「快点！」崔克茜向她不情愿的助理喊道。她满怀热情地回头望了一眼，迫不及待要为今晚的魔术表演准备一切。就算发生了愚蠢的意外又如何？这匹全小马国最神通广大的独角兽才不会让弄破衣服这种小事影响她的工作。即使是为了一个「歌星。」宝蓝莎莎，宝蓝傻傻。

除了崔克茜自己，没有任何小马受伤。蹄子疼一下没什么大不了的，瑞瑞最终也会再次接受为她缝制新斗篷的提议。反正最重要的不是服装——而是大胆的魔术。

崔克茜只需要她最好的朋友来帮忙。「快点，星光！」

「你确定吗？」星光小跑着跟在崔克茜的后面两步，似乎想给她足够的空间来改变主意——她倒不想改变主意。

崔克茜下定决心就不会轻易放弃。「我很肯定，」她说，「只有在现场观众面前练习，我才能完美地在星鬃协会的长老们面前完成我的绝技。」绕过拐角，她们看到了崔克茜装满魔术道具的旅行拖车——蓝色小马的眼睛亮了起来，「你会成为我的助理，对吗？」

「当然。」星光点了点头。显然，她对崔克茜上次在小马镇的表演还心存愧疚。当时，星光同意帮助崔克茜完成她的特技——「月牙嘴俯冲」。在这项（由伟大的胡蹄尼发明的）绝技中，崔克茜准备把自己从大炮口中发射到一头饥饿的蝎尾狮嘴里，然后再毫发无损地出现在一个魔术盒子里。

但暮暮与塞拉斯蒂娅公主的晚宴妨碍了一切，星光熠熠差点让她唯一能够称作朋友的小马失望。尽管崔克茜原谅了星光，但回忆起来还是有点刺痛。

「那么，你决定用什么大招呢？」她一边问，一边跟着崔克茜走上拖车的台阶，走进她的旅行住所。这里到处都是羊皮纸卷、服装部件和空的苹果酱包。

「那便是『巨龙之泪』！」她转了一圈，斗篷把一顶紫色的高帽撞到地上，一只困惑的小兔子跳了出来。

崔克茜紫色的眸子闪烁着狡黠的光芒，「聪明富创崔克茜是今天早上吃完早餐后自己想出来的。它一定能带来足够的震撼和敬畏、吸引星鬃协会最高级别的小马们的挑剔目光！」紧接着她的语气变得更加实事求是，「只是，除非每个申请者都能拿出前所未有的大胆魔术技法，否则连入会资格都不会被考虑。」

「看吧，我就说在小马镇走上一圈能激发你的灵感！」星光回答着。她把一些彩色手绢从沙发上拂开，坐了下来。「那么，该怎么操作？」

崔克茜展开一幅巨大的卷轴，上面绘着一系列复杂图像，星光难以置信地注视着画面的展开——最后一幕画满了箭和羽毛，周围环绕着数百个火红雨滴，一条巨大且愤怒的龙坐在中央，崔克茜潦草的肖像站在它的头顶，高举胜利的双蹄。

「哇！」星光熠熠拉长了脸。「我没看错吧？」她用蹄子指着喷火龙，「你要用羽毛挠龙的痒，挠到它流出小马界最热的物质——巨龙之泪——然后表演一段舞蹈，巨龙之泪就像是雨滴一样落在你身上，最后你凭空消失，再出现在巨龙头顶，把你挠它痒的那根羽毛放进你的表演帽里？！」星光的眼睛瞪得无比巨大。

「正是。」崔克茜得意地笑了笑。「好在崔克茜知道自己在做什么。」

她小跑起来，把各种物品装进鞍包。「哦，太好了——我的龙哨！」她拿起道具，在星空斗篷上擦亮，然后扔进鞍包。「嗯——我把那些羽毛放在哪儿了？」崔克茜在乱糟糟的堆物中翻找，可惜没有什么收获。最后，她拿起了一个枕头撕开——它爆开了，羽毛就像是雨点一样落在了每一个表面。

「你不必这样做的，你知道......」星光把蹄搭在崔克茜肩上，「我不希望你出事。」

崔克茜吐出一口羽毛，笑了，「星光，你的关心很让我感动，但不必累赘。我神通广大！一切都会如我所愿的。」

Tricks of the Trade

“Come on!” Trixie called out to her reluctant assistant. She looked over her shoulder, brimming with enthusiasm. Trixie couldn’t wait to get started setting everything up for the magic show tonight. So what if there’d been a silly accident? The greatest and most powerful Unicorn in all of Equestria wasn’t going to let a tiny little thing like a torn dress derail her. Even if it was for a “pop star.” Sapphire Shores, Sapphire schmores.

It’s not like anypony had been hurt, other than Trixie herself. One little sore hoof was no big deal. Rarity would come around again to the idea of sewing her a new cloak eventually. The most important aspect wasn’t the costume anyway—it was the daring magic.

All Trixie needed was her best friend on board to help out. “Hurry up, Starlight!”

“Are you sure about this?” Starlight trotted two paces behind Trixie. It was as if she wanted to give her friend enough space to change her mind. Not that she would.

Once Trixie set her mind to something, she would not let the matter drop. “I’m positive,” she declared. “The only way for me to perfect the trick I intend to do in front of the Starmane Society elders is to practice it in front of a live audience.” Her eyes lit up as they rounded the corner and her traveling wagon of tricks came into sight. “And you’re going to be my assistant, right?”

“Of course.” Starlight nodded. She clearly still felt guilty about the last time Trixie had tried to put on a show in Ponyville. Starlight had agreed to help Trixie with her feat, “The Moonshot Manticore Mouthdive.” In the stunt (originated by the great Hoofdini), Trixie was all set to launch herself from a cannon into the mouth of a hungry manticore before reappearing unharmed inside a magic box.

But Twilight’s dinner party with Princess Celestia had gotten in the way of things, and Starlight Glimmer had almost let down one of the only ponies she was truly able to call her friend. Trixie had forgiven Starlight, but the memory still stung a little.

“So, what did you decide on for your grand trick?” she asked as she followed Trixie up the steps of her wagon and inside her traveling abode. The place was littered with scrolls of parchment, costume pieces, and empty applesauce packets.

“It’s ‘The Tears of the Dragon’!” She spun around, her cloak knocking a purple top hat onto the floor. A confused bunny hopped out.

Trixie’s violet eyes sparkled deviously. “The Clever and Inventive Trixie came up with it herself this morning after breakfast. It is sure to deliver the equal amounts of shock and awe necessary to catch the discerning eyes of the highest-ranking Starmane Society ponies!” She changed her tone to a more matter-of-fact one. “Besides, each applicant won’t even be considered for membership unless he or she comes up with a brand-new, never-beforeattempted daring feat of magical trickery.”

“See? I told you that taking a walk around Ponyville would inspire you!” Starlight replied. She brushed some colored scarves off the sofa and took a seat. “So, how does it work?”

Trixie unfurled a giant scroll with a complex series of drawings on it. Starlight followed the progression of the images in disbelief. The last frame was filled with arrows and feathers, surrounded by hundreds of fiery raindrops. A massive, angry dragon sat in the center. The scribbled likeness of Trixie stood on top of him, hooves held out in triumph.

“Whoa!” Starlight Glimmer pulled a face. “Am I reading this correctly?” She pointed her hoof at the fire-breathing dragon. “You’re going to tickle a dragon with a feather so much that it cries dragon funny tears—the hottestknown substance to ponykind—then perform a dance routine while they rain down on you, culminating in your disappearance into thin air before you will then reappear on top of the dragon to put the very feather you tickled it with in your performance hat?!” Starlight’s eyes were as large as saucers.

“Precisely.” Trixie smirked. “Good thing Trixie knows what she’s doing.”

She began to trot around, gathering various items into a saddlebag. “Oh good—my dragon whistle!” She picked up the prop, shined it on her starry cloak, and tossed it in. “Now, where did I put those feathers?” Trixie rifled around in her mess but had little luck. Finally, she picked up a pillow and tore it open. It exploded, and feathers rained down on every surface.

“You don’t have to do this, you know…” Starlight put her hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”

Trixie spit out a mouthful of feathers and laughed. “I’m touched by your concern, but give me a break, Starlight. I’m great and powerful! Everything is going to go exactly as I want it to.”