Star Seeker

It was the afternoon of Hearth’s Warming Eve. The sun was shining upon the freshly fallen snow, the air was nice and crisp, and it seemed that Rainbow Dash and the other weather pegasi had been working overtime for there wasn’t a single rogue cloud in the sky. All in all, it was a perfect winter day. The kind of day one would want to spend outside, perhaps building a snowmare, or skating.

In fact, when Trixie had appeared at Starlight’s house that had been exactly what the lilac-coated mare thought her closest friend was inviting her to do. A nice relaxing day out before the festivities later on after the sun went down.

“Trixie, what is this?” Starlight asked her blue-coated friend, staring at what looked like a large open-air stage, the kind that Trixie had often used while she was still making a name for herself.

“The great and powerful Trixie presents to you the venue of today’s venture!” Trixie flamboyantly declared, throwing her hooves wide and making her sparkly cape flutter behind her in a dramatic manner.

“Indeed, for tonight you shall experience something you have never before!” an equally flamboyant voice declared as a burst of blue smoke seemed to appear out of nowhere, startling the lilac-coated mare.

As the colored smoke swiftly dissipated, Starlight laid eyes upon an older stallion, an older stallion that shared Trixie’s color pallet, wearing a very flashy-looking stage magician’s suit and a top hat. Who then promptly proceeded to point straight at Starlight with his right hoof.

“For you see, you, my lucky mare, have been chosen for a truly unique opportunity!” the stallion flamboyantly declared in a way that could put used stagecoach salemare’s to shame. “This fine day you have been granted the chance to join the stars themselves!”

Starlight simply stared for a moment, from her flamboyant friend, who was still standing in an overdramatic pose, her pointy hat slowly sliding to the side of her head, to the oddly similar to her friend flamboyant old stallion, still pointing towards her as if she had won a grand lottery prize.

“What?” Starlight simply asked, completely befuddled. Something that was not helped by the fact that a vibrant orange hoof had chosen that moment to sneak around her shoulder blades in order to drag her straight against the chest of an equally vibrant orange-coated mare with a blonde mane.

“Don’t mind those two silly ponies, dear! It is a pleasure to finally meet you!” the mare happily declared while all but crushing Starlight with a very enthusiastic hug. “Our dear little showstopper has told us so much about you!”

Teleporting out of the mare’s embrace, Starlight took several deep breaths, before exasperatedly demanding. “Who are you ponies?!”

“I’m glad you asked!” the stallion boisterously declared, making Starlight wonder if he had any other setting besides loud and flamboyant, as a new wave of colored smoke briefly filled the area. “I am the magnificent Jack Pot! And this unrivaled vision of beauty is my lovely assistant Sunflower Spectacle!

“Which alongside the Great and Powerful Trixie makes our extraordinary family!” he finished as the smoke cleared, showing himself, the orange-coated mare, and Trixie all dramatically posing next to each other in front of a very star-filled banner as fireworks exploded above them.

Starlight once more simply stared, before Trixie all but teleported to her side, a huge smile on her face.

“Starlight, I’d like you to meet my parents, Jack Pot and Sunflower Spectacle!” the stage magician happily declared as she gestured to the still-posing ponies.

Blinking in surprise as her friend all but dragged her towards the duo, who happily started chattering nonstop about how it was a delight to meet her, Starlight could not help to muse that this really was not how she expected the day to go.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea!” Starlight valiantly tried to say towards Sunflower Spectacle, as the orange-coated mare tried to give her a very flashy-looking and sparkly blue dress.

“Nonsense, my dear!” Sunflower bulldozed right through Starlight’s attempt at defense, pushing the dress into her hooves. “You are a truly stunning mare, and so you must wear an equally stunning dress for tonight’s very important show!”

“Indeed! Our dear sweetheart couldn’t show her awe-inspiring assistant on tonight’s show in anything but the best!” Jack Pot loudly declared from the other side of the backstage, where he and Trixie were exchanging their already flamboyant clothes for even more showy and flamboyant finery.

This wasn’t the first time Trixie’s parents had over-complimented Starlight’s beauty. In fact, the duo had basically kept a non-stop barrage of compliments and flattery ever since they had dragged her into the backstage to, in their words, ‘prepare for tonight’s very important show’. Even if no pony seemed willing to tell Starlight why it was so important in the first place! But, nonetheless, it didn’t stop her cheeks from coloring from all the praise.

“When did I even agree to be Trixie’s assistant in tonight’s show?” Starlight fired back, trying to stop them from keeping bull rushing over her and dragging her along as they had been doing so far. Only for her new plan to crash and burn as she looked at Trixie.

“You do not want to share the stage with the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Trixie asked with big soulful eyes, her lower lip wobbling slightly as she stared at Starlight with a truly heartbroken look.

“I didn’t say that,” Starlight immediately replied, feeling like she had just been stabbed in the heart. “I would love to share the stage with you!”

The change was immediate, as Trixie’s muzzle was taken over by a massive smile, her eyes shining with delight. And Starlight felt a new twinge in her heart, only this time for a very different reason.

“Yes! You won’t be disappointed Starlight!” Trixie exclaimed in delight, all but prancing in place. “Trust the Great and Powerful Trixie, this will be a night to remember!”

“Of that, I have no doubt,” Starlight replied with a tiny forlorn smile as she surrendered to her fate of being Trixie’s assistant in an impromptu magic show.

“Excellent!” Sunflower Spectacle cheerfully exclaimed, cornering Starlight with the very sparkly dress and several more very flamboyant accessories. “Now let us make your beauty truly shine! When we are done both of you will be the very stars of the show!”

As she endured the makeover and being used as a dress-up doll with just some minor grumbling, Starlight couldn’t help but overhear Trixie and Jack Pot whispering to each other on the other side of the backstage.

“I trust you managed to prepare everything?” Trixie asked her father with a very intent look, eyes narrowed as she stared at the older showpony.

“But of course! Who do you take me for?” Jack Pot replied while resting a hoof against his chest, a look of overly exaggerated offense on his muzzle as he grinned at his daughter.

“An untrustworthy lout that shouldn’t be left in charge of goldfish, why do you ask?” Trixie promptly replied, an equally overly exaggerated haughty look on her features, though the teasing smile on her lips betrayed her real feeling.

“Ouch, while not inaccurate, that my dear went right through my poor old heart!” the blue-coated stallion shot back while pretending to be hit. Both ponies sharing a chuckle at the whole pantomime. Only for his face to become completely serious a moment later. “Rest assured, everything has been readied exactly as you requested. You have my word.”

“Thanks, I owe you both one for this,” Trixie said with a sigh of relief, a heartfelt smile on her lips.

“Nonsense! You are our daughter, after all!” Jack Pot replied, briefly nuzzling his daughter. “It is our pleasure to aid our little showstopper in such an important endeavor!

“Now enough chitchat! We must prepare ourselves! You must be more fabulous than the stars themselves tonight!” he boisterously proclaimed, tossing a hoof upwards as if seeking the heavens.

“Precisely! Tonight the Great and Powerful Trixie shall shine brighter than any star!” Trixie promptly replied, imitating Jack Pot’s pose as she did so.

As her view of the two showponies was cut by the dress Sunflower was pulling over her head, Starlight couldn’t help but feel she was missing something. It was clear that tonight was very important for the showmare, and that Trixie had been planning it for some time. But what was it? And why was this the first time Starlight had heard about it?

With those questions echoing in her mind, Starlight followed the odd little family to the stage.

“Thank you, thank you! You are all too kind!” Trixie loudly said to the stomping crowd, as they expressed their enthusiasm and appreciation for the showmare’s latest magic trick.

Standing by her side, wearing a dress that was way flashier and more showy than anything she ever worn before, Starlight tried to keep a steady face as she gestured towards Trixie in a dramatic fashion as the crowd cheered. And it was a crowd. Dozens upon dozens of ponies stopped whatever they had been doing and stayed to watch the show her friend was giving them all.

The sun had already set, allowing a truly breathtaking full moon and starry sky to illuminate the open-air stage. The stage lights made both hers and Trixie’s costumes glimmer as if they were stars themselves.

Surprisingly, Starlight had to admit that she had been enjoying the odd circumstances she had found herself in more than she thought she would.

Trixie had come a long way from the apprentice showmare she had once been. Her basic shows grrew in skill and complexity, stopping being mere side attractions and becoming true showstoppers that bordered art form. And helping her put forth such a performance was far more enjoyable than Starlight expected.

Then again, Starlight really should not be surprised she was enjoying herself. After all, spending time with Trixie was always highly enjoyable.

And so the afternoon had transitioned into night. Trixie showed greater and greater tricks and shows of skill to the delight of the crowd, with Starlight by the side all the while. Jack Pot and Sunflower Spectacle aiding them both all the way. Appearing and disappearing with the next prop for the next trick or a witty line to live things up.

It had been an odd, but enjoyable way to pass the time. But now, it seemed that things were finally coming to a close. As with a new wave of fireworks, Trixie took center stage and addressed the crowd.

“Once more, many thanks to one and all! You have been a truly delightful audience to have this fine night!” Trixie proclaimed, removing her hat and doing an exaggerated courtly bow to the crowd, who responded with a renewed wave of stomping and cheering. “But now it is time to finish this with something truly special!

“For her final act this night, the Great and Powerful Trixie will need the aid of somepony, somepony extremely special! Somepony who has stood by her side through thick and thin! Somepony she is proud to call a very special pony in her life!” As Trixie continued to speak while looking directly into Starlight’s eyes, the lilac-coated mare could feel her cheeks growing hotter and hotter with each word that was spoken. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will need the aid of no other than her Beautiful and Stunning assistant, Starlight Glimmer!”

Suddenly all lights on the stage were focused on Starlight, who could do nothing but give a sheepish wave to the cheering crowd as Sunflower Spectacle appeared by her side with a chair to which Starlight was promptly seated upon, meanwhile, Jack Pot had appeared by Trixie’s side with a box large enough to place a pony inside.

“Today you shall bear witness to something unlike anything you have ever seen before! Something the Great and Powerful Trixie promises will forevermore be remembered in your lives!” the showmare proudly declared as she entered the box, which was promptly closed and covered in chains by her father. All the while Sunflower was also securely chaining down Starlight to the chair. Several blades appeared all around the box, hovering in the air in a threatening manner, ready to plunge at it and into the pony inside the box.

But, even as this was taking place and the crowd shouted their approval, part of Starlight’s mind couldn’t help but muse why exactly the chains around Trixie’s box were lilac, while those around her own self were blue.

With a shocked gasp from the crowd the blades plunged towards the box, only for at the moment they made contact a bright flash enveloped the stage. A swirl of color and smoke swiftly surrounded everything until Starlight could not tell left from right. Only to just as swiftly for it all to disappear.

Starlight blinked her eyes as she tried to make sense of the changed surroundings. No longer was she chained down to a chair; instead, she was standing right in the middle of several dozen blooming roses, all of them the exact same shade as her coat. A constant rain of rose petals was constantly falling around her, all of them the exact same color.

Trixie was equally no longer inside the box, nor was she wearing the flamboyant stage magician outfit she had been wearing all night. Instead, she was wearing what looked like a formal tux, only instead of black and white it was lilac and purple, as she kneeled right in front of Starlight amidst the roses.

Kneeling in front of her while wearing a formal tux the colors of Starlight’s coat, amidst a field of roses of the same color, while holding a shining golden ring with a large diamond the same shade of Trixie’s coat upon her raised hoof that was extended towards a now wide-eyed Starlight.

“Starlight, I’m not overly exaggerating when I tell you that meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Trixie said as she completely dropped her bombastic act, with nothing but sincerity in her words as she stared Starlight straight in the eyes. “I’m truly blessed to have you in my life. And so, I want to ask you this: Would you be the Great and Powerful Trixie Beautiful and Stunning companion, not only on this show but in her life as well?”

Ignoring the stinging sensation she could feel in her eyes, or the odd twinge she could feel in her chest, Starlight took a deep breath and replied.

“You are a complete doofus,” she bluntly stated as a huge smile slowly spread across her features, her magical aura gathering around the ring. “But you are my doofus.”

And with those words, she levitated the ring and placed it upon her horn. Only to be promptly tackled by an extremely happy Trixie. The showmare enthusiastically kissed the mare she intended to share her life with as the crowd cheered and stomped in support.

“It sure brings memories, doesn’t it, honey?” Sunflower Spectacle happily asked Jack Pot as she leaned against his side, both of them happily watching from the sidelines.

“Absolutely,” Jack Pot replied as he nuzzled his wife in reply. “And I told Trixie it would work! After all, it worked when I asked you the same question, didn’t it?”

Author's Note

Hope you all enjoyed this little tale.

Happy Holidays to all!