You're fully corporeal. You're a species that these ponies have never even heard of. And most of all, there's the itty bitty teeny tiny fact that you're, you know, a living breathing person with a life to get back to. For her part, the magician (which you quickly came to realize is named Trixie) was extremely apologetic, and took you to her friend Starlight Glimmer right away to see what could be done. In the meantime, you were trying to process the fact that you had been transported to an alien world full of talking ponies and real magic.
The next few hours were a whirlwind. Starlight was baffled that Trixie apparently summoned you, her teacher, Princess Twilight Sparkle, was just as confused, and HER teacher, Princess Celestia, also couldn't offer an explanation. It was as if Trixie had performed a small miracle and summoned a life out of the ether. This, of course, led to the horrifying realization that no one knows how to send you back home, or if it is even possible. That said, they did quickly ban Trixie from using that spell again.
With no other options and nowhere else to turn to, Starlight Glimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle decided to take you in and let you live in the Castle of Friendship with them in the small town of Ponyville. Trixie, meanwhile, lives in a wagon used for travel, but she spends most of her time situated in Ponyville as well.
It took you quite some time to adjust. After all, you did just lose everything you had ever known. That's a lot to go through with no warning whatsoever. Plus, in this new world of yours, you're a bit of an outcast. You're the only human in all of Equestria, so these ponies had no idea what to make of you at first. Thankfully, pretty much all of them are incredibly nice, and their hospitality made your transition all that much easier. You still had to acclimate yourself to a society made for quadrupeds that doesn't have much modern technology and doesn't eat meat, but at least you're alive.
However, the biggest thing you had to get used to was magic. Magic simply isn't a thing in your original world, but here, more or less everything is magic. Heck, unicorns can cast spells and that sort of thing. The whole concept captured your imagination and gave you a renewed sense of childlike wonder when exploring this new world.
Perhaps it's for that reason that Trixie's stage magic didn't bother you in the least. In fact, in only made you more interested in the mare.
Of course, stage magic existed in your world, too, but Trixie is different. Her magic isn't entirely fake. In fact, most of her acts DO involve real magic. She simply uses it in such a way that allows her to wow her audience. You know, like a performer is SUPPOSED to do.
You never really understood why her shows get so little attention.
You were given the lowdown on Trixie's past and the mistakes she had made. Eventually, she stopped acting like a cruel braggart and downright villain and started acting like an actual performer. This was reinforced when she became friends with Starlight Glimmer, though there is still one major issue she is dealing with. Even though Twilight, Starlight, and many of your other friends have forgiven her, the general populous has not. To say that her shows aren't popular would be a bit of an understatement. Her reputation proceeds her, you suppose.
Well, that's their problem. You, meanwhile, haven't missed a single performance (in Ponyville) since she summoned you.
Not even her best friend Starlight can say that. You just find her performances... well, for lack of a better term, "magical." You can tell that she puts a great deal of effort into every performance, and no two shows are the same. Sure, she makes mistakes sometimes, but she always gets back up and runs with it! Even when she isn't performing, you can see her practicing from the balcony outside your room in the castle late at night for hours on end. It isn't just the magic (real or otherwise) that has you so enamored, it's HER. And somehow, you seem to have gotten her attention, too.
In hindsight, it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise that she took a vested interest in you. After all, it's HER fault that you're here in the first place. And yet, while many ponies found you confusing or even scary, she found you downright fascinating. This feeling only grew when you kept coming to her shows, enthusiastically cheering her on like no one has done before. She likes to put on a cocky and confident facade, but you learned the night you met her that it's all an act. Considering that before meeting you she only had one real friend, she definitely seemed to jump at the chance to be around someone that actually appreciates what she does.
And thus, the two of you continued to grow closer and closer. You became a close friend of hers, right alongside Starlight. She had you take part in a few of her shows, and you have always trusted in her ability to not mess up (even if she still does sometimes). Then, a few months ago, she wanted to speak to you in private after returning from another one of her tours. Once there, she broke down crying, explaining that across all of Equestria, she didn't sell a single ticket. She was tired, she was hungry, and most of all, her self-esteem was at an all-time low. You comforted her throughout the night, and the next day you enlisted Starlight's help to keep Trixie's spirits up.
She was at her all-time lowest, and her first instinct was to come to you.
Once she got back on her hooves so to speak and started performing in Ponyville once more, a sense of normalcy finally began to return to her. Ironically, she is more popular here than anywhere else, but that isn't really saying much. Still, it's enough for her to at least feed herself. But something had changed between the two of you. After that night, she seemed more willing to drop her "great and powerful" act in front of you. Well, in private at least. She has to save face somehow, you suppose.
Then, lo and behold, about a month ago she invited you out to dinner. That just meant The Hay Burger, but you understand that that was probably the best she could afford at the time. You were flattered, and she made something quite clear that evening: She was interested in becoming more than just friends with you. Not counting her breakdown a few months prior, it was the most earnest she had ever been with you, and it was in that moment that you realized you wanted the same thing. Thus, the two of you became official.
...Well, sort of.
In actuality, almost nothing has changed between the two of you. She was already extremely open with you behind closed doors, and when in public, she still uses her "great and powerful" persona, meaning she most certainly isn't treating you like a romantic partner. Oh, well. You won't complain. You are in love with that mare, after all.
Thus, we return to the present, where Trixie has dragged you along with her for her daily errands. As you lag behind her with the copious amount of bags full of junk she has bought, you can't help but feel like Spike when Rarity drags him around with her. However, you swallow your pride and continue to follow Trixie around the town, doing your best to pretend like your arms aren't in agony.
Finally, Trixie walks back up to you. She has to approach you from the side to see your face past the mountain of bags in your arms.
"Rejoice, Anon, for Trixie has decided to reward your diligence with peanut butter crackers!"
"I, uh, thank you, Trixie. But maybe we could-"
"Here, Trixie will add them to the pile."
She levitates the small packet of snacks onto the mountain of bags, making it just that little bit heavier.
"We have only a couple more stops! Let's go, Anon!"
She trots off once again. You groan and do your best to follow your blissfully unaware marefriend to wherever the wind takes her.
You find yourself back in Trixie's wagon, relishing the opportunity to rest your poor, aching arms. Trixie, meanwhile, is stashing away the many things she bought throughout the day and making use of some of said things. You munch on a peanut butter cracker that got smashed under the bags that she continued to pile on top of them during those last few stops.
"What do you think? Too much?"
She is showing off an idea she had for her show later tonight, wherein she dims the lights and does a part of her performance in the dark. In order to make her figure easier to see, she plans to put a copious amount of glow sticks around her body. Right now, she's covered head to hoof in said glow sticks, and she looks a bit ridiculous. You can't help but laugh at the sight.
"Yeah, it's definitely too much. Even if it didn't look as silly as it does, it would hinder your movement."
"Should I remove some of the glow sticks around my waist?"
"H-here, let's go for a minimalist approach."
You stand up and make your way to Trixie before you start gingerly removing glow sticks from her body. She takes insanely good care of her coat, and she is incredibly soft to the touch because of it. You notice that she's blushing a bit at your touch, but you decide not to bring it up as you take off ten, twenty... well, a LOT of glow sticks.
Finally, you step back to admire your work. There aren't many anymore, just enough to give a vague approximation of her figure. One near each hoof, one on each leg right below her belly, one near the base of her tail, one around her neck, and one around her horn. You turn the lights off and let her look at herself in a mirror.
"Ooo! I think you're right about the minimalist thing! It leaves a bit more to the imagination!"
"You'll probably need to remove the hat and cape during this segment, though."
"I was already planning on it, but thank you, Anon."
You smile at her. You're used to it, but sometimes you're still taken off guard at just how different she is when you're alone together. She's much kinder, more earnest, and she doesn't refer to herself in the third person. This is the "real" Trixie, the mare you know and love.
"So, you all ready for tonight, then?"
"Almost. I still need to decide on a finale. Er, speaking of..." She slowly turns to look at you with wide eyes and a sheepish grin. "I was hoping that maybe... you'd be willing to volunteer again?"
"Sure! I'm still no good at public speaking, but I'm always willing to assist when you need it."
"Oh, thank you so much, Anon!"
"Which is it this time? Need me to activate a trapdoor? Escape offstage to make it look like you turned me into an animal? Launch you out of a cannon, maybe?"
"Actually, I was hoping to try something new."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"I-I may have been studying... chaos magic?"
She looks at you with the most guilty expression you've ever seen, but you don't really see what the big deal is.
"Okay? Are you confident that you can pull it off?"
"...Yup!"
That was the least convincing "yup" you've ever heard.
"Well, okay then. What is the trick?"
"That's the kicker: It isn't a trick this time."
"What, so it's going to be a real spell?"
"Yes. You've seen my 'saw a pony in half' trick before, right?"
"Only dozens of times."
"Well this time, I'm actually going to do it. I'm going to show the cross-section of the box and everything!"
"W-wait, you're ACTUALLY going to saw me in half?!"
"With chaos magic! Discord does it all the time!"
"He's also the LORD of chaos, Trixie!"
"C-come on, don't you have faith in me?"
You look at her big, pleading eyes.
...
Dang it, you just can't say no to that face. You sigh.
"Fine. But you're paying my hospital bill if something goes wrong."
"You have yourself a deal! Now come on! Let's go talk to Starlight!"
"Why?"
"Gonna need her there in case I mess up- I MEAN so that we have at least one guaranteed audience member!"
"...Alright."
Thus, the two of you depart from the wagon and head for the Castle of Friendship.
"No, absolutely not!"
"Why nooooooooooooot?"
"Trixie, you're going to get him killed!"
"I've been practicing, Starlight! Honest! I know I can do it!"
"A couple weeks of practice isn't enough for something like this! Not even Twilight and I can do chaos magic!"
"Starlight, once you see it, you'll-"
"I said no!"
"..."
Trixie looks at the ground in dismay. Starlight looks at her first with anger, then with pity.
"Look, I promise I'll help you practice that spell a bit more. But until I can confirm with my own eyes that you're ready, I just can't approve of this!"
"Anon does!"
Starlight sighs and turns to look at you.
"Do you honestly think she can do it?"
You hesitate for the briefest of moments before you shake your head and look Starlight dead in the eyes.
"Yes."
"Have you seen her do it before?"
"No."
"Then how can you be so certain that she won't kill you?"
"I'm not certain." Trixie looks up at you in surprise, a look of having been betrayed evident on her face. "But I do trust her. If she says she can do it, I believe her."
Trixie lets out a sigh of relief and gives you a guilty smile. Starlight groans.
"Look, I know Trixie is your best friend, but you can't keep putting yourself in danger on her behalf like this. Remember the shark tank?"
You shudder.
"Yes, I remember the shark tank, but we both learned a lot from that experience!" Starlight gives you a very judgemental look. "And by the way, I don't know if she's told you, but we're not just friends anymo-"
"What Anon is saying is that he believes in me. I'm sorry Starlight, but I'm going to be performing the spell whether you like it or not." She glares at Starlight with a surprising amount of annoyance. Trixie has always held Starlight in high regard, and you've never seen her stick up for her own abilities like this before. But also... why did she cut you off there? "If my best friend believes in me, then that's all I need!"
"T-Trixie, you-"
"Let's go, Anon! We need to get the stage ready!"
A blue glow surrounds you as Trixie drags you away from Starlight using her magic. Despite what most say about her, Trixie's magic is actually pretty darn strong. What she lacks in talent she more than makes for in effort, and you have to give her props for that.
Once you're outside the castle, the large doors that make up the entryway slam shut behind you. Trixie sighs and looks at you with a smile.
"Well, that didn't go as well as I expected. Oh well! We'll show her!"
"Hey, Trixie?"
"Hm?"
"Why didn't you want her to know that we're dating?"
"O-oh... that... well, you see..." Trixie kicks at the dirt and does everything in her power to avoid looking you in the eyes. "I'm just... not sure she'd... approve?"
"Since when has that mattered? You literally just shrugged off the fact that she doesn't approve of you trying this spell."
"W-well, that's..."
You glare at her. A few possibilities run through your head. Most would probably be angry in this scenario, but you can't help but feel... sad.
"Trixie, are you embarrassed to be seen as my partner?"
"N-no! Not at all!"
"Then why hide it?"
Trixie looks around anxiously. There are a few ponies around that can hear your discussion, and she sighs.
"Can we discuss this back in the wagon?"
"...I suppose."
Trixie sits down on her worn-down couch next to you, still avoiding direct eye contact.
"Anon... I like you. I like you a lot."
"Yes?"
"And having you in my life has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. I've... I've never had someone that cares about me as much as you do. I mean, Starlight is an incredible friend, but... you're different."
"So, why try to hide our relationship?"
Trixie lets out a deep sigh and hesitates for a long, quiet moment before speaking up again.
"Trixie Lulamoon and 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' may as well be two different ponies. The fact of the matter is that I am a performer. For ponies like me, image is everything. Every little thing I do in public reflects on my stage persona. If I trip and fall on my way to the library... to those around me, that isn't Trixie stumbling over herself on a quiet Sunday afternoon, that's 'The Great and Powerful Trixie making another mistake.' And... I've already made quite enough mistakes, I think."
"...So, I'm just another mistake for The Great and Powerful Trixie?"
"N-no! You aren't a mistake!" She looks at you with wide eyes, but her words seem earnest. She sighs once more before continuing. "That fact that I... that 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' summoned you here against your will hasn't been forgotten. I mean, yeah, you've gotten pretty popular among the Ponyville populous, but that doesn't mean everypony just forgot that you didn't come here of your own volition, or that you can't go home. I can't bring myself to pretend like we aren't at least friends, but if word got out that we were in a relationship... rumors would fly."
"Like what?"
"Perhaps The Great and Powerful Trixie coerced you into a relationship, since nopony in their right mind would ever date her willingly. Perhaps she feels bad about what she's done and is only humoring you out of obligation. It... doesn't really matter. Knowing who The Great and Powerful Trixie is... who I am... rumors will spread about you."
"Trixie, I-"
"I don't care if ponies spread rumors about me. I got used to that a long time ago." Trixie begins holding back tears, her voice becoming a bit more shaky as she talks. "But I don't want anypony thinking you're a victim. You hate being pitied."
"That I do."
After taking a deep breath to compose herself, Trixie looks you in the eyes once more.
"I don't like hiding our relationship. But until I can find a way to separate the two ponies that I have to be, I don't see much of a choice."
"Trixie, I really don't mind if rumors start going around about me. You think the weird fur-less alien walking around doesn't attract gossipers?"
Trixie lets out an empty chuckle.
"You deserve better than that, Anon."
"So do you, Trixie." She blushes a bit and looks away from you, but says nothing. "I'd rather let the world know who we really are. Who you really are. I mean, THEY'RE the ones missing out. Trixie Lulamoon is a pretty great gal."
Her blush deepens and she playfully hits you on the shoulder.
"Shut up, Anon. L-let's go get the stage set up."
You laugh.
"Sure, Trixie."
Eventually, the sun set and Trixie's show began. As her assistant for the evening, you helped with setting things up and clearing off the stage between her different tricks, and the performance has been going very well. Her glow stick segment was a particular highlight, and you can practically feel her confidence growing as the night goes on.
That said, she still hasn't attracted the biggest crowd. There are maybe fifteen ponies in the audience out of a hundred chairs, but by Trixie's standards, that's a good turnout. You even see that Starlight showed up after all, though she's seated near the very back behind the other attendees.
Finally, the moment comes. You roll out the big, gaudy box that Trixie plans to stuff you into. To say that you're nervous would be an understatement, but you can't let Trixie know that.
"And for our final act, The Great and Powerful Trixie will saw her human assistant in half!"
A few of the younger ponies in the audience start to clap, but most simply stare at her in boredom.
"But Trixie is not so naive as to think that you haven't seen this one before. That is why, this time, the magic itself will be shown to you front and center! No separate boxes here, folks! You'll get to see a true bisection as Trixie's magic miraculously leaves Anon completely unharmed!"
There is even less applause than before as the crowd actively begins to appear fearful of what they're about to see. Trixie turns to look at you and nods. You gulp and slowly begin to crawl into the box. Sure enough, you're properly laying down inside. No bent knees or false walls here.
Trixie shuts the box on top of you, leaving your head and feet exposed on opposite ends. You look at her, doing your best to not appear as panicked as you feel. She gives you a smile and turns to the crowd once more.
"Watch as The Great and Powerful Trixie performs a miracle never before seen by ponykind!"
Trixie's horn glows blue as she levitates a saw over the box. She smirks as the saw begins to lower over your torso area. Suddenly, you watch Trixie begin to concentrate as the magic from her horn begins to change color. Her recognizable blue magic slowly morphs into an almost ethereal rainbow-like color. She bites her own tongue as the magic surrounding the saw changes to the same color as that surrounding her horn and continues cutting through the box.
You wince. In just a couple of seconds, that saw is going to reach your stomach. You really, really hope Trixie knows what she is doing. Instinctively, you close your eyes and prepare for the worst.
...
...
...Huh?
You open your eyes again as the sound of the box being sawed in half comes to a stop. Trixie looks at you with an excited smile, then turns back to the crowd.
"Behold, the true magical prowess of The Great and Powerful Trixie!"
Trixie turns both halves of the box to show the audience the bisection. You feel a breeze wash over your... insides?
Sure enough, the audience is given a clear view of your body, cut completely in half. Your innards are totally visible on both sides, yet nothing gushes out. Instead, a completely smooth, glass-like magic aura, identical to that which was coming from Trixie's horn moments ago, gently shimmers over the spaces where you have been cut. For your part, you feel completely fine. A bit chilly, perhaps, but fine.
The audience is quiet for a moment. Their eyes are as wide as can be, and even Starlight is looking on in complete amazement. Then, all at once, the crowd begins to cheer. The cheering is loud and full of excitement, something Trixie has never gotten before. The cheering is so loud and unexpected, it attracts the attention of even more ponies that were just passing by. Sure enough, within the span of a minute, almost all of the seats have been filled. They... didn't pay for tickets, but you're pretty sure Trixie doesn't care. The light in her eyes and the smile on her face is all you need to know how she's feeling.
"Thank you, thank you! And now, watch as Trixie puts her assistant back together, good as new!"
Trixie's blue magic returns to her horn as she places the two halves of the box back together. Just as she does so, you feel a great weight settle in your chest, and you feel the air escape from your lungs. Winded, you try to catch your breath, and as you do so, Trixie opens the top of the box once more. Realizing that this is your cue, you sit up and crawl out of the box, clenching at your gut. Sure enough, it's good as new.
The crowd goes absolutely wild as Trixie turns the now-empty box once more, proving that it was, in fact, sawed in half with you inside. Trixie cannot hold in her laughter, and you give both her and the crowd a smile. The lights shine on the two of you as Trixie takes a bow, and you follow suit. The crowd continues to cheer as the curtains surrounding the stage begin to close.
But just before they can, you bend over and pick Trixie up off of the ground. She gasps in surprise as you do so, and in that moment, you completely ignore the crowd of ponies watching you. Instead, you pull her towards yourself and place your lips against hers. Her eyes go wide in shock, but only for a moment.
Realizing in that moment of passion that she no longer cares what the crowd watching thinks, she pushes back in an effort to return the kiss, just as the curtains finally close and cut you off from the crowd's line of sight once more.
The sound of the crowd's cheers doesn't die down. After a few long, tender seconds, you pull back to give both of you time to breathe.
"Good job, Trixie."
"...Heh. I couldn't have done it without you. I appreciate you, Anon. Really."
"Enough to forgive me for... you know..."
"Only if you promise to rehearse that part a bit more with me when we're on our own."
"Haha! You have a deal." You both share a laugh as the sound of the cheering crowd finally starts to die down, indicating that they're dispersing once more. "So... what now?"
"I'm not sure. I've never had a show quite like this one before. I feel like I should be celebrating or something."
"...Wanna go to The Hay Burger?"
She lets out a warm, genuine laugh. It's cute.
"I'd like that."
The two of you sneak away from the stage and begin making your way towards your dinner. Being Trixie's boyfriend is certainly an interesting experience, and it requires a lot more from you than you were initially expecting. But you know what?
You wouldn't trade it for the world.