Chapter 8: Small Town, Small Talk

The two mares stopped the cart in the square of the small cluster. First Light didn't expect that they would get many ponies to attend, but a show was a show, and money was money. They needed to eat something, and food requires money as Trixie frequently reminded First Light. The two of them had quite a bit of money from the last show, so as soon as they put the chocks under the wheels of the trailer, they immediately began to search for a restaurant of some sort.

“There's one!” First Light beamed as she bounced towards a little building with the word 'Cafe' on the front. The letters were faded, but still apparent, as First Light noticed. The little building had been painted white, but had become stained and dulled over the years. There were a few chairs and tables on the patio, all in sub-par conditions. The whole place looked sketchy, but it promised a meal, and neither First Light nor Trixie could complain about such a promise.

A little bell jingled as the door to the cafe was jostled open. There was a mare behind the counter at the other end of the small room who seemed to be the opposite of her surroundings. The restaurant was dull and depressing, but the mare behind the counter seemed all too happy to see two new faces. She was a plump mare with a pink mane and blue fur, with dimples in her cheeks from constantly smiling. Before Trixie and First Light were even through the door, they were hit with the aroma of hot soup and fresh bread, causing their stomachs to growl in unison.

“Well, what can I get you?” The happy mare smiled wider, if possible, as if she heard the hungry tummies of the two mares.

“Whatever smells so good.” Trixie moaned, taking deep breaths through her snout to absorb as much of the odour as possible.

“I second that...” First Light nodded, almost drooling at the smell.

“Sure thing.” The mare turned away from them for a moment and stepped over to the stove behind her. She masterfully poured two bowls of piping-hot soup and slid them onto the counter before heading back to retrieve a basket of bread.

“How much will this all be?” Trixie asked, staring down at the food which looked like a gourmet meal after a long day of walking.

“Well, normally...” The jolly mare looked down at the counter where she had a list of prices scratched onto a piece of paper. “It would all be about fifteen bits.”

First Light's stomach growled louder than before.

“But...” The mare bobbed her head from side to side. “You two seem like you've had one hay of a day, so how's an even ten bits sound?”

“That sounds awsome!” First Light smiled back.

“It smells even better...” Trixie mumbled as she magically fished the bits out of her hat and dropped them onto the counter next to the soup.

Their horns lighting up, Trixie and First Light took up their bowls and bread and headed for the nearest table. Instead of being proper or polite and using the spoon awaiting her, Trixie dropped her head into the bowl and began lapping up the soup. First Light followed suit, pausing for breath only when she really needed to.

“My, you must have been hungry.” The mare at the counter noted.

“Very.” First Light nodded, her bowl empty and her stomach mildly contented.

“When was the last time you ate?” The mare joked. “You look like you haven't had a good meal in days.”

“Not since yesterday morning.” Trixie shook her head, completely ignoring the joking tone of the chef's voice.

“Oh my!” She blinked, her smile almost becoming a mere grin. “Would you care for some more?”

“I would care very much.” Trixie nodded, levitating her bowl and First Light's over to the counter along with ten more bits.

“Thank you!” First Light called back into the restaurant as the two mares headed back to the trailer to prepare for the show. Their stomachs were full, and now they could focus on the task at hand.

First Light began helping in every way she could. Since she was still new to the show, she still just did as she was told; moving things, putting things up, taking things down, not putting things there, learning what could and could not be licked. All in all the operation was a little bumpy, but the show was set up, and that was all that mattered at that point. As they put the final touches on the set up, a group of ponies had begun to gather around them, wondering what all the noise was about.
“I'll go get ready backstage.” Trixie whispered into First Light's ear. “You keep the crowd entertained while I prepare.”

“Sure thing.” First Light nodded, turning to Trixie and looking her in the eye. “Break a leg.”

Trixie smiled and hurried into the trailer which was serving as backstage. The sun had set and the lamps around the square were lit, but the light they provided paled in comparison to the white-hot spotlights Trixie and First Light had set up.

First Light cleared her throat. “She-ponies and He-ponies! Creatures of all shapes and sizes, lend me your ears!” She shot a rainbow of sparks into the air.

“Why would we want to do that?” A pony in the back called out. Either his or her voice was assaulted by an odd accent, or he had no idea how to speak plain English. “I need my ears.”

First Light internally sighed, pretending to ignore the comment. “Tonight may very well be the best night of your young lives! Tonight, you will be witness to some of the most spectacular tricks ever performed on stage anywhere in Equestria! You will hear tales of bravery and terror, of love and loss, of creatures you may never have seen before!” First Light jumped into the air and spread her wings in a flourish of colour and light, causing the audience to gasp in awe.

First Light was now out of filler and needed a sign that she could introduce Trixie. She stepped back and looked to see if Trixie would give her the go ahead. Unfortunately, she saw nothing, and needed to continue with filler somehow.

First Light looked around nervously. “Please, folks, put your hooves together for the fantastic, stupendous,super, cool, awesome, epic, totally not bogus, incredible, indispensable, irreplaceable, insurmountable, inedible-”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie burst forth from the trailer, prompting cheers out of the crowd. She side stepped over to First Light while the applause were still raining down. “Laid it on a teensy bit thick there, eh?”

“Sorry.” First Light blushed. She walked off stage to where she could magically control the lights for a dramatic effect throughout the show. As Trixie began to spin her tale before the crowd, First Light studied how Trixie drew the observers in with a mastery of showmanship and dramatic effects. Although all of her stories were made up, she managed to paint a realistic enough picture for her audience, inciting gasps and cheers.

When the show was said and done, Trixie and First Light sat comfortably in the trailer which was now a trailer again. Trixie sat counting the money they had been graced with, and First Light calmly lay on the floor, resting after a long walk and a short show.

“That was a pretty good turnout for a small town.” Trixie smiled at the bits that were now arranged neatly.

“I thought so.” First Light nodded, ushering in a silence which made Trixie uneasy.

In her unease, she had time for a memory to rush into her mind. “Are you alright?”

First Light rolled her head back to make eye contact with Trixie. “What do you mean?”

“After what I said earlier...” Trixie bit her lip. “I realize that it wasn't in very good taste.”

“What do you mean?” First Light was obviously confused.

“Well, you know...” Trixie nodded, as if it would throw a switch in First Light's head.

“No, I really don't.” First Light frowned.

“When you had the slip with your name.” Trixie forced the words out. “You slipped back to your old name. You were trying to make me feel more positive, and I just kind of shot you down.”

“It's 'kay.” First Light shrugged.

Trixie scowled. “No. No it really isn't.”

“What's wrong?” First Light cocked her head, startled by the sudden anger in Trixie's voice.

“Way too often, ponies say that everything is okay when it's not.” Trixie shook her head. “They treat it like a cure-all for the situation, like just because they say everything is okay, it is.”

“Trixie...” First Light rolled over to look Trixie in the eye from the right side. “I'm not saying it's okay just to shut you up or anything. What I mean is that you don't need to worry about it. I didn't take it personally. But...” First Light stood up and stepped slowly over to where Trixie sat. She put a hoof over Trixie's shoulder and pulled her in for a gentle hug. “I accept your apology.”

With her head over First Light's shoulder, the cog-wheels in Trixie's head began to spin, concocting a way she could possibly show her new friend what she meant to her. To Trixie, First Light was not just a friend, she was her closest friend. Sure, she had fans, but that was not the same. First Light meant something more than just blind compliments, she had been kind to her without even knowing who she was. It may have been a small gesture, but she wanted to do something big for First Light. If only she could think of something.

The hug broke as First Light pulled her hoof back. She paced back over to where she had lay before, and flopped back down on the floor. Her eyes almost instantly grew heavy. Her limbs felt numb as her vision blurred and she could feel a sinking sensation as the world grew dark around her.

Author's Note

-I'm glad the two of them are starting to come together. What could Trixie be planning? Stay tuned and find out!
-Cog Out.