FimFiction Link - Short ID: 506268/trixies-final-show
Published: Nov '21
'Trixie's Final Show' is a five thousand and two hundred-word oneshot. Trixie is entering her thirties and after becoming a part-time counselor at the Friendship School, Starlight asks her to settle down and work full-time. After a bit of deliberation Trixie accepts, but not before returning to her birth city for one final show. As she wins the hearts of the audience, the reader gets to learn a bit about her past, why she became a magician and the reason for her dependence on attention.
It's no secret that just like many others I'm also no big fan of the last two seasons. I won't reiterate the points many others have made before me about the issues with the school, however, I'm happy to say that despite the unfortunate setting, I have quite enjoyed reading this story. Most of the narrative is shrouded in a thin veil of melancholy as Trixie realizes that her days as a wandering magician are over and plans her last show, but instead of wailing in misery, she rather refocuses her goals and realizes that she also greatly enjoys helping students. I liked the past the author has given her, it's by no means original, but I feel like it explains her characteristics well. I also enjoyed her interaction with the only other real character in the story. They bounce off each other well and the author conveys their relation without needing to explicitly spell it out.
One thing I have to mention, that surprised me in this fic was how "mature" it suddenly turned. Most of the early story is very in-line with the show in terms of words and themes, but when Trixie returns to her birthplace she suddenly mentions seeing "mafias, prostitutes and gangs," before entering a casino. I'm not necessarily considering this a fault in the story, but it's a bit funny to think about a world where a school for friendship exists, but in a proverbial spitting distance from it there is a city with such things.
In terms of negatives, the biggest "issue" in this story, I'd say, is that not much happens ultimately. I understand that in a SoL story this isn't a problem necessarily, but none of the scenes feel truly memorable. Trixie extremely quickly accepts her new role, nothing impedes her to go back home, her show goes impeccably and then she decides to go home before being asked to stay one more day and then the story ends. Trixie's last show was especially a bit disappointing, as the whole story builds up to it and then the author just shrugs and time-skips past to the moment it ended. I know that a magician's act is a very visual thing, but surely you can at least somewhat capture it in text, yet this fic doesn't even try.
Overall: 6/10 It's competently written and I enjoy the exploration of a "midlife-crisis," but the story ultimately didn't move me too much. Regardless, if you want a low-stakes, feel-good fic, I can recommend it.