Heartwarming / An Extended Performance

• Reading the story, it's obvious that Trixie loves Piercing Gaze, even though she refuses to admit it to herself — and one wonders if Piercing, who was much older and more sophisticated than Trixie, really cared for her or was just taking advantage of a naive young mare. When one reads the sidestory A Long Night at the Hippodrome, it become obvious that Piercing Gaze genuinely returns her affections — he thinks of her as his "soul mate" and berates himself for having been so forward with her as to drive her away.