The Great and P-Powerful

The backstage area was oddly abandoned. Gone were the groupies—though some still remained outside, ready to accost their star upon her return, and the guard ponies had since moved to the exits and entrances for the duration of the show.

That just left Starlight, alone, in the dark, surrounded by the dank smell of mouldy upholstery and that rising sense of dread one also got before doing something they felt like they were really about to regret.

Tremors ran through her body, a clammy, sticky sensation only made worse by the brightly-coloured sparkling garments that currently stuck and pulled on her coat in every uncomfortable way imaginable. The stuffy vinyl felt like a restrictive vice, cutting down on her breathing, and only causing the heated panic to feel all the more real.

Booms and vrooms still shook the air outside, and Trixie’s voice, meek but fearless, could still be heard trembling from behind the red curtain.

Starlight looked to her own hooves. Those hooves, coated in a thin layer of scratchy velvety fabric, glitter and sparkles dancing in the dim light of the back stage, curled into shaking fists.

She steadied her nerves, swallowing hard, and pushed out with all the strength she had.

She parted the curtains and stopped forward into the blinding light and screamed.

“But not without the help of her Lovely Assistant!”

~ ~ ~

The noise washed over her like steel blanked, a wall of percussive force, as ponies’ cheers turned into an uproar that threatened to physically push her out of their sight. The air was deafening, and the spotlights, a blinding white and yellow, slashed across her vision as they swivelled away from the centre of the stage to illuminate their newest arrival.

Starlight stumbled sideways, cupping a hoof over her eyes to blot out the sudden blinding light. Her mouth suddenly became dry and acrid. However much she licked and smacked her lips, she couldn’t feel it getting any easier to speak.

Instead she walked.

She galloped.

In several short bounds, Starlight skidded to a halt behind the giant coffin in the middle of the stage. Throwing a flourish of her bedazzled hooves, she whipped her hair back, and stuck out her chin, fixing the crowd in her gaze as she cried. “I, Starlight the Stupendous, will cut Trixie in half!”

Her voice echoed to the rafters with false confidence, and a deathly silence fell over the room around her.

Starlight’s heart sunk. A cold, icy shard of dread thrust through her chest.

No motions. Not a single voice could be heard, not a single face seen. It was half a blessing and half a death sentence, so Starlight. Not a single pony could be seen past the lights of the stage, only blackness and silhouettes, and not a single one of them had so much as moved, or said anything...

“Starlight.” Something moved beside her. There was a soft rapping against board, and the box nudged her beside Starlight’s side. Trixie’s head, now poking most of the way out of the top of the box, was looking to her with an aggravated glare. She was holding a comically oversized saw in her magic, not the most comforting image, in Starlight’s eyes. “What are you doing!?” Trixie whispered.

Starlight snapped out of her stage fright, just long enough to retreat back behind the box. Her eyes glued to the crowd, she held her hooves in place and leaned down closer to Trixie, whispering back from behind her gritted teeth. “I’m saving your show,” she grunted back, “Now I’d appreciate it if you just play along and—”

“Well.” Trixie huffed. She straightened her hat as she fixed Starlight with a scowl. She crossed her hooves, slumping lower in the top of the box. “You’re doing it terribly and I— ”

A soft clapping started across the stadium. Subtle at first, but slowly their ears picked up to the sound of ponies stomping. First one, then a second, then a dozen, and a hundred as cheer slowly washed over the crowd.

The air surged around them, filling Starlight’s breath with warmth as the cheers returned in full force, like a weight pulled from her shoulders. She couldn’t help but smile, this time a real, genuine grin, as she stepped out back beside the box. She flashed Trixie with a smirk and a half-raised eyebrow as the cheers turned into a chanting.

Trixie was forced back into her box, a sulk on her face, as Starlight grabbed the saw into her own magic. She moved quickly around the back, holding the saw high, as she proclaimed to the crowd. “Behold, and ordinary... ” Starlight grimaced as the saw’s weight was transferred over to her own magic. It was a lot heavier than expected, almost scarily so, and under inspection she was sure she saw some flakes of blood—N-No, it couldn’t be.

Rust was hanging from the uneven teeth of the saw.

She gave Trixie a sideways glance, holding her grin, as she guided the mare into the top of the box. “T-Tri—This isn’t a real saw is it?” she whispered.

“Uh duh.” Trixie rolled her eyes. She slid all of the way into the box, slotting her lower half down the main body whilst she slotted and shuffled back to fit her head through the top hold. Her mane popped through the side, followed soon by the rest of Trixie’s face as she looked up to Trixie with bright eyes. She was grinning. “Why would I use a fake saw for a magic act?”

“This is incredibly dangerous!” she whispered to Trixie. Turning to the crowd, Starlight held her head high and proclaimed to them with a smile. “Behold! The—

“The Great and Powerful,” Trixie corrected beside her.

“The Great and Powerful, Trixie has been placed inside the box! And now...” Starlight paused to look behind the box for the lid, all the while whispering to Trixie. “This is insane! Hat if you get hurt!”

Trixie shrugged. “Trixie has never put herself in the box before. Nor has she ever, um...” Her blush was clear, even under the burning of the bright stage lights. “I’ve never done this before. But what’s magic without a little danger? Right?”

Starlight ducked below the box, out of the public’s eye for moment, just long enough to give Trixie her most serious we are going to talk about this face. She snatched the lid of the box from under the tray and brought it back up with her to the top; where she laid it overtop the opened end of the box.

Smiling, she said. “Now, I will—“

“Shh, shh” Trixie kicked against the inside of the box, whispering frantically. “Do the thing,” she demanded.

“What thing!?”

“The thing!” Trixie gestured around her as best she could. With only her eyes to work with, unfortunately, that wasn’t very much. “Show them that it’s not a trick!”

“But it is a trick!”

“They don’t have to know that!” She put on her pouty face, wide shimmering eyes, lowered ears, and a shaking lip to add the icing to the cake. “P-Please.”

“F-Fiiine” Starlight hissed. She let the saw lower for a minute as she paced around the box. “Behold!” she shouted from the stage, and pulling the box after her as she trotted in a circle, showing all sides to the audience. “It is but an ordinary box! All side are solid, and”—she waved a hoof beneath it—“and no mirrors underneath. There is truly no way Trixie could escape this box.”

“Good, goo—ow!” Trixie screeched out in pain as Starlight pinched her cheek, and pointed to the crowd Trixie’s reaction.

“And this Trixie’s head, is the real Trixie’s head! No trickery here!” She added another slap for good measure.

“I swear to Celestia, if you slap me one more time!”

“Shh...” Starlight shushed her. She brought the saw over to the back of the box, and set it at an angle over the middle seam. “You don’t want to break the illusion, do you?” At this point she couldn’t stop the grin from splitting her face. Oh, but this was going to be a good show...

~ ~ ~

The cold air was chill against Starlight’s coat, a seeping cold that slowly sunk into her bones from all angles as the gentle breeze of an early dawn sapped away her strength. Her eyes were heavy, and her head hung tired. Slowly, she dragged the towel tighter around her barrel and took another low sip of the hot coco cradled over her lap.

The tent still towered behind her, a black obelisk, blight on the horizon, leaning over with as much foreboding presence and weight as it always had, but somehow different. It felt less intimidating. It was less like an unknown, growling giant, and more of sleeping beauty.

It was steady, firm, a mountain, nowhere near as intimidating as it were before. She’d gone inside. She’d conquered the beast, stood before its many eyes and screamed her name proud!

And it left her giddy, almost shaking with excitement. There was a part of her that revelled in the memory, to step out there, in front of everypony. To stand in front of your demons, to conquer them, and revel in their defeat, it felt amazing. Even now she couldn’t stop the energy from surging through her.

A sudden tremor ran up Starlight’s back, as if to remind her of the cold air. She blew back her bang, and took another long sip of the hot chocolate. She re-wrapped the blankets tightly around her withers.

Maybe it was just the cold speaking.

Her shivers subsided for a bit, allowing her to relax against steps and enjoy the warmth of her mux. Her hooves still felt sticky and uncomfortable. The cheap fabric clung to her coat, trapping a layer of sweat against her skin underneath. It made her feel clammy, maybe a little bit itchy, and she was pretty sure she’d be washing glitter out of her mane for the next few weeks, but Celestia—kill me—It was worth it.

“Excuse me, miss.”

A Stallion’s gruff voice broke through her thoughts. Moments before, a flap in the opened, revealing a dark stallion with shades, with another, lighter-built pony behind him as they wheeled a piece of equipment out and over the steps.

“Oh, sorry--” Starlight jolted. Almost spilling her drink she quickly caught up the edges of her blanket in her magic and scooted aside, making way for the group of stallion’s legs as they shoved and pulled the massive box down the small rise.

She momentarily considered helping them—a little unicorn’s magic could go a long way, after all—but was halted when her eyes met the last stallion. He had a serious look, but a small smile as he looked Starlight in the eye over his black shades. “It’s okay, ma’am, we have this covered.”

Starlight relaxed a bit, mouthing a silent ‘oh’ under her breath. She gave Star charmer a nod, and watched them as they continued on their way across the clearing. Three stallions in total, they made quick work of dragging the massive box across the grass, and were soon all the way to their own carriage and unloading the equipment into an already packed wagon.

Once again, Starlight found herself alone with her thoughts. She looked down into her cup—it was half empty, or full, depending how you view things. With another sip, she dragged out her drinking and cast her vision over the rest of park.

There were still some other ponies mulling around, the late-leavers. The drunks, getting over their hangover enough to fly home, the groupies, too eager to meet their stars to sleep, however most of them were the staff and helpers, stars themselves that would remain here until the last bell has been run—and subsequently cleaned then packed into its box, and that box itself into a wagon, and the wagon hitched, and the...

She took another sip.

A deep breath and she was back.

Now, and in the present.

Another deep breath.

The air had changed a little. It was starting to feel less cold, a little more like an early morning—a yawn interrupted her—and Starlight barely had the presence of mind to cover her mouth. At this point she didn’t care who saw. She was exhausted.

The sound of mares giggling caused her ears to prick. They swivelled in search of the sound, more on instinct than anything else. Starlight sluggishly turned her head, following the voices to her left, where she was met by the usual sight.

A group of seven or eight young mares had wandered around the corner of the tent. She guessed they must’ve been there for a while now, but had simply been too far out of hearing range, or otherwise had just chosen now to start making a racket. But that wasn’t what had interested her.

No, it was the ninth pony with them. Standing a good foot taller, Trixie’s hat and cape were unmistakable among the group. They fluttered and shook, and Trixie’s well-known speech sounded over the cheers and giggled. “Thank you, thank!” She bowed to much applause. “The Grrrrreeat, and Powwwwerrrrful, Trixie will be happy to field any questions and compliments!”

The mares around her instantly started yammering over one another, and their hooves rose. For a moment—Starlight sat up straight—for a moment she thought they might mob her, but instead Trixie managed to subdue the group and pointed to the youngest. “Yes, you! What else do you have to ask of The Trixie?”

“Miss Trixie, Miss Trixie!” The mare bounced ecstatically. She was buffeted by the other jealous fillies, but otherwise seemed unperturbed to ask her question. “How did you do it?”

“Yeah!” Another mare—Starlight guessed was in her early teens. It must’ve been a school trip, though that raises the question of where the guardians went. “Your show was amazing, it was genius! How did you escape!?”

“Please, please...” Starlight could feel the hot flush in Trixie’s voice, even from all the way over her. She felt herself smiling, all remnants of tiredness and cold gone for the moment as she turned her attention fully to the group of fillies and one grown mare. Trixie gestured around her, shaking her head with a wide, smug-like grin, as she extricated herself from the group. “A real magician never reveals her tricks.”

She gave a flutter of her cake, spun back on them and raised a hoof over her lips. “But,” she said. “I will say one thing about today’s performance: it could not have ever happened without the help of”—

Starlight felt heart catch in her throat. She inched forward, unintentionally sliding closer to the edge of the cement steps. Her coco was forgotten for the moment, as she hung on Trixie’s words.

—“The Grrrrreeeat, and Powerrrrful Trrrrixy!”

Her heart sank. Trixie. Classif fucking Trixie. She always had to be the centre of attention. She couldn’t admit to being wrong. She was always right. Always perfect. Always—always—Starlight choked. She sniffed, turning her snout up and away from the group of mares.

It wasn’t any of her concern, after all. She—She’d just ignore them. And they’d go away...

~ ~ ~

Starlight was staring into her empty cup, deep in meditation. She barely noticed the movement when another mare slid onto the steps beside her. Trixie leaned close, snuggling into Starlight’s side to share in the warmth.

She was covered in bandages—head to hoof—the remnants of their last show. The bags hung heavy under her eyes, though not without the ever-present sparkle that gave Trixie her charismatic look. “Hey...” she whispered.

“Hey.” Starlight replied. It came out flat, unforgiving. She didn’t dare look Trixie in the eye, instead shuffling an inch away, and turning her back, albeit only slightly. “How was the show?” She feigned interest. The words were sticky, with a thinly veiled malice, but all the same she looked up from her cup, her scowl softening as she inspected Trixie for any response, an explanation.

“It was...” Trixie heaved. For once the tiredness really began to show. She slumped, leaning closer to Starlight’s side as support. Starlight, herself held firm. Resisted the temptation to pull away and scold Trixie.

“I-I saw you had some fans...” she whispered.

“Yeah.” Trixie nodded. Her ears flicked back, and for the first time they could see properly into each other’s eyes. The pause was short before Trixie responded. She retreated away, back behind her protective shell as Trixie intoned. “You should not have come to help Trixie.” She stuck up her nose, back straight and eyes away. It was the show-mare, the unfeeling, perfect, Great and Powerful Trixie as she always was. “She did not need your help. All was going according to Trixie’s plan.”

“Oh...?” Starlight leaned back, staring. She had to raise an eyebrow, as if to ask ‘are you serious?’

Trixie noticed this, however, and her demeanour changed. Returning to her softer self, she gave a tentative smile. “However... She-She—I am to say thank you, Starlight. Celestia forbid what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been there.” She chuckled, holding up her bandaged forelegs. “Hay, I could’ve been even more bandaged...”

Starlight muffled her giggled with a fetlock. “I-It’s nothing, really.” She smiled, a real sincere smile. It felt a relief to talk to the real Trixie for once. “You know...” She blew back her bang, running a hoof over behind her ear she looked the mare up and down. The cup was forgotten, as too was the cold. “It’s what friends do. Friends help friends.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to, Trixie. And...” She trailed off. Starlight bit her lip to give herself pause. “I—I actually kind of liked it.” Like felt like an understatement. She suddenly regretted that word choice, but there was no going back now. No changing the past. She looked Trixie in the eyes as she said. “T=To go out there, in front of everyone, and to become somepony else for but a seconds. I-It was exhilarating, Trixie.”

A devilish grin spread across Trixie’s face, the kind that said everything. She looked Starlight in the eyes with a spark of her own, and said, “Oh, well maybe we should do it again...”

A shiver ran up her spine, pricking the hairs on every inch it passed. She felt Trixie’s hoof retract from her thigh as the mare retreated, perhaps misinterpreting her reaction.

“...M-Maybe not in front of so many ponies.” She added. With a shrug, she said. “B-But you know—On a smaller, more private stage. More friends, less strangers—” She laughed. “—and no royals!”

Starlight laughed in turn. She rolled her eyes. “Well, maybe one royal.”

Trixie scoffed. “Pehleease...” She was fit of giggles as she said. “Twilight Sparkle does not count...”

Starlight couldn’t stop herself from grinning. She had to press her hoof over her muzzle as she wheezed. It almost hurt, it was so bad. She just couldn’t stop herself from laughing as she said. “N-No—” She shook her head, her cheeks flushed red. “No, I suppose not...” She broke down into a fit of giggles, joined shortly after by Trixie as they both laughed on the steps together.

The laughter slowly subsided, settling into softer guffaws and then snorts on both ends, and as the moment drew out, times passed, the silence gradually came to reassert its dominance.

A cold wind blew in from the south. There was the flutter of a bat, and the rustling of leaves in the park. Some wheels creaked behind them as one of the carts began the long trek back to town, or to their next destination, at least.

For the first time that night, they finally, truly felt alone.

A shiver ran up Starlight’s back, the first signs of the cold exerting its dominance over them, and she longingly cast a glance to the empty cup beside her—which lay sideways, with barely a drop left of the hot drink. She momentarily considered going back inside to the get a refresher, but by now the stalls would have likely been closed up.

No more cups.

No more chocolate.

At least she still had this.

She adjusted the blanket, pulling it tight around her withers. The night air had sunk in deep to her bones, and even with the thick layers, she was still shivering from exposure. Again, she moved the blanked, and then tentatively inched closer to Trixie, drawing their bodies closer for warmth.

Trixie didn’t seem to notice. For her part, she was still giggling over their shared joke and didn’t so much as react as the fur of their sides brushed together, adding an extra bit of snuggling to warm the cold night.

And as they touched, Starlight felt a butterflies take flight in her stomach. She’d never realised just how soft Trixie’s coat could be, but now, together, as they were pressed together and sharing this moment, she felt like anything could be possible...

“So, um...” The words came out quicker than she’d anticipated. Also louded. Even as a whisper, she felt like the moment would shatter around them. “Trixie?”

Trixie muffled one last laugh, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. She didn’t look at Starlight as she responded, not yet at least. “Y-Yes, Starlight?”

“Um—” Their eyes met. A knot suddenly took hold in Starlight’s throat and she sieves up almost entirely. The cold receded as a burning hot red flushed across her cheeks and her. “Um...

Trixie was looking directly at her, ears forward, eyes wide, and gradually growing wider as her eyebrow slowly arched. All the while, Starlight could only mumble and grunt. “Um—About—Wh-What—Uh—We—”

Oh Celestia, not now. She knew exactly what she wanted to say. The words were right there. They were on the tip of her tongue. All she had to do was say: Trixie, I love you. I want to be with you. I want to cuddle and hug you every night, I want the rest of our lives to be as complete as this moment here now, and I never want to let you go...

Instead, all she could make out was a scared whimper.

“Is everything okay?” Trixie asked. Her brows had gone until full arch mode, and not just that, Trixie was staring at her with a level of concern.

“N-No thing!” she suddenly blurted out. Stupid. “It’s nothing, not important.” She turned away. “L-Let’s just...” She picked up the mug, faking a grin as she tried to take a futile sip from whatever drops it had left. “...Enjoy the night, okay?”

Stupid

Stupid

She should never have brought it up. Now Trixie’s going to think she was weird. She’d ruined the moment, it was gone forever. It was silly to think that what had happened was anything more than a one-night event. It wasn’t right. Mares and mares were never supposed to be together. It was against the code—And they’d—Nopony would allow it if they found it. ‘Best that she just forget about it and—
“Starlight.” Trixie said, breaking off the internal rant with a levelled stare. Her voice was definite, but not forceful or angry. It was laced with concern, compassion, as she held Starlight by the sides and forced their eyes to meet—a serious look in her eye. Her expression softened in moments. “You know you can speak to me about anything, right?” she said.

Silence.

Starlight’s mind was blank. She simply stared. Her mouth dropped open as she took a breath, then closed almost of its own accord. They were so close; she could almost feel Trixie’s breath. “I-It’s just...” The blush returned in full force, and Starlight pulled away, abashed.

Trixie leaned against her side, bringing them side-to-side. She used a little of her magic to pull the blanket over both of their shoulders and draped a limb over her withers to form a rough, awkward hug. “You’re my best friend, Starlight. You can tell me anything, you know that?”

Starlight took a deep breath. She looked back at Trixie—that blue show-mare wrapped in gauze and smiling with the most beautiful smile—and she said, “A-Are we friends? Or are we... something else?”

~ ~ ~

Trixie Lulamoon, magician extraordinaire, mare who had faced off against the changeling swarm alongside Starlight Glimmer and Discord, Lord of Chaos, that same mare who had defeated Chrysalis, saved Equestria, and then come back to face against it herself—She was in the eye of every stallion across the land, recipient to a Purple Heart of Valour, and Celestia had even approached her to form a mural in her honour...

And she was speechless.

She opened her mouth to speak. She couldn’t take the eyes off o the mare in front of her, that beautiful, light-purple mare, and how the soft moonlight glittered off of her eyes, the every-so-slight shimmering of tears forming above her cheeks as she stared just as intently into Trixie’s own gaze. Her mane was frayed, with the front, over-hung bang showing the most wear, and Celestia forbid that costume she was wearing was not flattering in the slightest, but even still she couldn’t help but gawk at the beauty that shone from within.

Starlight was starting to look uncomfortable. She was fidgeting with her blanket again, and looked like she might be shying away—say something, you idiot! Trixie’s stomach did cartwheels. She opened her mouth and croaked. “T-Trixie does not know what you mean!”

Starlight halted her retreat. Her eyes turned back to face Trixie, and again she was under the scrutiny of that deathly gaze. Her mouth turned down slightly, and Trixie dreaded what she might say. “You know what I mean...”

Her voice was a whisper, but here, now, it couldn’t have been any more clear, and she did know. Tartarus know she’d wish she could forget, but she couldn’t forget. She almost forgot in the heat of the show, but now that they were together the memories of their events in the caravan that evening came flooding back. It was a hot stream of want, need, questions and new feeling she hadn’t thoughts she could ever feel for another mare.

Starlight’s admission, how they’d kissed, feasted on each other’s bodies. The surge of adrenaline as their fight turned to lust, and their lust to sex. How Starlight had dominated Trixie, turned her into her willing pet. Her coat was still sticky from where she’d cum on her and now the heat was slowly rising in her own body as the memory of her pent up resurfaced.

They hadn’t finished, how she’d swore she would get her revenge on Starlight—one way or the other—for leaving her high-and-dry. How the arousal had all but ruined her show... Until Starlight was there.

“Um, uh...” She suddenly felt hot. The air burned, like there was a raging bonfire between them, except it felt, inexplicably, like it was coming from inside. Just with a look to Starlight, she could tell the mare was feeling the same. She must have been blushing, because she could see Starlight shying away, too, her face a deep crimson.

She slowly nodded, jerky and unsure. Gone was the confident Trixie, the great and powerful. Here was the shy and meek Lulamoon, mare who was afraid to ask a simple question. “... Did you like it?”

As soon as the words had come out, Trixie’s eyes flipped to Starlight’s ears, watching eagerly for the first response. They twitched, and flicked back, but then turned towards her. Starlight, the rest of her, inched closer to Trixie. She placed a hoof on her thigh as she leaned in, and opened her mouth to whisper. “...”

Trixie leaned closer herself. Turning to face Starlight, she put a hoof on the mare’s shoulder, and brought their muzzles closer.

Starlight paused. Her eyes diverted to the ground, before turning up to look into Trixie’s own. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest, racing a million miles per second. Starlight’s breath felt hot on her muzzle as she whispered. “...yes.” he said.

A tremor ran up Trixie’s back. Starlight quickly retreated, shying away as she returned to her own position across the step. She brushed her bang away from her eyes, leaving it to simply flop down on the other side of her horn. Trixie’s heart skipped a beat—Fuck that was cute. Why had she never noticed this before? Was she so blind that she couldn’t see her best friend even when she was sitting right next to her, or was she too far in her magical kingdom that she couldn’t have the time to even so much as look!?

“Wh-what I said earlier: I meant all of it, Trixie.” Starlight’s voice was still low, almost above a whisper she could barely hear, but her words slowly grew stronger, more confident, as she spoke. Starlight lifted her head, slowly looking into Trixie’s eyes with a growing flame. “I do care about you. I worry about you, I worry about us—

Trixie was thrown aback. That last word had set her off, what did she mean about ‘us’?

“I don’t know when it started, or how, or why. At first I didn’t even realise what it was. I just thought we were a really good match, but last night—” They were close again. She’d barely noticed the movements as Starlight leaned across the step. She was almost fully unwrapped from her town, the dazzling sparkles of her full-body spandex on full display to her as Starlight closed the distance.

She felt herself closing the gap in turn, leaning in to meet Starlight half-way as they brought their muzzles together. She could already sense what she was about to say and, almost on reflex—or maybe it was something deep inside—she moved to say. “Last night it all made sense...” The words sounded foreign, and yet they fit so well. Like she was giving away a part of her he hadn’t acknowledged for so many years. “Y-You realised that this mare, this pony you’ve only known for a few months, was the only thing you could think about...”

“And she was the most amazing thing to happen to you in, so, so, long...”

She could feel her hot breath on her cheek. Her eyes drifted closed. Her heart was beating, fluttering, and a trembling with excitement as their hooves moved to each other.

Slowly, further, longer. Trixie’s mouth was just parting, the moment stretched to an agonising infinity. She could almost feel it, the moment their lips touched, and—

“My, my, my, Starlight Glimmer, and here we thought you’d gone soft.”

A ray of sunshine broke over the horizon. The moment was shattered as Starlight tugged away, and pushed Trixie back in turn. “Wha—” Trixie gawked. Her eyes snapped open, and she was about to shout some profanities against Starlight about edging her again, but she was quickly silenced by the sight of two young mares trotting their way from around the other side of the tent.

It was two unicorns, both about Starlight’s age, and the exact type Trixie knew well from her own years in college. She silently spat, scowling beneath her breath. “Popular Mares.”

~ ~ ~

The sun had just begun to peek its way through the treetops. It cast a sharp glare across Trixie’s as she cast her own glares towards their new company. Who were these ponies, and how dare they interrupt Trixie’s perfect moment? And just when she felt they were about to connect, too!

She was about to stand and give these posh pricks a piece of Trixie’s mind when she was held back by a hoof to her chest, and the briefest whisper in her ear. Before Trixie could even turn to ask Starlight what she’d said, she saw Starlight move to the forefront, putting herself between Trixie and these mares.

Starlight had put on a fake smile, barely containing her annoyance—and a blush. Her voice was brittle as she addressed the mare. “Cherry? Sparkler? Wh-What are you doing here? I thought you were heading home after the show?”

The first mare—Trixie presumed her to be Sparkler—rolled her eyes, though not without checking her perfectly hooficured nails in the light. This was exactly the type of mare Trixie hate, and strived with every fibre of her being not to become. Even if she became the greatest and most powerful magical—or even unicorn—in recorded history, there was no way she would never, ever curl and put her mane up in a bonnet and call herself ‘royal’.

Not now, not ever, not for anypony. It was beneath her.

And judging by the way Starlight tensed up, she shared their sentiment.

“Puhleeease...” Sparkler spat.

She brushed the dirt from her fetlocks—only a stray piece of dirt was dispelled by a light puff of telekinetic magic—and she delicately sidestepped the dusty spot in front of the step. The peach pink mare next to her followed, and added their word. They were truly like two peas in a pod. Trixie smiled. Two blackened peas. “As if we would pass up the chance to meet the real star of the attraction.”

She fluttered her eyes, seemingly looking dead on at Trixie.

Trixie felt her back tense. Her ears pressed back as the mare’s attention drifted past her, eventually lessening the burning weight of her gaze. It wasn’t clear whether that was meant as a compliment... or an insult, or if these mares knew something she didn’t.

However one thing was certain. Knowing mares like there, regardless of intent, there was surely going to be strings attached. She moved ot warn Starlight. “Uh, Star’, I don—”

“Excuse me?” Starlight asked, cutting Trixie off.

She hadn’t seemed to notice Trixie’s raised hoof, and it was already too late when the things began their response.

“Honestly,” Sparkler scoffed. She wiggled her eyebrows at Trixie, turning her full attention onto the mare standing between them—Starlight Glimmer. Berry took a seat alongside them, hanging onto the corner of the steps as she wrapped a foreleg over her shoulders. “We didn’t think you had it in you,” she said.

“We thought you’d gone soft.”

“But now we know you are still one of us. A real villainous mare.“

Starlight’s fur pricked at that remark. Even Trixie could see it. In the dim light of the early morning, they had her on edge. “To go on that stage and steal the spotlight from that Weak and Superfluous Trixie, it was...” Sparkler sucked in a long breath between her teeth. She dragged on the moment, savouring it, drawing all the tension she could out of Trixie and Starlight, before she uttered. “That was devious of you, Star’.”

“Truly, the Starlight Saffron Glimmer we know and love.” Cherry squeezed tightly around Trixie’s barely. She could feel the mare pulling her body in closer to her, encroaching ehr space. The smell of lavender perfume was revolting. To say the least, she was practically quaking to restrain herself.

Just having this mare so close to her, it made her feel clammy, like being in the presence of bucket of live eels and having them draped over her back on by one. Cherry’s hoof rubbed over her back as the other joined against Trixie’s chest.

“So what are you going to have Trixie do for us now, Star’?” she asked.

A tremble ran up Trixie’s spine. Were these ponies serious? Did they actually, just say that? Trixie’s face contorted into scowl. Every part of her body was screaming out against her and she could barely restrain her rage. She was ready to vaporise these ponies, impale them with her horn, and send them back to whatever hole they crawled out of. They had no mind to come here, to her her, push themselves onto her Trixie, and Trixie’s marefriend and then, and then---

“It wasn’t about that!” Starlight snapped, and by snapped she snapped.

Trixie was utterly floored. Starlight could have thrown her off of the steps just by the sheer force of her own voice, it was that powerful. One part of her took satisfaction—and she grinned—in watching Starlight rise from the steps, the rage blazing off of her back like a fiery inferno. Another part of her secretly wished she would never be the target for such ferocity.

“There is no ‘Us’, Sparkler,” Starlight spat. She shoved the other mare back with a hoof pressed to the chest. Trixie could have sworn she saw Starlight physically grow taller than these other mares, or maybe it was a trick of the light. All she knew was that she was sitting in silence, gawking, her mouth drooping as she watched Starlight tower like a domineering monolith over her ‘former friends’.

Luckily Cherry had already seen it coming, and smartly retracted her hoof away from Trixie to join her friend under the onslaught. They both retreated in a staggered gait under Starlight’s wake.

“I don’t do that any more. The old Starlight is dead, do you hear me?”—Shivering, the other mares nodded with hesitation. Trixie found herself involuntarily nodding with them, her eyes fixated on Starlight—a new Starlight. A master Starlight. “She’s dead,” Starlight reiterated. “She died the day Twilight Sparkle forgave me, the day she learned what true friendship means, that you don’t need to take things you need from other ponies, the day she learned it’s not right to brainwash and to manipulate.

“Those days are behind me.” She punctuated with stomp—a deafening thump like the beating in Trixie’s chest. Trixie could have sworn she heard something crack beneath her, like the ground itself had cried out pain against Starlight’s forceful violence. “I cannot, will not, and do not ever want to go back to that life,” she screamed. With another push against a startled Sparkler, she flung her hoof to the horizon and added. “Now get out of my sight, both of you.”

Sparkler and Berry both took a step back. For a moment it seemed like they were about to fold, collapse to the ground and break into tears. For a moment Trixie thought they just might, but they held their line, shared a glance between them, and their ears flattened back with a growing scowl. “Fine.” The former, Sparkler, spoke up with a snirk. She huffed, and they stuck up their noses.

“We’ll leave you with your fillyfriend,” Cherry remarked, and they both left in silence.

And that was it.

No fight. No apology. Nothing.

They just left.

The silence returned like nothing from before had every happened. The air felt clean and crisp. The park around them was just growing light, with the sun beginning to peek over the treetops to cast a shadow at the base of the steps.

As the two silhouettes, dissipated into the distance, the silence grew deafening, like a blanket draped over them to stifle all breath. Starlight still had her back to Trixie when Trixie finally spoke up. “Starlight...” she said. “I-I’m sor—”

“No.” Starlight whispered, but with a certain definitive final tone. Her voice was strained and hoarse. It was soft, but forceful. “This was a mistake.”

“Star...” Trixie stood. She approached Starlight from the back to rest a hoof on her wither. “Are you—“

“No.” Starlight raised a foreleg, halting Trixie in her step. There was a flash of sunlight reflecting off something, and she just caught the faintest glimpse of a tears streaming down Starlight’s face before the mare had turned from her, stepping away. “W-We shouldn’t have been together,” she whispered.

Trixie frowned. She tried to approach Starlight again, but quickly thought better of it. “Is this about what they said?”

Starlight shook her head. She sniffed, and, in silence, started a slow trot back to the train station. “...I’ll see you back at Ponyville,” was all she said.

The chill morning air brushed against Trixie’s breast. Her bandages were starting to itch. The birds had begun to sing their morning song, but Trixie refused to move from the spot. Her eyes were focused on the horizon where she’d last seen her friend. At least, she used to think of her like a friend. Now she wasn’t quite sure...

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there. Carts had arrived not long ago and pegasus had begin work in taking down the tent and packing up what remained after the staff from the night before. Had it been hours? Minutes?

Nopony knew, but the sun was already well above the trees when Trixie finally spoke.

“B-But...” she said. “I think I love you, Starlight.”