It runs in the family.

Chapters

Look who's coming to town.
The big reveal.
The grand finale.

Look who's coming to town.

The clock struck three on a sunny afternoon and the street was suddenly taken over by a mass of unicorn colts and fillies scurrying out of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns; all except for two fillies: a random purple pony with her face buried in a book several levels above what her classmates could begin to comprehend, and a pale blue filly with an even paler shade of blue hair that curled slightly at the tips.

Trixie meandered away from the crowd and sat below an oak tree within the nearby park. She began to draw stars in the sand as she continued to stifle tears that had begun to leak. “So what if I’m a blank flank, it doesn’t mean I’m not good at magic; or that I don’t belong there.” Trixie lightly kicked a pebble across the dirt and laid her head down in her front legs with a heavy sigh, “Who am I kidding? The only reason I’m even in this school is because I sneezed and filled the room with sparks.”

Trixie closed her eyes and thought back on the day of her entrance exam. Even though she had the fiercest runny nose, her mother insisted that she go to this exam instead of waiting until the one the following month. All she had to do was pour the tea into the cup and float it over to the instructor. This was already difficult because the headache she had made her see three tea pots and an unmeasurable amount of cups. “Mom,” a younger Trixie moaned, “I don’t feel so good. Can’t I just do it another time?”

“Oh don’t worry dear,” exclaimed her mother, Sunflower Shine. “You just have a case of the butterflies.” She raised her hoof and nudged Trixie closer to the tea set.

Trixie closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning and took a deep breath. With all her might, she focused any energy she could muster and focused it directly at the tea set. The pot and cup began to tremor on the table. The instructor leaned forward to get a good judge of the magic. Just as the pot began to lift, Trixie sneezed and a blinding light shot out of the spout. The ball of light bounced off of every wall like the room was an oversized pinball machine. Sunflower and instructors alike dove for cover while Trixie watched the light careen across the room. After several bounces, the ball stopped in the middle of the room and exploded, sending smaller balls of different colored sparkling light everywhere, even some out the window; one of the lights knocking the crown off of a nearby flying Celestia.

The sparks fizzled out and everyone came out of their hiding spots staring at a beaming Trixie. One of the instructors started blowing off a small fire on his clipboard when he noticed Princess Celestia enter the room. Trixie had not noticed her presence and was confused thinking their bowing was them bracing for another incoming spark. She turned and saw a looming Celestia standing over her with a smoldering crown atop her head. Trixie coward to the floor knowing full well that the smoke and cracked gem could only have been caused by one of her flying pieces of shrapnel. “I’m sorry princess. I didn’t mean to cause such a mess or strike you.”

Trixie flinched when she felt a hoof lightly lift her head. “What is your name little one,” questioned Celestia in her usual soft tone.

“T-t-trixe. My name is Trixie Lulamoon.”

“I see great potential in you. And to see you performed such great a feat in less than perfect conditions,” she placed a napkin to Trixie’s nose to which she instinctively blew into. “How would you like to learn more about your magic at my school?”

Trixie gasped and began to prance around. “Yes yes yes…whoa,” Trixie stumbled as her dizziness came back.

“Very well then. I will have the instructors provide the paperwork to your mother and I hope to see you in class very soon.”

Trixie was snapped out of her flashback by a loose piece of paper that had violently smacked her in the face. “What the hay?!” She pulled the parchment from her face, and was about to throw it, until she caught a quick glimpse at the picture. She looked at it closer and saw a stallion standing on his hind legs being surrounded by stars and swirls shooting out from behind him. At the top read a banner The Fabulous and Fantastic Jackpot. Trixie scanned it further and saw that it was an advertisement for a magic show that was coming to Canterlot. The poster filled her with a rush of excitement. She neatly rolled up the poster and placed it into her school bag. In the blink of an eye, she sprinted out of the park and made her way home.

***

Sunflower Shine stood in the kitchen preparing dinner for her and Trixie. The sweet smell of freshly cut daisies hung in the air, tickling her nose ever so slightly. The smell mixed nicely with the sound of Neightoveen playing from her record in the living room. She became lost in her senses and begun to sway with the music while she hummed the melody. She was rudely shaken out of her blissful state by the sound of a door slamming against the wall, the screeching of the needle across the record, and a little filly screaming at the top of her lungs.

“MOM! I’M HOME! YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GUESS WHAT I FOUND!”

“I’m hoping a volume switch,” mumbled Sunflower. She rounded the corner and saw Trixie still standing in the open door, breathing heavily as if she had just ran a marathon. “So what has you in a tizzy my little firecracker?”

Trixie rolled her eyes at the name. She never liked the nicknames her mother gave her, but she was at least glad she stopped calling her ‘sparkle’, a name she will loath till her dying day. She reached back in her bag and unfurled it for her mother, “Look at this. It’s a picture of a great magician, and he’s coming to our town next month. Can we go see him?”

Sunflower took the poster from Trixie and examined it. “Jackpot huh? That’s a name I haven’t heard in years. He always did tell me I’d see his name in the papers one day, I just always thought it would be in the arrest reports.” She pulled the paper away from her gaze and saw Trixie staring at her wide eyed with astonishment.

“You know who he is?”

Sunflower sucked some air through her teeth. She was unaware she had said that out loud, let alone loud enough for Trixie to hear. “Well,” Sunflower thought quickly for damage control, “a little bit. We knew each other in the past, but not for very long.” Trixie started to dance in place looking as if she had to pee. Sunflower chuckled at the sight of her daughter. “I did know him long enough to pick up a few tricks though.” Trixie began to dance even harder until her mother motioned her to calm herself, which resulted in her becoming as still as stone and planting herself in a sitting position. Sunflower placed her hoof behind Trixie’s left ear, and with a flick, pulled it back to reveal a single bit. Trixie gasped and grabbed the bit from her mother’s hoof. She turned it over, examining every inch of it, hoping to figure out how something so big was pulled out of her ear. Sunflower had to stifle a laugh realizing Trixie never noticed her grab the bit off of the counter top behind her head.

“How did you do that,” Trixie asked with anticipation.

“Ah, another thing he taught me was that a good magician never reveals their secrets.”

Trixie thought for a moment, “But he told you.”

Sunflower was surprised at her remark. She flashed a sly grin and pulled Trixie into her, messing up her main with her hoof, “Somepony is getting a bit too smart.” They both laughed while playfully wrestling with each other. As they settled down, Sunflower pointed at the counter, “I pulled the coin off of there.”

Trixie looked at the counter, then at the coin. After she had put the two together, she turned to her mother, “That’s cheating!”

Sunflower laughed, “On the contrary firecracker. That’s magic.” She waved her hand around in a showy manner. “Tell you what, you set the table up in the living room, and I’ll show you some more pictures of the Jackpot I knew.” Trixie nodded her head gleefully and ran to the kitchen to grab some plates. As she did this, Sunflower went to her room and pulled out an old slide projector and a case of film slides from her bedroom closet. She dragged them to the living room and made sure the lens was in focus. She pulled out a small box labeled “Me & JP” and placed them into the projector. She sat on the couch next to Trixie and took a bite of her sandwich before turning to the first slide.

What came up was a picture of Sunflower in a sparkling red dress standing next to Jackpot fanning out a deck of cards. “This was taken during a costume party where we met. I can’t remember why I was wearing that, but he said he was putting on a magic show for the kids that came with their parents, and that I would make a great assistant.” She clicked to the next slide and she sighed with annoyance. It showed Sunflower dripping wet yelling at a panic stricken Jackpot from the top of a water tank. “And this was supposed to be his biggest trick yet. He said he had it all figured out, but at the end he realized the water wasn’t draining like it should have and I nearly drowned.” She looked at Trixie who was in shock, “But don’t worry, I was able to break out, and,” she flashed an evil grin at the next slide, “I got even.” This one showed Sunflower lifting the tank and dumping the watery contents onto Jackpot. This made both of them laugh. They flicked through a couple of more and finally made it to the last one. Sunflower clicked the button to bring out the next one, but immediately clicked it again to cycle past it.

“What was that one mommy?”

“Oh nothing dear. It was just a random slide that somehow got into the mix.” Trixie acknowledged with a shrug and took the last bite of her sandwich. “Be a dear and put the dishes away while I clean this up.” Trixie nodded and cleared the table. When she had made it into the kitchen, Sunflower clicked another button to return the projector to the previous slide. This one showed Jackpot dipping Sunflower in his front legs as they shared a tender kiss. “Oh JP,” Sunflower whispered, “You always were such a charmer.” She heard Trixie shut off the water in the sink and start walking back to the living room. Sunflower hastily shut off the projector and placed the slides back into the box.

As she was putting the projector back in the closet, she knocked over another box that landed in a loud thud. She had no idea how long it had been there, but it was enough for it to collect enough dust to fill the air around her. She looked inside and saw that it was a box of old costumes that she and Jackpot would wear in some of their skits. One that stuck out to her was a purple hat with stars and a matching cape. She smiled and pulled it out. She hid it behind the door and called for Trixie to come to her. “So, I’m guessing after all you’ve seen, you probably want to try and do some stage magic of your own.” Trixie nodded in reply. “Well, if you’re going to perform, you first have to look the part.” She grabbed the cape and tossed it on top of Trixie. Trixie crawled out from under only to be engulfed again by a giant hat. “Don’t worry, you’ll grow into it,” mused Sunflower.

The big reveal.

A month had passed and Trixie had spent every waking moment perfecting her stage magic, even when others did not share her same appreciation. How was Trixie supposed to know that trying to show the illusion of sawing the class pet rabbit in half would be frowned upon, or that science class is not to be used to create and perfect her stage fireworks? No matter what bumps she had hit, she was determined to perfect her tricks in hope to show them off to Jackpot when he came into town.

“Come on mom. If we don’t get there soon, all the good seats will be taken.” Trixie danced around impatiently while tugging on her mom’s saddle bag.

“Patience dear, we’re still twenty minutes early.” Sunflower pulled some bits out of her bag and handed it to the pony behind the counter. He handed her two tickets and she placed them in her bag.

“Ok, now can we go?”

“Yes Trixie, we can go now. Why don’t you find us a place to sit while I get us some snacks?” Trixie had sprinted off to the rows of bleachers before Sunflower could finish her sentence. She smiled and shook her head, and headed off to the concession stand. After grabbing some popcorn for them to share and a couple of drinks, she made her way to the stands. She scanned the audience and saw Trixie waving for her halfway up the rows.

“See what I mean? If we had gotten here earlier, we could have had front row seats.”

“Well, if I remember correctly, we left later than we talked about because you wanted to make sure your tricks were perfect.” She looked over at Trixie who was hiding her blushing face under her wizard hat. Sunflower laughed and hugged Trixie, “It’s fine; besides, if we were up close, we’d be straining to see the whole stage. This way, we get a wider view of the magic acts.”

Trixie looked up and scanned the stage. Her eyes brightened and she smiled, “You’re right, this is much better.”

They sat and talked for the remainder of the time as the stands began to fill. Not long before the show was to begin to start, the pews were packed from end to end. Sunflower didn’t think Jackpot was this well known. She had just assumed he was doing his usual traveling side show that he was doing, with the occasional stop at some big venue, when they went their separate ways.

Trixie vigorously started to poke Sunflower’s side, “Mom, mom, look. The show is about to start.”

Sunflower looked back at the stage and saw that the spotlights had kicked on and low lying smoke was beginning to fill the stage. Sunflower chuckled, “I guess it’s true what they say, ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’ He did always have a thing for theatrics, just like another blue pony I know.” A voice that she recognized billowed out from everywhere.

“Mares and stallions, fillies and colts; now is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. He’s dazzled the casinos of Las Pegasus. He’s mystified the streets of Manehatten. And now, for tonight only, he’s come to amaze you all here in Canterlot. It’s the Fabulous…and Fantastic…JACKPOT!” A blue stallion with pale blue hair emerged from behind the curtains sliding on his knees with his front hooves in the air. The crowd went wild, cheering and hollering his name. Sunflower was even clapping while Trixie was bouncing up and down waving her hat around. “Hello everypony and welcome to the show. Tonight you will witness some of the most fantastic, and even death defying, magic tricks that you have ever seen. You will even have the pleasure of being the first to view my newest magic trick, “The Splashtastic Escape. But to get things started, how about a simple card trick.” Jackpot’s horn lit up and he hovered a deck of cards above his head. He fanned them out and began shuffling them then spinning them around him in a tornado swirl of cards. The crowd oo’d and awed at the spectacle. He looked out to the stands, basking in their joy, until he laid eyes on an orange mare sitting in the middle of the stands. He lost focus and the cards scattered everywhere, some of which landed in the crowd. Sunflower chuckled and smiled back at him. Jackpot snapped out of his daze and panicked at the looks of confusion on everyone’s faces. “Sorry folks, it looks like that trick spiraled out of control.” The crowd laughed as he collected the cards. He did a quick glance back at Sunflower, which she saw and gave him a wink. He quickly pulled away and cleared his throat. After he composed himself, he continued on with the rest of the show.

The rest of the routines went off without a hitch. The crowd clapped when tricks amazed them and gasped every time they thought he was in peril. And then it was time for the finale to which he addressed the crowd, “Now we come to that part of the show for the trick that’s kept you here all this time. The newest illusion to hit the stage…the Splashtastic Escape!” Everyone responded with a roar of applause. “I would usually do illusions like this myself, but this time I’m going to call on one of you,” he punctuated with his hoof. Everypony jumped up trying to get his attention. He scanned the crowd and disappeared from the stage in a flash of sparks and reappeared standing next to Sunflower. “How about you young lady? How would you like to be part of my newest trick?”

Sunflower rolled her eyes with a smile, and gave her own dramatic performance, “Oh Mr. Jackpot, you flatter me. I would love to take part in your show.” Before she left her seat, she looked back at Trixie who was smiling from ear to ear. She walked up on stage and waved to the crowd next to Jackpot. She kept looking at the crowd while talking just loud enough for Jackpot to hear, “New trick, huh? If memory serves me correctly, this was the same trick you tried all those years ago.”

“Well, new and improved,” replied Jackpot. “I had some help perfecting it from another magician I work with from time to time.”

Sunflower leaned in closer, “If you try to drown me again, I’m taking you with me.” Jackpot gave a nervous laugh, remembering the past and knowing that she was serious. She stepped on a small “x” marked with tape and the tank was lowered on top of her.

“Now remember,” said Jackpot, “be sure to take a deep breath.”

Sunflower took held her breath as the tank quickly began to fill with water. The audience gazed at the stage as fast paced music flooded the air. Some found themselves holding their breath along with Sunflower, especially Trixie. Jackpot pulled out a massive sheet and hovered it over the tank. A fully submerged Sunflower gave one last wave as the sheet was lowered and completely covered. Jackpot danced around the tank with the music, even going on top to knock on the top glass, receiving a tap from the inside in reply. Jackpot went backstage and came back with a smaller sheet just big enough for him. He showed both sides to the audience, gave a smile and a wink, and tossed it up to cover him. When it fell it revealed a dripping wet Sunflower. The audience gasped and cheered, only to be interrupted by a loud tapping from within the tank. Sunflower pulled it off and showed a tank containing a floating Jackpot smiling and waving within the tank. The crowd jumped up and cheered even louder. The tank emptied and was lifted to let Jackpot out. Both he and Sunflower stood up straight and took several bows.

“Thank you, thank you. And let’s give another round of applause for my lovely assistant.” The cheering continued for another round while Sunflower took another series of bows. “And that does it for the show. Thank you all for coming. Please be sure to stop by the tables for any gifts you’d like to purchase.” Jackpot turned to Sunflower, “As for you, I’d really like it if we could get together while I’m in town. You know, to catch up.”

Sunflower smirked, “I’m sure you would.” She started to walk off stage then stopped and turned to him, “125 Tower Lane. 7 O’Clock.”

“I’ll be there.” He watched Sunflower walk off the stage and meet up with a small blue filly bouncing around her asking questions at rapid fire speeds. He easily recognized the outfit she wore, but he felt even the filly looked a little familiar.

***

Just before seven there came a knock on the door. Sunflower placed the pot she was using in the sink and walked over to answer the door. She opened it to see Jackpot in more casual clothing than what he wore on stage. “Welcome to my home JP.”

“And what a lovely home it is.” Jackpot stepped in and looked back at Sunflower, “I brought us some champagne for us to drink.”

“That will have to be for later. For now, it’s going to have to be fruit juice due to other company.”

“Other company?” As if it was a reply, he heard another voice come from the hall behind him.

“Mom, who’s at the do-,” Trixie stopped midsentence in astonishment. Her eyes became wide as plates and her mouth dropped to the floor. “OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!” Trixie ran up to Jackpot and stopped on a dime before colliding with him. “You’re the Fabulous and Fantastic Jackpot.”

Jackpot looked at Sunflower, who was crying trying to hold in a laugh. Jackpot looked back at Trixie, “Yes, that I am. And who might you be?”

Trixie cleared her throat and flared out her cape, “I am the Great and Powerful Trrrrrrixie!” Jackpot chuckled while Sunflower began to clap.

“Well, it’s great to meet you Trixie.” Jackpot leaned in towards Sunflower, “And I’m guessing she would be-.”

“My daughter, yes.”

“Your daughter, huh? And how old is she?”

Sunflower could see the gears turning in his head, “She would be eight years old.”

“And a half,” Trixie added slightly annoyed.

“Yes, sorry, eight and a half.” Jackpot could be seen trying to do math in his head. Sunflower quickly changed the subject, “I’ll go and place this bottle in the fridge. Trixie, why don’t you show Mr. Jackpot to the table?”

Trixie grabbed one of Jackpots legs and started pulling on him, “Right this way. By the way, would you like to see some of my magic tricks?”

Sunflower watched as they both walked to the table, Trixie trying to show off magic as they walked while Jackpot smiled and humored her. She paused as she was placing the bottle in the fridge. She could see him starting to put the timeframes together. She never thought of telling him because she thought she’d never see him again. It wasn’t planned, and they knew what they had was just a passing fling. Still, she wondered how he would take it if she dropped this bombshell on him. She closed the fridge and made her way to the table.

The three of them ate their meals while talking about everything from normal life, to Jackpot and Trixie having a magic face off, which resulted in another burnt hole in the table cloth from another one of Trixie’s pyrotechnics. It wasn’t long until fatigue took its toll and Trixie began dozing off at the table.

“Ok, I think it’s time for this little firecracker to head off to bed.”

“But mom,” Trixie mumbled in her sleepiness, “I want to stay up a little longer. I’m not even,” she paused to yawn, “tired.”

“Sure, and you didn’t just try to rest in the mashed potatoes. Go on now.” She nudged Trixie who begrudgingly complied and walked off. Sunflower looked back at Jackpot, “I’ll be back.”

“Take your time Sunny. Goodnight Trixie.” Trixie waved back with all she could muster and continued on to her room.

Trixie hopped into bed and Sunflower pulled the covers over her. “You had quite a big day. Not only did you get to see your new hero in action, but you also got to have dinner with him.”

“Maybe we can have breakfast with him as well?”

Sunflower chuckled, “I think he might have to be heading back on the road soon, but I’ll see.” Trixie nodded and drifted off to sleep. Sunflower turned off the main light, which triggered the star and moon night light to kick on, and closed the door. Sunflower grabbed the champagne from the fridge, and brought it and two glasses back to the table. She popped the cork and poured both of them a glass. She took a sip of it but saw that Jackpot looked at it while swirling it around. “Why aren’t you drinking it? You did bring it after all.”

Jackpot took a small sip and placed the glass back down on the table, “So…Trixie. That’s a wonderful, and quite spirited, eight year old kid you have there.” He stressed an emphasis on the “eight.”

Sunflower sighed and put her glass down as well. “I guess it’s time to talk about the manticore in the room. I saw you trying to think it through when you came in. I just wasn’t expecting you to put it together so quickly. It’s not like I was hiding her from you. I didn’t even realize it until weeks after you left. I juggled with the idea of tracking you down and telling you, but with having no idea where to start, and how you might feel, I just didn’t have the heart. It wasn’t until she was about four that I even found you again, but by that point I heard you had begun to set up shop in Las Pegasus, and I couldn’t bring myself to go and spring a child on you. I’m sorry if you hate me for not letting you know sooner.”

“No, I don’t hate you. A little shocked maybe, but I can understand.” He rocked his still full glass back and forth with his hoof. “So, does Trixie know that I’m her father?”

Before Sunflower could answer, she heard a loud gasp come from the dining room entrance. She turned to see a shocked Trixie staring back at them. Sunflower reached out to her, but Trixie bolted for her room, and slammed the door closed. The lock could be heard setting into place from down the hall. Sunflower sighed, “She does now.”

The grand finale.

As he left, Jackpot apologized to Sunflower for any trouble his visit might have caused. Sunflower shook her head, “There’s no need for you to apologize. It’s something I should have told her ages ago. Besides, it was fun seeing you again. As for Trixie, no matter how this turns out, she’ll always have the memory of meeting her hero in person.” Jackpot nodded his head with a smile, and left without saying a word. Sunflower exhaled with exhaustion, “And now to see how Trixie is holding up.” She slowly came up to the door and lightly knocked. “Trixie? Honey? Are you awake?” She placed an ear against the door and could hear shuffling. She jiggled the door handle and realized it was still locked. After grabbing a spare key from above one of the door frames, she unlocked the door and walked in. Instead of finding Trixie in her bed, Sunflower saw her stumbling out of the window with an overstuffed suitcase. She bolted to the window and grabbed Trixie by the tail with her teeth. “Now hold up there firecracker. Get your flank back in the house.” Trixie dropped to the floor and pouted.

“Oh come on mom. It’s not like I was going to go for a long time or go unsupervised. I was just going to spend some time with my dad.” Trixie looked down with a puzzled gaze, “Gee that’s weird to say.”

Sunflower sighed while rubbing the sides of her head with her hooves. “Trixie, you can’t just go off on your own. Also, Jackpot has a career that would get in the way of taking care of a little foal as well.” She looked over at Trixie who sat dejected with her chin stuffed against her chest. “I’m not saying you can’t send a letter to him every once in a while. We can even try to work something out where we can hang out when he’s not busy on his magic tour.” This caused Trixie to rebound back to her hyper and smiling self. Sunflower grabbed Trixie in one arm while ruffling her mane with the other, both sharing a hearty laugh. “Ok, I think you’ve been up long enough. It’s time to go get some shut eye.” Trixie ran over to her bed and threw the covers over herself. Sunflower gave her a kiss goodnight on her forehead, turned off the light, and closed the door.

Sunflower went back to the kitchen and began putting away the dishes and leftover food. Halfway through, she struggled to stifle a yawn. “I think I need to get a little bit of sleep myself. This was much more of an eventful day than I was planning for.” After cleaning the kitchen, she did one last check of securing the house and headed off to bed.

*****

Sunflower was rudely awoken by a mix of a door knocking and the ring of a doorbell. She rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes and focused more on the sounds. The door knocking came from her own bedroom door accompanied with a small voice.

“Mommy, there is someone at the door.”

Sunflower looked at her clock and saw that it wasn’t even nine in the morning. “Someone better be dying,” she growled. Sunflower was not known to be a morning person, which is why she loved her stay at home job of making custom plant pots. If she chose to not get up till noon, she could; which was made better when Trixie was old enough to pour her own cereal. She didn’t think to even take the time to fix her bed head before heading to the door. When she opened it, the mail carrier handed her a small letter.

“I have a special delivery for-SWEET CELESTIA!” He reared back at seeing Sunflower. Her wild mane and baggy eyes made her look like a crazed maniac. She only responded with a growl as she snatched the letter out of his hoof and slammed the door.

“That wasn’t very nice mommy.”

“Neither was ringing the doorbell at O’dark thirty,” Sunflower grumbled. She made her way to the kitchen and began making a fresh pot of coffee. After a couple of sips, her demeanor began to change. A mare who was once looking like she wanted to pick a fight, was now melting into the chair with a smile on her face.

“So, who is the letter from?”

Sunflower snapped back to reality remembering Trixie was there along with a newly delivered letter sitting on the table. She set the coffee mug down and picked up the envelope. “It seems Jackpot sent us a letter before he took off.” Sunflower could see Trixie bouncing on her feet waiting to see what was inside. She tore open the top of the envelope and was surprised by a blast of confetti. Sunflower blew the bits of confetti out of her mane while Trixie rolled on the floor laughing. “Oh, so you think that’s funny huh?” Sunflower leaned over and shook her head, causing the rest of the confetti to fall out and land on Trixie. The reactions flipped with Trixie getting the confetti off while Sunflower roared with laughter. She pulled out the letter and began to read. “It seems we have been invited to Las Pegasus to see Jackpot when he is done with his tour.”

Trixie’s eyes went wide as she let out a loud gasp. “I’ll go start packing.” She turned to run off to her room but was stopped by Sunflower grabbing her with her magic.

“Hold on there firecracker, it says when he is done with his tour. He’s got a little over a month left before he’s back in Las Pegasus. Besides, you still have school till the end of the month.”

“Ugh.” Trixie plopped down with audible irritation. “But I know everything I need to know.”

“Well, school begs to differ. So until then, why don’t you come up with some more tricks. I’m sure he will enjoy that.

“Okay,” she got up and ran off to her room.

Sunflower smiled and shook her head. She looked back at the letter and the design gave her a sudden reminder. She looked towards the back of the house and yelled, “And no fireworks inside!”

*****

The airship shuttered as it came to a stop at one of the docks. Sunflower and Trixie stayed on for a little while to both take in the view and to wait out the disembarking crowd. They both marveled at the amount of flickering lights and multi-tiered buildings lined on the road built on the cloud. If it wasn’t for them, no pony without wings could ever set hoof there.

“Ooo, ooo, I want to ride that!” Trixie was stretching over the bow and pointing at a roller coaster taller than any of the buildings.

Sunflower gulped and became a little motion sick at watching the coaster as it finish its third consecutive loop. “Um, let’s put a pin in that. Maybe we should first get our stuff in the hotel and then see if you are even tall enough for it.” Sunflower grabbed the luggage as she saw Trixie stretching her neck to try and grow an extra inch or two. They both walked over to the hotel and set their luggage at the check-in counter.

The pony behind the desk greeted them with a wide smile on her face. “Well hello, welcome to The Grand Ponetian. Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, one moment,” Sunflower rifled through one of her saddle bags and pulled out a piece of parchment. The attendant took it and read through it.

“Oh my, so you are the one.” Sunflower tilted her head with a puzzled gaze. “Mr. Jackpot had told us he was expecting guests and to show them the five star treatment.” The clerk turned and whistled off to the distance. They were shortly met by another pony pushing a baggage cart. “Take their bags to the VIP suite at once.” The other pony tipped his hat and began loading the cart. He went to pack the small purple bag with stars but was met with resistance. He looked more closely and saw a small blue filly using her magic to pull back. He blinked a couple of times and looked up switching between Sunflower and the desk clerk.

Sunflower chuckled, “You might as well let her have it. You’ll never win the fight.” The bell hop shrugged and let go of the bag. After placing the rest of the bags on the cart, he stood by waiting for them to follow him.

The clerk handed Sunflower an envelope, “Here is your room key along with some reading material that lets you know what activities are happening. It covers things both for family events and adult only entertainment. Mr. Jackpot said he’ll meet you for dinner in the hotel dining room at seven.”

“Thank you.” Sunflower took the envelope and followed the bell hop to her room. She opened the door and was pushed aside by Trixie running in to explore the room. Sunflower turned to tip the bell hop, to which he held out a hoof and shook his head.

“No need ma’am. It’s all part of the included service.” He tipped his hat and made his way out the door.

She placed her bits back in her bag and began unpacking the suitcases. She was almost done when she could hear Trixie yelling from the balcony.

“Mom, come out and see this view!”

Sunflower went out to the balcony and looked out to the buildings, “Wow, this is a fantastic view.” She went out to the banister and looked down, immediately regretting her decision. Her head began to spin and she had to step back inside and sit on the couch. She was thinking that she should have told Jackpot about her unease with high places. To take her mind off of the height, she grabbed the envelope the clerk handed her. “Trixie, how about you come over here and we can look through this pamphlet to see what we can do.”

“Roller coaster,” Trixie blurted out.

Sunflower shuttered remembering the loops, “We’ll look at that while we’re out, but let’s see what else this place has to offer. We don’t have to meet Jackpot for several hours.” They headed out flipped through the pamphlet and found a couple of shows and arcades they could visit to kill some time. They even found a casino that Sunflower could bring Trixie to, but had to leave realizing Trixie might have a gambling problem if not kept in check. Upside is she won them fifty bits. To Sunflower’s dread, Trixie was just tall enough to ride the Wild Blue Yonder; only made worse when she realized they were getting the front seat. Trixie was bounding for joy asking to ride again while Sunflower laid on a nearby bench waiting for everything to stop spinning. They were able to squeeze an ice skating show in before Sunflower saw that it was almost time to meet Jackpot.

“Let’s go Trix. We need to head back to the room so we can get ready for dinner.”

“Ok then mommy,” replied Trixie, and they both made their way back. They made sure to buy nice dinner robes before coming on the trip. Sunflower’s was an elegant gold robe with sequins scattered around it. Trixie’s was more simplistic with a gloss purple and ruffles on the edges and stars on it to keep with the look of her cape that she was disappointed with not being able to wear. They made their way down to the hotel dining area. It looked like a ballroom with tables set around a small dance floor. From the ceilings draped long wires with crystals on them, reflecting the light coming from recessed lamps in the ceiling.

The walked up to the front and was met by a pony dressed in a tuxedo. “Do you have a reservation?”

Sunflower rubbed the back of her neck, “Yes, but I don’t know the name it would be under.” The maître d’ cocked one of his eyebrows in skepticism. “We are the party that is supposed to meet Mr. Jackpot for dinner.”

The maître d’ acknowledged, finally understanding, “Ah yes, Mr. Jackpot said a couple of ponies would be meeting him. He has not arrived yet, but has left a message to escort you to your table and that he will be here shortly.” He escorted them to a private table placed on a platform in the back. While it was still part of the dining hall, it was obvious to see that it was designed for special guests and set off from the main hall. They sat down and were met by a waitress in a cocktail dress.

“What will you two lovely ladies like?”

Sunflower looked up from her menu, “We haven’t decided on the food yet, but I’ll take a sweet tea, and what would you like Trixie?”

Trixie looked at the waitress, “Do you have any apple juice?”

The waitress started writing in her notepad, “One glass of sweet tea and one apple juice. I’ll have those out in a jiff. Take your time looking over the menu.” With that, the waitress made her way to a door that led off to the kitchen.

Sunflower looked over the menu and was astounded to see how extravagant the meals were. Some of these she couldn’t even understand what they were, even after reading the description. If she was having a problem with them, she could only imagine Trixie not finding much out of it. Sure enough, when she looked over, she could see Trixie twisting and turning the menu like she was deciphering a map. Sunflower flipped over the menu and found a kids section, “You might find something more appealing on the other side.” Trixie looked more closely at the back and smiled when she found food items she not only understood, but enjoyed.

“Definitely a hayburger. Ooo, I can get them with dandelions.”

Sunflower went back to looking at the menu for something she’d want to eat. After trying to piece some of the meals together, she decided to choose the daffodil risotto. She looked up as she saw someone approaching thinking it was the waitress. “Fashionably late as always Jackpot,” Sunflower jested.

“Well, you know how I always like to make a grand entrance.” Jackpot looked over at Trixie, “And I’m glad you could make it too Trixie.” Trixie responded by flashing Jackpot a smile.

“I think she would have found a way to come even if she was told ‘no’. Just after you left, I caught this little one trying to pull a disappearing act of her own by jumping out the window and finishing up your tour by your side.”

“Did she now?” Jackpot messed with Trixie’s mane, “As much as I would have enjoyed the company, it was probably for the best you stayed with your mother.” Jackpot took his seat, “So, did you order yet?”

“Just drinks,” answered Sunflower. “We only just deciphered the menu to a point to find something we knew we could eat.”

“Yes, I will say the meal choices here can be a little daunting; but after pretty much living out of here like I have, you learn them quickly. I can assure you they are all delightful.” The waitress came back with the two drinks and took the rest of the orders. They sat and talked about how the rest of his tour through Equestria went, even the part about his run in with a Manticore in the outskirts. Sunflower became even more relieved she stopped Trixie from going, even though she was sure Jackpot would have never allowed it anyways. After they were done with their food, Jackpot pulled out two passes attached to lanyards. “These will get you two front row seats to my show tonight. Just show these at the door and the ushers will help you find your seats.”

Sunflower took the passes and put them in her purse, “Thank you Jackpot. I don’t know what to say.”

Jackpot raised his hoof, “Please, it is the very least I can do.” Jackpot cleared his throat and flattened out his tie, “In fact, I was hoping I could ask you something.” Sunflower took a drink of her tea and waited for the question. “I know my lifestyle doesn’t make time for family outings and what not, but I was hoping that I could at least try to be if Trixie’s life, if only a little bit. I’m not asking to try and up turn both of your lives and try to inject myself in something that already works so well. I just thought I could do little things like keep up with what she is up to and maybe even take trips with just the three of us.”

Sunflower looked over at Trixie who was showing a mix of excitement and confusion. She smiled and looked back at Jackpot, “I can’t see why not. I will say we should start slow and see how it works, but I would be happy if you would do that.” Both Jackpot and Trixie cheered at the same time and high hoofed like they had planned the whole thing.

“Thank you so much.” Jackpot took a quick glance at the clock, “While this was fun, it looks like I need to get going. The show is in a little over an hour and Big Bucks and I need to make some last minute checks on the show. Once again, I’m so glad for everything and that you two could make it out here.” Jackpot paid the bill and disappeared through an employee entrance across the hall.

Sunflower turned to Trixie, “Come to think of it, we should be heading out ourselves. Let’s head back to the room to get out of these formal robes and then go find our seat.” After placing their clothes back in their room, and Trixie getting her signature cape and hat, they made their way to the main auditorium next to the lobby. They showed their passes at the door like instructed and were led to a nearly empty row directly in front of the stage. It wasn’t long after taking their seats that the lights dimmed and the stage filled with fog.

“Mares and Gentlecolts, after their long hiatus of touring the land in search of new and exciting tricks, they are finally back together again. Put your hooves together for the fantastic magicians Big Bucks and Jackpot!” Right on cue, both came out at opposite ends of the stage smiling and waving at the audience. They dove right in with spectacular tricks that mesmerized everyone, gasping at the near danger moments and clapping when the trick was pulled off. Before anyone knew it, they were reaching the end of their show.

Jackpot was the first to speak, “Now comes to the point where we would pull out one of our all-time death defying stunts, but this time we have something special.”

“That’s right folks,” added Big Bucks. “It seems during our travels, Jackpot had stumbled upon a magician that is on their way to being the best there is.”

“Couldn’t have said it any better myself. Everypony, I’d like you all to put your hooves together for the one, the only,” both Jackpot and Big Bucks chime in together “Trixie Lulamoon!” Every spotlight turned and shined their light onto Trixie. Everyone began to cheer as Sunflower helped Trixie onto the stage. She scans the audience and begins to shrink back. “Don’t worry little one, it’ll be alright.” Jackpot turns to the audience, “Come on everypony, how about another round of applause.” Everyone replies with a roar of clapping.

Trixie turns towards jackpot, “But, I don’t have my bag of tricks.” Trixie is startled by a small bag with stars that lands inches from her. She looks up and sees her mother smiling. She returned her smile and began rummaging through her bag. She began pulling out small tricks that, while small, were still able to wow the audience. “And now, for my final trick!” Trixie pulls out a sheet and places it over herself, completely covering herself. “I will now make myself disappear and then reappear somewhere else. Can I get a drumroll please?” Big Bucks pointed off stage and was met with a drum rattling. Trixie’s hoof stuck out from the side of the sheet and tossed an object to the ground. Suddenly, a plume of smoke burst out from under her and obscured everyone’s vision. The drum roll stopped as the cloud dissipated and showed nothing but a flat sheet between Big Bucks and Jackpot. After a couple of gasps from the audience, Jackpot’s hat began to fidget on its own. Jackpot lifted it to reveal Trixie untangling herself from her cape. Once out, she turned to face a stunned silent crowd. She stood up and struck a pose, “Ta-da!” Both the crowd and the two stage magicians responded with jovial applause. Trixie took several bows and then produced a small box from her hat.

Sunflower’s face quickly turned to a look a shear horror, “Trixie, don’t!”

Before anypony else could realize what was going on, she pressed the button on the box and her bag began to glow and shake. Jackpot and Big Bucks backed away just in time before fireworks began shooting out and filling the stage with sparks. Everypony ducked for cover except for Trixie basking in the elegance of the show, and Sunflower now sinking further into her chair; neither of them noticing the cutie mark appearing on Trixie’s flank.