After the Limelight Fades
"Trixie says it's genius!"
"And I say it's immoral, unethical, and pretty gross."
"But it's never been done before. Imagine the spectacle!"
"Trixie, you can't pull a hat out of a rabbit."
"Well certainly not with that attitude!"
With a huff, Starlight Glimmer rolled over, pulling the blanket tighter to her chest as the hammock rocked below her. "How do you even come up with these ideas?"
"Brilliance," Trixie's voice answered through the darkness from the neighbouring hammock. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has an innate sense for the arcane, which is highly conducive to the imagining of grand new feats of showmanship."
"Seriously? So you're just sitting there, looking at Merlinium and thinking, 'Hmm, what if he wore the hat instead?' Is that the thought process? Followed immediately by 'What if I just hold him down on a table and tell him I need to take his temperature?' while you're pulling out a stovepipe hat?"
A scoff came in reply. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has not the time to break down her thought processes for a lowly subordinate such as yourself."
"'Lowly subordinate?'" Starlight asked, her brow creased as she suppressed a guffaw. "Well if that's how you see things, I'll probably mosey on back to Ponyville in the morning. How's that sound?"
"You didn't let Trixie finish!" Trixie's voice cut back, panic evident by the sharp increase in volume. "She was about to stress that though you might not quite measure up to her magical prowess, your assistance as Trixie's tour manager has been adequate."
"'Adequate?'"
"Okay fine, Trixie finds your services to be invaluable to her continued brilliance. Happy?"
"Indeed I am! That's what I thought," Starlight giggled.
For a few moments, the two ponies lay still and quiet in their respective hammocks. The thin stream of moonlight filtering through the shutters of the caravan barely illuminated the tiny space, but as Starlight flicked her eyes open while she adjusted her position, she spied the outline of Trixie's prone form swaying gently next to her.
Even in the dim light, Starlight could make out the distinct shapes and silhouettes of various items scattered around the cramped interior. Directly above her head, an assortment of colourful scarves hung from hooks, each one used in Trixie’s many sleight-of-hoof tricks. They swayed gently in the slight breeze that drifted in through the window, casting shifting shadows on the walls.
Every wall of the caravan was adorned with posters from past performances, showcasing Trixie in all her glory. Titles like 'The Great and Powerful Trixie's Enchanted Evening', 'Marvels and Mysteries with Trixie', and even one of the prints for the controversial 'Trixie: Even Greater Than the Princesses?' show were emblazoned in bold letters, with images of Trixie performing her most daring feats. There were also photos of Trixie with various ponies, some with famous faces, others with wide-eyed fillies and colts beaming with excitement.
Starlight's gaze settled on a small, plush cushion in the corner where Merlinium, Trixie’s rabbit, usually slept. Tonight, it was empty, indicating that the mischievous rabbit had found another spot to curl up in. Perhaps he was nestled inside one of the many hats strewn about, or hiding in one of the caravan’s cosy nooks. He occasionally wandered away in the late of the night, Starlight had learned, but he always found his way back. Nonplussed, she closed her eyes again.
"Seriously though," Starlight deadpanned, breaking the silence. "Where did you come up with that idea?"
"Pfft, come on Starlight, it's just a bit of harmless fun! And think about it. A hat from a rabbit, it's revolutionary! It’s like... magical recycling!"
"I'm not entirely sure you know what recycling is."
"Meh, semantics."
"Okay, magical recycling? That's seriously the words you're gonna justify this with? How about we just pull something normal out of the hat, like a bouquet of flowers or a bunch of carrots? Or, Luna forbid, you just pull Merlinium out of the darn hat like literally any other magician would?"
"Too cliché. The Great and Powerful Trixie needs something that will wow the audience! Something that will make them say, 'How did she do that?'"
"Except you must realise that you're going to overshoot mystified and land right in the territory of terrified, right? You'll get ponies talking for sure, but it'll be more like 'How did she get away with that?'. Or 'Isn't that animal cruelty?'. Hay, some real creative folks might even ask 'Isn't that bunny gonna walk like John Wayne after that?'"
"John who?"
"I dunno, I think I read it in a joke about cowponies somewhere, but my point stands. You really want Merlinium to bolt every time you come near him with a hat? A hat is like, fifty percent of your costume for Celestia's sake."
A faint rustling sounded from Trixie's hammock as she rolled over, pulling her blanket with her. "Okay," she conceded. "Trixie can see her way round to your point of view, Starlight. While undoubtedly it would make for a stupendous segment of her show, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits of Trixie attempting to pull off this trick."
"I'm not trying to be a buzzkill," Starlight assured, tactfully adjusting her tone to be gentle but not patronising. "But I gotta think about all angles here."
Trixie let out a soft chuckle. "Yes, yes. Trixie appreciates your level-headedness, even if it does sometimes dampen her creative genius."
"How about we brainstorm some more practical ideas tomorrow? Maybe something equally impressive but less... controversial."
"Fine, fine. But you know Trixie’s show must always be the talk of Equestria!"
"And it will be. Just in a way that doesn't involve the sight of you getting chased off stage by an angry rabbit with a hat shoved up his-"
"Okay," laughed Trixie. "Your point has been well-made, Starlight. For what it's worth, The Great and Powerful Trixie appreciates having a friend like you for a manager."
"Love you too, Trixie. Now go to sleep."
"Buzzkill."
"Drama queen."
Author's Note
Do you enjoy StarTrix fluff? Then please also go check out one of my other stories, Why We Rehearse!
