Chapter 11
Smiling, Sumac followed along behind Trixie as she walked to work, not wanting to be separated from her just yet. He walked with a bounce in his step, happy, feeling content about life. Sure, the morning had been a little scary so far, but things had worked out and now Trixie seemed both proud and happy.
The day seemed a little brighter, the sun a little shinier, everything somehow seemed a little better. Trixie had her diploma; she had graduated from school. Sumac knew how important that was, or at least he had an inkling. Trixie certainly seemed to take an enormous amount of pride in it.
“Trixie?”
“Yeah, Sumac?”
Sumac took a moment to consider his words before he spoke as he followed along behind his adoptive mother. His brows furrowed and his face became serious, though he still had something of a smile. He saw Trixie looking back at him, her head turned just enough so that she could see him out of the corner of her eye.
“Are you going to settle down now and get married? What are we going to do?”
Trixie’s response was unexpected. She tossed her head back and laughed. Sumac, confused, tilted his head to one side and stared at his adoptive mother with one eye narrowed and one eye wide, with his ears tilted forwards.
“Sumac, darling, I already have the stallion I need in my life. Sure, he’s a little tiny, but he’s also adorable and he does an admirable job of keeping my bed warm. He also compliments me on my cooking. I’m perfectly happy with how life is.”
Not knowing how to respond, Sumac just stared at Trixie as he followed along, not sure how he felt about what she had said. Something felt wrong about it, something was off. “But I… but you… but us…. but we—”
“That’s a lot of buts, Sumac.” Trixie sighed and then let out a muffled, subdued giggle. “My little colt has an interest in buts, I see.”
The colt fell silent and he felt his cheeks grow as warm as cherry red coals. He picked up the pace so he could walk a little closer to Trixie, at her side rather than behind her. A full body blush spread from his cheeks, down his neck, over his withers, and down his sides.
“Sumac, darling, I don’t want life to become complicated. If somepony shows an interest, I might think about it, but I am not going to go and look for love. There is just too much to be done, too much work to do, I need to get us a house, which should be easier now with my diploma. I need to get myself a few promotions. I need to make sure you are well provided for so you can have all of the advantages I can give you so you will have a good life and your talent isn’t wasted. The Great and Powerful Trixie has plans and those plans do not include looking for love.”
“But a father could help provide for me,” Sumac said in what he hoped was a voice that hid his embarrassment.
“Sumac, my little apple slice, that is no reason to go and find a stallion to settle down with,” Trixie replied as she shook her head. “There has to be better reasons to go looking, like love or the desire to be happy.”
“Well, there is that too… but”—Sumac cringed at the word he just said; he gritted his teeth together for a moment as his face darkened and he felt his neck grow warmer as Trixie giggled—“everything would sort itself out after the fact.”
“Maybe, Sumac, but I’m happy with how things are right now. I have you and that’s enough. I have a decent job that is about to get better. We have a place to live. I’m fixing everything that I messed up in my life one mistake at a time. For now, things are good.”
“Okay.” The little colt pulled a little closer to Trixie, walking nearer to her side, but not close enough to be under hoof. As he walked, the cooling breeze felt good on his neck, which had grown far too warm.
“So when are you and Pebble going to settle down and tie the knot?” Trixie asked in a perfect deadpan. “That would make me happy. She’s kinda cute. And those little dresses she wears… adorable.”
What little coolness Sumac felt from the breeze on his neck vanished. He very nearly stumbled and Boomer let out a worried, sleepy snort as she awoke halfway and then drifted back off again as he recovered. Sumac could not even work up enough spit to make a reply and his mouth felt as dry as desert sand. His knees wobbled. His cream coloured pelt took on a noticeable pink tint that went from ear to hoof.
This was fair—as terrible as it was, it was fair. Sumac had just suggested that Trixie get married and settle down. Turnabout was fair play. In the future, Sumac was going to have to be a bit more careful when he brought up this subject, if he ever brought it up ever again.
Trixie laughed and Sumac dutifully followed along, staring at the ground as he walked.
Starlight Glimmer almost bounced down the stairs that led to the massive double doors that were the entrance to Twilight’s castle. The mare was smiling, happy looking, and she ignored the royal guard that lined the steps as she descended.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Starlight said as she drew nearer. “Twilight is busy with Princess Celestia. Twilight is just a teensy weensy bit nervous about school tomorrow. Princess Celestia is helping to sort her out.”
“Oh my,” Trixie replied.
“As for you,” Starlight said in a smooth, confident voice, “you do not work today. Twilight has given you the day off to spend it with Sumac. Make the most of this time together. Have fun. See that Sumac has a good day so he’ll be in top form when school starts tomorrow.”
Trixie nodded.
“Also, in light of your new piece of parchment, you have been promoted. Twilight wants you as a personal research assistant as well as a teacher’s aid. I’m going to be your new boss and I wanted to take this moment to say congratulations!”
Mouth hanging open, Trixie went still. She stared at Starlight Glimmer, her eyes wide, unable to reply. After a moment, she shut her mouth and then managed to blink once. Her nostrils flared and then she sat down. She pulled Sumac to her and began to stroke his neck, but failed to take notice how warm it was at the moment.
“The title research assistant is a bit of a misnomer… Twilight has a circle of very close associates that she trusts to deal with day to day dealings. We solve problems, sort out issues, deal with complicated socio-political issues, and things of that nature. We deal with the day to day hard work of practical rulership. We have to be skilled at everything. We have to stay on top of the local news. We have to have a good understanding of the local issues. We have to know local opinions. There is a vast amount of information that we have to consume, digest, parse, and then present to Twilight so she can make informed decisions. Now that you have your diploma, Twilight and I both feel that you qualify to do this sort of work. As the new intern, prepare to be overworked for a while. Twilight feels that the best way to prepare somepony for this job is to toss them into the deep end and trust that they can swim. I agree.”
“I don’t know what to say…” Trixie shook her head and blinked a few times, her eyes shimmering with tears.
Starlight Glimmer smiled. “You don’t need to say anything. Just go out and celebrate with Sumac. Have a good day.” Starlight took a step closer and her grin broadened. “As for you, Sumac, Princess Celestia told us a very funny story.”
“She did?” Sumac asked.
“She did.” Starlight nodded.
“You think she’d be smarter than trying to bribe me,” Sumac said in a low, serious voice. He adjusted his glasses with his telekinesis and watched as Starlight’s cheeks bulged. The mare was chortling and little snorts escaped even though she made a valiant effort to hold them in. Sumac wasn’t sure what was so funny. “Just seems counterproductive, that’s all.” He felt Trixie squeeze him and his ears perked when she snorted. Starlight’s face darkened and he wondered what was so funny.
“Go on, go and have a nice day.” Starlight raised her hoof and gestured at the town of Ponyville all around them. She smiled, then laughed, and then looked at both Trixie and Sumac. “I shall see you both tomorrow.”
Sumac waited, wondering what Trixie was going to do with the day. He was excited, happy, he was filled with joy and could not stop grinning. School started tomorrow and so did Trixie’s new job. It sounded like an important job.
“You see, Sumac, this is why you need friends. When something good happens, you’ll have somepony you can share the good news with.” Trixie stood beaming, her eyes twinkling with happiness, and there was a new spring in her step.
Sumac’s ears perked at Trixie’s words and he considered them carefully. Boomer let out a smokey sneeze and Sumac felt a tickle in his own nose, but he somehow managed to hold everything in. He looked up at the dragon perched on his horn. She seemed a little bigger today, or perhaps it was his imagination. She looked sleepy—she spent a lot of time snoozing, which is what baby dragons did best.
“I wonder if Lemon Hearts is home… I’ve just got to tell somepony!”
“Trixie… Sumac… so happy to see you… just the ponies I wanted to see!”
Lemon Hearts’ kindness was infectious and Sumac was glad to see the lemony yellow mare. He bounced over in an almost uncharacteristic fit of happiness, flung himself at Lemon Hearts’ front legs, and gave her a hug, wrapping his foreleg around her right front leg. He felt himself swept up in a crushing hug and he relished the moment, rather than feel embarrassed about it. He liked Lemon Hearts.
“Lemon… I just graduated… I didn’t think it was possible after all these years but Princess Celestia paid me a visit and I just found out that I’ve been promoted and everything is wonderful!”
“I know,” Lemon Hearts replied.
“You know?” Trixie’s eyebrow arched in confusion.
“Princess Celestia had me interviewed. She knew that I was one of the fillies that you had some trouble with. She was surprised that we were friends. I spoke with Raven, Princess Celestia’s agent. We had lunch together.” Lemon Hearts let go of Sumac, went straight for Trixie, and gave her a fierce hug. “Twilight also asked me a bunch of questions too. I kinda figured that something was up. I’m so happy for you, Trixie!”
“I’m so happy for me too!” Trixie wrapped her forelegs around Lemon Hearts’ neck and squeezed with everything she had. “I don’t know what to do with myself right now… I’m not used to being this happy.”
Sumac watched as the two mares continued to squeeze each other silly. He was still grinning and everything was wonderful. He wasn’t sure how this day could get any better. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet and already this was shaping up to be an even better day than finding out that he had been accepted into Twilight’s school.
“Trixie, I’m really glad that you are here… I need to ask you something. I was going to come and find you today so we could discuss an important issue.” Lemon Hearts pulled away from Trixie and sat almost snoot to snoot with her.
“Is something wrong?” Trixie asked, worried.
“Not yet,” Lemon Hearts replied, shaking her head and giving Trixie a reassuring smile. “I might have bitten off a little more than I could chew when I purchased this house of mine. I can keep making the payments, but it is going to strain my budget something awful.”
“Oh?” One of Trixie’s eyebrows raised.
“Trixie, there is a spare bedroom. It isn’t very big… the house isn’t very big actually, just two little bedrooms, a cosy room that is both the living room and the kitchen, and there is a little fenced in garden in the back.”
“What are you asking?” Trixie asked in a low voice that creaked with emotion.
“It might be nice to live with a friend. The second bedroom is upstairs. It’s a little cramped and it is a strange space because of the angle of the roof, but I think you and Sumac could be happy up there.”
Sumac watched as Trixie blinked, holding her eyes closed for a second. When she opened them once more, they were filled with tears. Sumac felt his own eyes growing misty. He sat there, feeling quite overwhelmed, unable to believe his good fortune.
“We could park your wagon in the back. It would give little Sumac his own private space if he needed it. The furnace needs fixing before the winter and that’s going to be expensive. I didn’t know it was broken when I bought the house. The house needs a little work and I can’t get everything done by myself.” Lemon Hearts reached out with her foreleg and patted Trixie on the neck. “What do you say?”
“Oh, this is wonderful… I don’t know how to thank you.” Trixie’s lower lip quivered as she spoke and without warning, she yanked Lemon Hearts in for another crushing hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“I’ll help you get settled in and we’ll move everything today, if you’d like,” Lemon Hearts said to Trixie as she squeezed back. “Sumac will have a home to come home to on his first day of school… we’ll all be able to come home together tomorrow and it will be wonderful!”
“Yes it will!” Trixie agreed in a voice that squeaked with excitement. “I’ll be able to give Sumac a bath in a proper bathtub and everything will be wonderful and he’ll be able to bathe every day and I won’t feel guilty any more for dunking him into cold river water!”
“What?” Sumac blinked in alarm. “What? No…” Sumac shook his head, wondering how things had just taken a turn for the worst so quickly. Scowling, he let out a sigh and began to sulk. Things had just gone horribly wrong somehow.
“No more stinky colt,” Lemon Hearts said in a voice that did nothing to contain her giggling.
“I know, it’ll be great,” Trixie replied. “He’s so soft and snuggly after a bath.”
Sitting on his haunches, Sumac let out an exasperated groan and wondered how he was going to survive. This was going to be awful. Not only was Trixie probably going to actually bathe him every day, but she was going to brush him too and she was probably going to use the flowery scented soap and with the flowery scented soap, he was going to be teased in school. His lips pressed together and his mouth formed a pinched straight line.
This was shaping up to be the worst day ever.
Worst day EVAR! 
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No! Not the flowery scented soap!
7100152 YEs! ALL THE FLOWERY SCENTED SOAPS FOR COLTS!!!
And it was all going so well, too!
Trixie is the worst parent ever! How could she use... the flowery scented soap! That's like, capital punishment! It's colt abuse!
Yes. Helping prevent a future in crime, too! But what a father really will do is help raise you. Be a good role model. Mac's doin rather well, so far. (Even though he's not Sumac's father... is Mac married? I don't seem to remember he is...)
Hmmm? Role of "research assistant" is almost a cadre of seneschals and advisors?
Trixie's movin' up in the world.
Oh yeah, and the implication that this is the for-adults version of Spike's role, being what he's headed toward if he stays with Twilight. That's good too.
Oh, you.
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7100233
7100311 I can only imagine how much trouble your mothers had during childhood. Come on ! Bath is amazing. You get the super amazing "Launch Water" power when in bath ! You can destroy all the evil Soap Foam with your water launching powers...you can even cross your water beams in order to create the dreaded "Water Maelstrom" that could wipe a whole bathroom wall free from the evil Soap Foam !
Sumac need Trixie to get him some Apple Spice Bodywash.
Not only would he look handsome, he'd likely smell it too, and have all the fillies to himself.
7100630 lmao....that made my morning. Thanks for posting that.
Aaaaand now I have a story idea where Big Mac gets hired by an Ad agency and goes through a similar publicity whirlwind that Fluttershy went through.
7100505
Twilight based the position of her advisors off of what Spike has been doing with her all these years. She goes with what she knows, what works, and what she trusts.
Spike is still her most trusted assistant, as evidenced in Enter the Dragon, when he was the only one she took council with for ideas about the dragon egg. Spike is savvy, and Twilight trusts in that.
7100630
Oh my.
Ok, these three stories really have me hooked. That Colt is adorable. And I want to squeeze Pebble all over and eeeeeeeeee....
Pardon me, I smell my brain melting.
I'll never understand the "boy's don't like baths" trope.
They only time in my memory I can recall disliking getting clean is when I reached the age it was uncomfortable for my parents to see me naked. And by that point I just woke up before them anyway and took a shower on my own.
You can tell Sumac has a long ways to go both socially and intellectually that if he's going to HAVE to bathe then maybe he should take some of his dragon poop and buy some stallion scented cleaning products.
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Trixie gets soap in his eyes (Mostly because he won't stop struggling) and the rivers in which he bathes are cold.
Just need to rub a little lanolin into him after the bath and he'll be just as soft and snuggly as a cloud. And maybe a bow in his tail... Yeah, he's doomed.
Ah, the time when i hated baths. That was a while ago. But scented sope? That's nothing short of abuse!
Are you saying Trixie had a...
replygif.net/i/380.gif
wet dream for a tub?
Now that was a pretty funny lesson in not starting conversations you don't actually want to participate in.
Nice! Sounds like Trixie will be working her flank off for the time being, but in a pretty important position.
Oooo, pretty nice surprise new living arrangement, too.
Came here for the Hypothesis, staying for the Sumebble, or whatever the portmanteau is...
The attic room seems too coincidental, and breaks my suspension of disbelief, unless its due to Lunar or Celestia Machinations...
7126672 or simple friend machinations. We do that.
7100630 You smart bugger aren't ya?
That was hilarious, was about to say Sumac needs Stallion soap but this is close enough.
This day is going to be awful
The kind of day that I have feared since I was small
Everypony will gather round.
Call me cute untill I frown
And I don't know how to handle it at all.
This day was going to be awful
The kind of day that I have feared since I was small
But instead of dunkings in the lake.
Of writing charts without a break
It turns out we may have a home after all
I could care less about the garden
In the kitchen I don't have a stake
Space? Well I'd not be lying when I say
That in any kind of weather
I prefer it in our cart together
If only because it has no bath at all
No I do not want a room
For moving it is way to soon
But I still want my mom to be just fine
I must escape before it is too late
Find a way to save my day
Hope, I'll be lying if I say
"I don't feel afraid at moving
To a house not of my choosing
Where I'll be bathed and scrubbed upon each day"
For I do so love our cart
Where lessons we did take to heart
O Trixie,
I'd be sad if we had to part
8201204
I started the first couplet on a whim
Then I had too much fun to stop.
8201204
Damn.
7101137
Ruby? Do you mean Boomer?
That was so anime, it hurts.