>Your hat sags for the umpteenth time today.
“Ugh…”
>You push it back up and return to performance planning.
“Dial the dazzle back by twenty percent and up the razzle… Gotta be sure not to put in too much pizzaz too close or the father and foals in the audience will-“
>Your musing is cut short by your hat drooping down AGAIN!
“Ugh!” you grunt as you rip your hat off your head and slap it down onto the ground with a flick of your magic.
>You glance up and see the sunlight filtering through the tree branch your wagon had to take shelter under to avoid the princess’ light, more of it getting through than the last time you checked.
“No wonder Trixie is unable to postulate on her performances. Anonymous!” you bark your assistant’s name, expecting him to drag those lanky legs of his over to you with a gripe and a sarcastic “Yes, oh great and powerful one?”
>That boy is lucky his odd appearance is enough to fill seats alone.
>And that. sarcastic or not, hearing a deep voice call you 'great and powerful one’ is just so hot!
>Hot.
>It’s still hot.
>And he’s still not here...
“ANONYMOUS!”
>You hop down from your postulation station and begin trotting around to the back of the wagon.
“When Trixie calls for her assistant, it is the assistant’s job to respond quickly just as it is I, the Great and Powerful Trixie’s job to WOW and ASTOUND her audiences all across the world which she cannot do if she continues to be STUCK BY THIS TREE UNDER THIS HOT SUN!”
>As you reach the backside of the wagon, where Anonymous is supposed to be working on repairing the wheel that broke because a rock jumped out in front of you, you instead find your grumpy and exotic assistant sitting under the tree.
>You can feel the length of your muzzle shorten.
>Breathe Trixie, breathe.
>The doctor warned you about the dangers of scrunchitis, you’re not as young as you used to be.
>You stomp over to Anonymous, ready to remind him who wears the cape in this partnership.
>That is, until you notice something off about him.
>By now he’d have some kind of remark about your ‘kicky hooves’ or something.
>He hasn’t even looked up at you at all.
>You approach cautiously, unsure what sort of silly human thing he could have up his sleeve.
>He doesn’t react a single bit, not with you less than three hooves away.
“Ahem.”
>Anonymous stirs slightly.
>Slowly he raises his head to look up at you.
>Though his face is furless, you can see shimmering streaks across his cheeks.
>HIs eyes are puffy and red.
>It’s almost as if he’s been crying.
>Or he got into the sneeze powder again because some pony doesn’t remember to read labels first before-
>You shake the train of thought away, realizing at the same time that you’ve been maintaining eye contact with him for the last short while.
“Anonymous…”
>He sniffs and blinks away his tears, a futile effort as some fresh ones form at the edges of his eyes.
>He remains silent, expectant.
“What is wrong with your face?”
>His lips, which were quivering quickly turn to a frown, “Fuck you.”
>You were about to ready up a retort but the anger burning in his eyes as he spat those words at you gives you pause.
>Long enough that he picks himself up from the ground with a light grunt then walks around the tree to the other side.
>What in Equestrian was that?!
>You have both butted heads before, largely because he failed to recognize your brilliance but that’s beside the point, never before has he looked at you, nor any pony like that before.
>Did you do something wrong?
>No, never, you’re Trixie!
>But still… it’s possible he didn’t understand with his alien mind and everything.
>But what could it have been?
>Today has been quite good, aside from the tire.
>The show in Rockburg yielded a nice crowd.
>Lots of older ponies there so tons of families.
>What did you say when the tire broke?
>Hmm…
>Hmmmm…
>There’s no way to know, it is a memory lost in the sea of more important thoughts, but it’s certain that you were direct and respectful like always.
>Still, you can’t have an assistant this angry.
>Unless you rearrange your act to-
>No, not worth the effort.
>Better to just throw him this bone.
>You follow suit with Anonymous, rounding the tree in the opposite direction.
>As he gradually comes further into view you catch sight of him rubbing his eyes as he leans against this sturdy trunk, staring out into the horizon.
>You turn as well but see nothing remarkable, there’s no reflection of yours to spot anywhere around after all.
>After a moment you clear your throat to get his attention but he doesn’t respond, instead continuing to stare ahead.
>You clear it again, louder this time in case his human ears just didn’t pick up the first time.
>With a sigh you decide to just get it over with.
“Trixie apologizes.”
>Anonymous sniffs and rubs his nose.
“Trixie Apologizes!”
>He continues to ignore you still.
>You huff and stomp over to stand in front of him, his eyes glance down to you.
“I said that-“
>”Yeah, I heard you the first time.”
“Then why have you not-“
>”Because…” Anonymous’ eyes glance away. He lets out a soft sigh and after a blink is looking back at you again with a much lighter frown on his face, “because you didn’t have to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Ha, just as Trixie thought.”
>He rolls his eyes and grumbles, “Doesn’t mean you’re not an asshole though.”
“Hey!”
>”'What’s wrong with my face?’ Seriously? That’s the best you can do?”
“Coming from the human who claimed they can spit bloody acid and then proceeded to spew cherry juice everywhere! Trixie is not the one to blame for being unassuming!”
>It’s brief, but you see the flash of a smile cross his lips.
>”Yeah yeah…”
>He slips his hands into his pockets, you kick a nearby pebble down the way.
>This uncomfortable silence drags on farther than you can keep track of the pebble as it tumbles down the small grassy hill.
>Thankfully it’s broken before you had to think up something to excuse yourself, “Sorry, for snapping at you like that.”
>Oh thank Celestia.
“You are forgiven.”
>You breathe a sigh of relief that this awkward ordeal is over with and he can get that tire replaced so you can both make way for the next town.
>”It’s just…”
>You stop midstride and glance back over your shoulder, Anonymous’ head remains low and his arms are crossed, something he usually does when he has something to say.
>Damn…
>You turn back around and face your human assistant, he sneaks a glance up to see that you’re still here before continuing.
>”That show we did, back in Rockburg?”
“Yes yes, I told you already, no pony saw you stumble over the vanishing ropes.”
>”Goddamn it, it’s not about the ropes you-“ He sighs, “It was the families…”
“The families? Did any of them say anything to you? As assistant to the Great and Powerful Trixie, any negativity levied at you is vicariously levied at me and that simply will not do-“
>”Calm down, nobody said anything.”
>You blow a puff of hot air through your nostrils, calming down as you plop down onto the warm grass.
>”I guess… All those moms and dads, brothers and sisters…”
>You quirk a brow but remain silent.
>”I don’t really know how long I’ve been here, my phone broke on the landing. I still can’t even remember what day it was, I think about that sometimes, when I’m going to bed. I know it was the first week of-“ He glances over to you, seeing the confusion on your face must’ve brought back his train of thought.
>”Anyway, It’s almost fall. I saw posters for the Running of the Leaves on the way out of town. I’ve been here for a whole year, give or take, a year…”
>Has it only been that long? It feels like only yesterday you’d heard the news from Starlight about the hubbub involving a falling star.
>”I’ve had a birthday, my sister too…”
>Anonymous slowly lowers himself down to sit beside you.
>”My mom, my dad, my dogs. A whole year has passed…”
“Didn’t you yourself say you prefer it here?”
>”Hmm?” He stirs a little as if he’d forgotten you were here, as if that could ever be possible, “Oh, yeah maybe. I dunno, I guess sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. I miss air conditioning like crazy…”
“Hmm.”
>Is it… some kind of mane product that can be applied while flying?
>”-stupid, right?”
“Wha- Who’s stupid?”
>Anonymous snorts, “Not who, it, like… I can’t go back, it’s stupid to be so upset about something I can’t change right?”
>You let his question stew in your mind for a moment.
>Obviously you have an answer, but ponies alone already have a tough time following your brilliance, and Anonymous is weighed down as it is so you’ll be courteous and-
>Ah, got it!
“It’s…”
>No, wait, what were you going to say?
“Uh…”
>Think Trixie think!
“Mmm…”
>Say something!
>Words!
“Trixie had no parents!”
>…
>Hoof? Please introduce yourself to face, forcefully if you would be so kind?
>Anonymous clears his throat “Uh…”
>You sigh, and wish you had pestered Starlight more to teach you that Forget Me Now spell.
“It… is the truth. Trixie, for all her greatness and all her power… perhaps she was too intimidating, too glorious, it showed in her foal hood and thus her parents could not muster the strength to raise her.”
>”Jeez… Hey, Trixie, I-I’m sorry. I’m here moping and I never knew that-“
“It is alright, Anonymous, there aren’t many who know.”
>”So…”
“Trixie likes to think that she is the product of her father’s greatness and her mother’s power. That it was misfortune which caused us to become separated.”
>”That, uh, that’d be something huh?”
“A-and that if Trixie can travel the world, make a name for herself as the most greatest and the most powerful, that her parents would…”
>You can feel your lip starting to quiver.
>You also feel an arm drape around your shoulder, and a warmth at your side.
>A glance up to your human assistant reveals him to be looking down at you too.
>The two of you remain this way until a bird tweeting breaks the silence and you both slip away from each other.
>”We should get back on the road soon huh, been out here for a bit.”
“Yes, the further we get away from… this… the better.”
>You follow Anonymous back to the wagon and pull out the toolbox he’ll need to do the repair.
>”Hey, Trixie?” You can barely hear him call for you over the sound of you rustling through the toolbox.
>You set it down and turn to face the human.
“Yes?”
>”Thanks, uh, for sharing…”
“Oh, yes, well… here’s the hammer you’ll need” you say as you float it over for him to grasp and make for the front of the wagon.
>”I think you were right with the first thing” he calls out to you before you round the front.
“Trixie is always right, which thing was she right about?”
>”Your parents, knowing that they couldn’t meet the demand. You deserved better.”
“It’s not about what we deserve Anonymous, it’s about what we do with what we’re given.”
>He smiles before disappearing behind the wagon with both wheel and hammer in hand, which is fortunate for you because you can’t use your hat to hide your tears.
>Stupid heat, watering your eyes like this...