If anypony asked, Rainbow Dash would say she didn't know the meaning of hesitation. Sometimes she said it before anypony could ask, just to prove that point. But as she hovered over a certain wagon and a certain unicorn, she found herself... not hesitating, but definitely not doing anything either.

After a few more seconds of not moving, she gritted her teeth and descended to the fold-out stage "Hey, Trixie. I—"

"Hmm," Trixie hmmed as she glanced up at Dash. She nodded to herself. "You'll work as well as anypony." A deck of cards rose from the table next to Trixie and and spread themselves out in front of Dash. "Pick a card."

Dash dipped down a bit further. "I came by to—"

The spread deck followed and nudged her muzzle. "The fastest way to get Trixie to care is to pick a card."

"Ugh. Fine." Dash snagged a card with two pinions. She could always use more one-winged hovering practice.

"Now memorize it and put it back in the deck. And don't show Trixie."

Dash rolled her eyes as she put the card back. "I know how the 'Is this your card?' trick works, Trixie."

Trixie smirked as she shuffled the deck. "Not this one, you don't." Her hornlight flared and the deck became a teacup. Trixie lifted her hat in her magic, revealing a teapot atop her head that she poured into the cup. She savored the aroma for a moment. "Credit where it's due, Princess Twilight does have good taste in tea."

"Uh... huh."

Trixie flushed and pouted. "Hey, Trixie has to let it cool. A little banter with the audience eats some time before Trixie can drink the tea." Trixie did just that, then considered the empty cup. "Eight of clubs."

Dash blinked. "Uh... yeah. That's right."

"You seem surprised." Trixie tossed her mane and smirked. "Even the Great and Powerful Trixie finds it easier to read the past in tea leaves than the future." She tilted the cup and brought a hoof to her chin. "Although..."

"What?" said Dash, leaning in closer.

"It seems you'll be seeing an old friend soon. One who might become something more." Trixie squinted, tilting both her head and the teacup. "An earth stallion? Huh. Trixie didn't think you'd go for anypony without wings, much less—"

"So how do you turn the cup back into a deck of cards!?" Dash said in a completely calm manner while not blushing at all.

Trixie, under another hoof, definitely blushed. "Right now? I ask Starlight to do it." She cleared her throat and tossed the cup aside. "Now, normally the two of us keep our distance just so our egos don't suffocate one another. I doubt you're here because Princess Twilight wants me to teach showmareship at her friendship school, so what do you want?"

"Well..." Dash finally landed, but only because she wanted to, not because her wings were fidgeting too much to keep her steady. "You see, I was in Las Pegasus with Granny Smith and her cousins."

Trixie gave a low whistle. "You got to go to Las Pegasus with the Gold Horseshoe Gals? Trixie's jealous."

"How do you know about that?"

"Trixie's father has performed at the Illusion Resort for the last twelve years." Trixie's horn glowed, calling up an image of a familiar, pony-headed hotel, though without the light-up mustache or boater-hat-shaped rotating restaurant. "She'd send him a copy of her road schedule every now and then so he'd know where to send his letters. It's gotten a lot easier to stay in touch now that she's semi-permanently in Ponyville."

"Oh. Cool." Dash spread her wings and crouched for takeoff. "Guess I'll—"

"Hold on," said Trixie, scowling. "Did you... did you think Trixie didn't know where her father was? Did you think she didn't know who her father was?"

Dash gulped. "Uh... Y'see..."

Trixie held up a forehoof and took a deep breath. Then she took off her hat, unfastened her cloak, and set both on the table. "Okay. I'm putting away Great and Powerful Trixie for a bit. We need to have a serious talk."

"You can do that?"

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Rainbow Dash." Trixie glared at her. "And a lot that you assumed."

"Hey, I didn't know!"

"And you didn't ask, and until you saw Dad, you didn't care. But when you saw the family resemblance, suddenly I went from 'annoying Trixie' to 'poow wittle twagic Twixie whose daddy nevew woved hew.'" Trixie wobbled her bottom lip a bit before her expression shifted to a hard glare. "And that's assuming you even thought I knew the stallion. That little pity party you threw for me in your head probably made me the foal of a one-night stand, didn't it?"

Dash glowered at her and brought herself closer. "I told you, I didn't know!"

"And I told you, that was because you didn't care!" Trixie put herself close enough that her horn pressed against Dash's mane. "You've kept me at foreleg's length ever since I came back to Ponyville. But now you come to talk to me, not because you actually want to, but because you feel sorry for me, because you assumed my dad was some no-account jerk who—"

"Trixie, I didn't know!" Dash took the air. "I didn't know any of it! So I wanted to go find out what the story was from you, and now I do! Yeah, I thought maybe something like all that might have happened, but I wanted to find out for sure."

Trixie stared up, eventually dropping on her hindquarters. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"So..." Trixie chewed her lip. "Why'd you care, then?"

"My parents..." Dash groaned at the memory. "I had a rough spot with them a while back. Forgot how much they meant to me, how much they made me the mare I am today. Then I saw this stallion who looked a lot like you, and it got me thinking about what made you who you are."

"And who am I?"

Dash crossed her forelegs. "Really sensitive when ponies bring up your dad, apparently."

Trixie glared up, tail lashing. "And if I assumed your dad walked out on your mom—"

"Hey, first of all, he'd never do that! And second, that wasn't what I thought! I told you, I wanted to ask you first."

Trixie glared off to the side. "Still not sure Trixie buys that," she muttered.

"I thought you weren't doing the third-pony thing right now."

"Trixie shifts her grammar when she's stressed sometimes, okay!?"

Dash rolled her eyes and reoriented herself for anywhere but here. "Look, believe what you want. If you don't want to tell me the story, fine."

"Wait!" Hooves galloped beneath Dash as Trixie brought herself back into view. "I never said that." Trixie drew herself up, her magic returning her hat and cloak to their usual spots.

Her horn stayed lit, calling up more illusions, a family of three pointy little ponies, with two blue unicorns and one golden one. "You see, the Sensational Jack Pot was much like his beautiful and beloved daughter. While the Gorgeous and Glamorous Sunflower Lulamoon had won his heart, she could not restrain his performer's spirit forever. She was sadly the exception to Canterlot's dismal rule, for it was a city of small minds and hard hearts that scorned the stage magician's craft as beneath 'true' unicorns." Glowering eyes surrounded the family, and the father turned away from them after one last kiss for his wife and hug for his daughter. "Like Trixie herself, Jack Pot chose not to endure the countless sneers and scoffs for long. As she would in time, he left to seek a place where his skills might be appreciated.

"He wandered for some time, returning to Canterlot for a Hearth's Warming here, a birthday there." Jack Pot trotted in place, different environments scrolling past him. Sunflower and the younger Trixie waving as they went by. He stopped every now and then to drop off a letter in a passing mailbox, with Trixie getting progressively more buried in them each time she appeared. "But his letters were a constant companion, reaching the Young and Adoring Trixie from every corner of the land. But in time, he met his partner-to-be, Big Bucks, and together they took Las Pegasus by storm!" Jack trotted up to a purple earth stallion. Stars shot into the sky as they high-hoofed each other.

The scene shifted focus to Trixie, who burrowed out of her mail fort with wagon in tow. "Trixie followed in her father's hoofsteps, abandoning the cruel and uncaring capital for greener pastures. Her adventures were many and varied, until one day she set hoof in a little village on the edge of the Everfree." Trixie sighed. A star-speckled paw crushed the little unicorn, and the illusion ended. "You know how it went from there."

"Yeah." Dash landed again. It was good exercise, just like how she was shaking out her wings. Voluntarily. "So... Have you even actually seen him since he got established in Las Pegasus?"

"A few times. Mom still lives in Canterlot; we've all been able together for the occasional Hearth's Warming or Mare's Day. And... well, after the Ursa incident..." Trixie drooped from ears to tail. "That... that wasn't a good time for me.

"When a starbeast steps on your house, you'd think you'd have nowhere to go but up. That's what I thought, anyway. I sent an 'I'm fine, funds are tight, will write soon' letter the next time I reached a post office. After that, I never wrote to them until after I took the Amulet off. My whole world became getting even with Twilight... and I couldn't bear to face them." No illusion came with the recap, just a shamefaced unicorn.

"Um..." Dash rubbed the back of her head. "Do you want a hug or something?" She spread a wing, but didn't move any closer.

"What part of 'I don't want your pity' don't you get?" Trixie snarled at her.

Dash's wing snapped shut as she matched the expression. "What part of 'friendship' don't you get?"

"The part where we became friends." Trixie jabbed a hoof at Dash. "Last I checked, you still hated me."

Dash took a step back, briefly at a loss for words. "What? I don't hate you. You're actually pretty cool when you're not being a massive showboat."

After a moment of wary staring, Trixie gave a slow nod. "I could suppose I could say the same thing of you."

"So... what happened after we got the Amulet off of you?"

"Well, it turned out Twilight Sparkle got me pardoned for the whole 'conquering Ponyville' thing." Trixie smirked. "That and arresting the pyrotechnician right after the show wouldn't look good in front of the Saddle Arabian dignitaries. After that, I thought the only way I could get back on my hooves was with help..."

Trixie knew backstage was never as glamorous as the stage itself, but the dressing rooms at the Illusion still managed a bit of opulence with all the gold trim on display. It felt like the place was almost too good for her.

She couldn't help but take comfort in how she was able to think something like that.

The stallion escorting her grinned with such pride, one might think he'd designed the place himself. He even knocked on the star-marked door for her. "Now if you need anything at all, don't you hesitate t' ask your friend Gladmane, you hear?"

"Yes, Mister Gladmane. Thank you."

Gladmane nodded, his silvery pompadour wobbling with the motion. "Sure thing, darlin'. Uh-huh-huh."

The door opened. "Yes?" Jack Pot boggled and shook his head. "Trixie?"

She looked to the floor. "Hi, Dad."

He enveloped her in a hug. "I don't know if I should be furious or relieved." Jack released her and stepped aside. "Come in! Come in!"

"I'll leave you to it," said Gladmane. "Ain't gonna step in on family matters."

Once the door shut behind them, Trixie looked at Jack Pot. He did the same. After the silence stretched out enough to hear Gladmane's hoofsteps fade into the background noise of games, rides, and excited ponies, Trixie said, "So, is Gladmane as much of a slimeball as he seems?"

Jack barked out a laugh. "Oh good, I was starting to think Bucks and I were the only ones who saw through him. You wouldn't believe what he's tried to do to break up our act. A master of misdirection he is not." He smirked. "Not like you or me."

"And the Elvis Przewalski impersonator thing?"

"Pretty sure he got his start as one." Jack's smile vanished as if by magic. "But I'm sure you didn't come this way just to poke fun at my boss."

"No," Trixie groaned, "but I'd rather do that than anything else."

"It's like I always told you, my little star. You can redirect the audience's attention as much as you'd like..."

Trixie completed the old family proverb without even thinking. "But you still have to do the trick. Yeah." She sighed. "I messed up, Dad."

"What happened?"

"Well—"

Jack held up a hoof. "Wait, let me guess. I've been meaning to brush up on my mentalist techniques."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Dad..."

He brought his hooves to his forehead, his horn lighting up but not actually doing anything. "Did you get framed for stealing the Ostlerheimer Diamond?"

"No."

"Get captured by Diamond Dogs and forced to become their queen?"

"No."

"Turn yourself into a balding, magicless ape?"

Trixie stomped a hoof. "Dad, be serious!"

Jack cracked an eye open and smirked for a moment before going back into his mind-reading pose. "Hmm. Then I suppose you became hyperfocused on revenge against a mare who showed you up without meaning to, crossing just about every line you ever drew for yourself, and now you're suffering the worst crisis of confidence you've ever felt, driving you back into your father's forelegs so I can reassure you that you're still a good pony."

Trixie found herself too busy examining the dressing room's floorboards to respond.

"That or you're pregnant, but that seems much less likely."

"The first one," said Trixie. "I worked for months, saved up every bit I could, bought a cursed amulet, and... Well, the nicest thing I can say is that I didn't kill anypony. Nopony wants to see the Great and Powerful Trixie again. Everywhere I go, I'm a laughingstock, a criminal, or both."

"Well, that sounds familiar," said a voice from an adjoining room.

Jack groaned. "Big, I'm trying to impart some fatherly wisdom here."

Big Bucks strode into the room, his smirk almost as wide as his mustache. "I was there with you, Jack. I'm the one who soaked up any wisdom that didn't get lost in the glitter you keep in that pointy skull of yours. Besides, can't I say hello to my favorite niece?"

"You're not actually her uncle," Jack said with a roll of his eyes.

Big waved away the point. "Please, as if blood actually mattered to family."

"It's good to see you, Uncle Big," said Trixie.

The resulting grin managed to surpass Big's mustache. "There, you see? Now, was this artifact any worse than Meadowbrook's Mask of Malice?"

Jack groaned. "I knew you were going to bring that up."

Wide-eyed, Trixie said, "I don't think I ever heard that story."

Big blinked, his grin flickering in his surprise. "Really? Well, we have a show in an hour, so I can't tell you all the nitty-gritty. To sum it up, after the dust settled, we were banned from performing in Hoofington—still are, come to think of it—we got a contact in the dynamic archeology community, and your father learned to listen to me when it came to telling the difference between Meadowbrook the ancient unicorn mage and Meadowbrook the even more ancient earth pony mage." He leaned in as though imparting some great secret and stage whispered, "Rule of hoof: If a mask is involved, it's probably the earth pony."

"I don't plan on having anything to do with ancient artifacts again, Uncle Big."

Jack sighed. "Neither did we, but the statute of limitations still hasn't run out for one of your mother's anniversary gifts."

"Pretty sure we got a cameo in a Daring Do novel for that one," added Big.

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Be serious, you two. What do I do?"

"I thought you knew, little star," Jack said, his frown going from playful exasperation to genuine concern. "Ponies don't usually come to Las Pegasus at random."

"Well, I was going to ask if you needed a full-time lovely assistant..."

Jack shook his head. "Trixie, Las Pegasus is where you go when your career's fully matured, when you're not going to fill Carneighie Hall anymore and want a steady gig."

"In other words, it's where careers go to die," said Big. "You're too young for this town, Trixie. Wait until they turn burning effigies of you into a Summer Sun Celebration tradition."

"Are they still doing that in Seaddle?" said Jack, rubbing his chin.

Big shrugged. "You can go look if you want to. I find fire disagrees with my sensitive skin."

"This from the stallion who—"

"You two can banter later!" cried Trixie. "What am I supposed to do if I'm supposed to wait another thirty years before I come here?"

Jack nuzzled her before putting a foreleg over her withers.. "Give them time, little star. Let tempers fade and memories cool. You left your audience angry, but you can still fix your mistakes."

"As long as they haven't reached the point of forming angry mobs."

"Big, you're not helping," said Jack, not shifting an inch from the hug.

"I was supposed to help?"

Father and daughter rolled their eyes as one. "And in the meantime?" said Trixie.

"When's the last time you visited your mother?"

Trixie reared up, forelegs spread wide as she declaimed, "And that is how Jack Pot and Trixie saved Las Pegasus from a pride of rampaging vampire manticores!"

"Funny," Starlight said behind her, making Trixie's eyes bug out. "That's not how I remember you telling that story."

Trixie spun around with acrobatic grace and definitely no stumbling. "How long were you..." She gulped as she took in the other five members of her unseen audience. "How long were you all listening?"

"Around where fact turned to fiction," said Starlight.

"Nice touch with the accurate collective noun for manticores. Even if—" Twilight shut her mouth when Starlight and Pinkie Pie each nudged her with a hoof.

"Of course," said Trixie. "Their union charges enough as it is. I'd be lucky if they even returned my letters if I said something like 'pack of manticores.'"

Applejack raised an eyebrow like she was preparing a guillotine. "So what all really did happen?"

Trixie sighed and rolled her eyes. Honestly, what fun was reality? "Dad did let me play beautiful assistant for a few shows to build my confidence back up, but he chased me out to make sure I saw Mom afterwards. And he was right to. Then I wandered a bit, found a few places where my reputation wasn't quite shot yet, and started building up my momentum again. Then I came back here, met Starlight at the spa, and the rest is recent history." She hazarded a smile with much less to hide than usual. "So, who else wants to help me practice my newest trick?"

"That depends," said a smirking Starlight. "How many teacups do I need to turn back into playing cards?"

Trixie glanced at the folding table, which supported several incomplete tea sets. "A few."

"Uh, Trixie?"

Trixie turned to face Rainbow Dash, whose wings were shivering again. Weird. "Yes?"

"Just so you know, the Wonderbolts are looking for some new talent in choreography and visual effects. Blue Angel's probably going to retire in a few years, though you didn't hear it from me. You might want to drop them a line."

"Uh..." Trixie reflexively combed through the statement and found nothing but sincerity. She offered a smile. Not a Great or Powerful smile, just a little one. "I will. Thanks."

Author's Notes:

Yes, I ship Quibbledash. I blame/thank Sketcha-Holic for that one. And for the vampire attack on Las Pegasus.

We never actually get a name for the totally-not-a-casino that Gladmane and the Flimflams run, so I decided to do a riff on the Mirage, a member of the Vegas Strip's relatively old guard. The tie-in with Trixie's specialty and her human analogue's band only occurred to me after I settled on it.

The "Elvis Przewalski" pun was lovingly stolen from Georg.

Jack Pot's first two guesses about how Trixie messed up actually happened to her in the IDW comics.

Multiple Meadowbrooks seem like the best way to reconcile that little hiccup, especially if Mistmane named a daughter after her friend.

And I seriously don't think Dash and Trixie have any face-to-face interaction since "Magic Duel," much less "No Second Prances." Dash running into Jack Pot in Las Pegasus seemed like a great excuse to have them play off each other, and to explore some of Trixie's unexplored history. See here for a bit of background detail that I couldn't work into the main story.