//------------------------------// // 27. Rocky Relationship // Story: The Shimmer of Magic // by Hakuno //------------------------------// Chapter 27. Rocky Relationship Trixie couldn’t remember the last time she spent so much time doing absolutely nothing. Yes, she could go out to do stuff and distract herself, or she could just use the computer or watch T.V., but none of those things appealed to her. As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to return to school already, just so she had something to do. There was a bright side, though. Sunset was going to visit her after work, and since Trixie’s parents weren’t going to arrive until late night, they’d have a lot of time for themselves to talk, or maybe even go to the theater. She was absentmindedly watching T.V. There was a surprisingly interesting documentary about penguins; the first hour had been pretty beautiful to watch, but the second one had been so boring that Trixie had lost all interest, and instead was lying down on the couch, alternating between staring at the ceiling and her nails. The doorbell rang, startling Trixie a little bit. She looked at the clock above the T.V. and raised an eyebrow. It was an hour before Sunset even got out of work. She then rolled her eyes at herself. There were a lot of other possibilities other than Sunset. One of her mother’s clients, or one of her father’s co-workers, or even the mailman. She lazily stood up. Her long dark blue shirt brushed her knees, reaching just a little lower than her denim shorts, looking more like a dress. She dragged her bare feet all the way to the front door. Trying to suppress a yawn, she reached for the knob and opened it. “Yes?” Trixie said as her eyes slowly fell upon a gray skinned girl with grayish straight purple hair and teal eyes. Trixie’s heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat formed in her forehead. She worked silent words for a moment before managing to find her voice. “M-Maud?” Maud Pie stood in the doorway, wearing a blueish green gown with a black belt in the middle. Her face was expressionless, one would say she looked bored or even irked. Her eyes stared immobile at Trixie, blinking a little too slow. “Hey,” was the only thing Maud replied. “W-What are you doing here?” Trixie asked a little too loud. “I want to talk.” Trixie felt her stomach fall, and the sudden urge to swallow. “What about?” Maud stared silently at Trixie for a very long moment. She looked past Trixie and into the hallway, then at Trixie again. Acting on pure instinct, Trixie stepped aside, letting Maud enter her house. She closed the door and followed Maud to the living room. Maud sat down on one end of the largest couch and lazily looked around. “It’s different.” Trixie fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Well, obviously. It’s been like four years since the last time you came,” she said as she sat down at the other end of the couch. “Three years, seven months and twelve days.” Trixie’s breath caught in her throat, and her limbs started to shake a little bit. She looked away for a moment, letting the silence stretch for almost a full minute before speaking. “So… What do you want to talk about?” Maud didn’t answer right away, instead, she patiently waited for Trixie to look at her again to speak her mind. When Trixie finally looked at her again she noticed Maud was sitting up straight, her hands resting on her knees. When they made eye contact, Maud spoke. “I love you.” Trixie leaned back, cheeks flushing a bright red, as her mouth hung open. “W-What?!” Maud leaned closer, her eyes staring deeply into Trixie’s. “I love you,” she repeated. “I loved us.” Her voice held the same dull monotone it always did, carrying the same seeming disinterest. Even as flustered as she was, Trixie remembered to glance down to Maud’s hands. Her pose had barely changed, but she was nervously gripping her knees so tight that her knuckles were a few shades lighter already. Trixie snapped her gaze back up to Maud’s face. “Y-you… want to get back together?” Not so much as a single facial muscle moved, but Maud scooted over to Trixie, closing the distance. The action was enough of an answer to Trixie. “W-Wait,” Trixie stuttered, feeling the couch’s arm against her side as Maud got closer. “I-I guess you got Pinkie’s message, but-” “I did,” Maud replied, placing a hand behind Trixie, trapping her against the couch as she neared even further. Their noses were dangerously close now. “B-But… I’m not who I was! I was sick!” “Yes,” Maud replied. “You are better.” Trixie’s heart skipped a beat at that. “N-Now wait a min-” But Maud didn’t wait, and she locked their lips together. She pressed herself against Trixie, and began caressing her head. On her part, Trixie placed her hands on Maud’s shoulders, slowly positioning them in a comfortable position, and then pushing Maud away. “S-Stop!” Trixie yelled, panting. She frowned at Maud’s expressionless face. “I don’t know why Pinkie didn’t tell you, but I have a girlfriend.” “I know,” Maud replied. Trixie’s eyes widened. “Wha- Then why-” “You let me in,” Maud interrupted her. “You don’t love her.” This time, the blush in her face was one of anger. “You said you wanted to talk!” Maud blinked slowly. “We’re talking.” “Maud, you broke up with me. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. You’re not my girlfriend anymore, Sunset is. You forgot about me and I moved on!” Looming over Trixie, Maud shook her head. “I never forgot.” There was an intensity in Maud’s eyes that took Trixie off guard. Maybe she really had never stopped thinking about her… Just like Trixie herself. “I can’t—I, I don’t want you anymore!” Maud stared silently at Trixie. Trixie knew to give her the time she needed, but after a while time dragged on long enough that it was becoming awkward, even for Maud. As if the situation wasn’t awkward enough on it’s own already. Just as Trixie was about to speak again, Maud came out of her stasis. “Not true.” “That’s it?” Trixie scoffed. “You had ten minutes and that is the best you can come up with? What makes you think I want anything to do with you?” “You had ten minutes,” Maud repeated. “I’m still here.” Trixie blinked, and she realized that, true to Maud’s words, she had just pushed her enough to talk, but Maud was still pretty much upon her, trapping her with her arms and legs. Trixie frowned again. “Get off me.” “Make me.” “I’m serious!” Trixie yelled. “Get off me this instant!” Maud said nothing, and just leaned closer again. Trixie tried to keep her away, but her arms gave out pretty quickly, Maud had always been much stronger. It wasn’t long before Maud was kissing her again. Trixie struggled and tried to protest, but moving her lips proved to be a wrong idea, as Maud assaulted her even further. Finally, Trixie managed to turn her head to the side, keeping her mouth away from Maud. Her chest pounded with what she had to believe was exertion and nothing else. “Quit it! Maud, I’m not who I was. I can’t do this! I, I don’t feel anything. I keep telling you! Why would I lie to you?” “Not to me,” Maud said flatly. “To you.” Trixie took a sharp breath. “You need to leave.” Maud stared at her for a moment. She moved away and stood up. “I’m staying with Pinkie for a few weeks before going back to college. Also, I’ll be in the park at noon every day.” And with that, she walked away and left. Once Trixie heard the front door shutting close, she curled up against the back of the couch, adopting a fetal position. She stared, thoughtful, as she used a thumb to stroke her lips. ~~~~~~~~ As the credits rolled by, Sunset looked back down at Trixie. She’d been strangely absent minded ever since she picked her up, and even letting her lay in her lap while they watched the new movie didn’t seem to have lightened her spirit at all. “Trixie?” “Mhm?” “It’s over.” “What is?” “...The movie.” Sunset frowned slightly. “Are you ok?” Trixie looked up at Sunset, and Sunset noticed that her eyes weren’t completely focused on her. “Yeah, why?” Trixie answered with a half smile. “Because we just saw the movie you wouldn’t shut up about, but you didn’t even watch it at all.” Sunset’s expression softened as she sighed. “Trixie, you know you can tell me anything that’s troubling you, right?” Trixie snickered softly and gave Sunset a peck. “It’s nothing, really. Just some issues at home. You know, the usual.” Sunset smiled, but she felt a pressure in her chest that she hadn’t felt before. Something was wrong with Trixie, she was sure. Every time she turned to look at Trixie, she was touching her lips as if she had a sore or something. She wanted to ask, but decided not to. Trixie would tell her at some point. “Alright,” Sunset said with a small grin. “Then let’s go.” ~~~~~~~~ Trixie felt really bad for lying to Sunset, but she didn’t want to tell her that Maud was around, at least not now. She had decided, after a good night’s sleep, that she had to put a stop to Maud before it became a bigger problem and added more unwanted drama to her and Sunset’s lives. And so, she went to meet Maud and tell her in person to stop trying to get her back. Maud had only said “the park”, but Trixie knew that the only park she could’ve meant was a very small, unnamed park near Canterlot’s Library. She’d never felt so nervous as she did while walking down the dirt path, her heart was racing, and her legs felt weak. She stopped and closed her eyes. Maybe coming here wasn’t a good idea after all. After Maud had kissed her, Trixie hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, about her. She’d always been direct and forceful, it was that kind of silent unflinching confidence that attracted Trixie to her in the first place. It was wonderful back then, even if that same rock solid determination also was what sharply ended their relationship at the time. No matter how much Trixie protested, she never had been able to dissuade Maud from anything. Or deny her anything... It wouldn’t be that bad, would it? To experience that again? The feeling of control so firmly in the hands of someone who knew just how to treat her. Her eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat as she realized, with great horror, that no matter what she had told herself, no matter what she had decided, Maud was right: After all these years, she still had feelings for her. Right there and then, for the first time in a very long time, Trixie was terrified. How could she still feel something for Maud? She had moved on! She was now with Sunset, and she was happy like this! Then, why? Trixie had stupidly allowed Maud to kiss her and rekindle her feelings for her. It was so unfair! She shook her head and pressed her hands into fists. Coming to the park was a bad idea, she realized. She decided that the best course of action was to just leave and avoid Maud at all costs. She couldn’t trust her stupid self not to do something she’d regret. But, the moment she turned around, she was stopped by the figure of Maud, looking down at her with a very imperceptible smile. “Hello.” Trixie stepped back. “No, this is wrong,” she muttered, although a little too loud. Maud stared silently for a moment, then quickly closed the distance and kissed Trixie. Trixie failed to react, and allowed Maud to trap her in a tight hug. She tried to push her away, but Maud was much stronger than she was at the best of times, and it didn’t help that Maud was somehow sapping what little strength she had, like some sort of vampire sucking her will right out of her tongue. Her head swam as Maud just knew exactly what to do to make Trixie feel numb and dizzy. It wasn’t long before Trixie had given up entirely, hugging Maud and kissing her back. She never stopped thinking that what she was doing was wrong in all levels. She was cheating on Sunset! She ought to know better! But being with Maud again reminded her of the old times, when she used to think that everything was good in the world. At last, Maud broke the kiss, and patiently waited for Trixie to open her eyes and look up at her. “Still wrong?” Maud asked, and Trixie could see more clearly the smile forming in her face. Trixie looked down with a frown. “Yes. I…” She paused, fighting back the tears that were welling up as the reality set in. “I’m cheating on Sunset and-” “Then leave her.” Trixie’s breath caught in her throat, and she looked at Maud with a dumbfounded expression. “I-I can’t!” Right then, she found her strength again and managed to push Maud away. “Are you crazy?! My thing with Sunset is serious, and I don’t want to mess it up!” “Do you love her?” Maud asked, and she waited ten full seconds for Trixie to answer. When she didn’t, she continued. “You told me you love me.” “That’s different and you know it!” Trixie replied with a frown. “I was unhealthily obsessed. That’s the reason you broke up with me. You can’t use what I said back then.” “Do you love her?,” Maud repeated, and stepped closer when Trixie hesitated to answer. “Do you?” Another step followed, letting Maud loom over Trixie. “If you can’t answer...” she said as her nose touched Trixie’s, “I will succeed.” Trixie gritted her teeth and looked down. “Why are you doing this? Why now?” “I love you,” Maud answered immediately. Trixie stepped back and shook her head. “I don’t… I can’t…” She refused to look directly at Maud’s eyes. “Maud, I… I have to go.” Maud reached Trixie’s cheek and tried to kiss her again, but Trixie turned around. “I’ll be here tomorrow, too.” Trixie didn’t answer, and finally gathered enough strength in her legs to walk away. ~~~~~~~~ The day became strangely warmer as the hours passed by. That day, Sunset had to work extra time, so she and Trixie weren’t going to be able to hang out until late afternoon. Trixie decided it was a good opportunity to get some advice for her current situation, and there was only one person she knew that could help her. She knocked at the door of Carrousel Boutique. Yes, there was bell, but Trixie felt that knocking gave a stronger message. “Welcome to- Oh, hello Trixie, darling!” Rarity said with a wide smile as she opened the door. “I apologize, I think the bell isn’t working again… But, uh... How can I help you?” “Need to talk to you.” Trixie hurried as she walked inside. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” “Of course not!” Rarity said. “I always have time for a friend.” She closed the door and followed Trixie to a magenta couch. Trixie sat down, nervously fiddling with her fingers. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?” “Rarity, I… I need your help.” She stared at her restless fingers for a moment; what she wouldn’t give for a deck of cards right about now. “But first, I need you to promise that you won’t tell anyone.” “Of course.” “I’m serious, Rarity. No one. Not even the girls. Especially not Sunset.” Rarity frowned. “This sounds serious. You have my word that I won’t tell anyone, not even my diary.” The little joke did nothing to lighten Trixie’s mood, as she answered with a long sigh. “I…” She bit her lower lip. “I have a friend… And this friend has a girlfriend… and she likes her, but before that she used to date someone else and... she never really got over that. She thought she did, but then-” “Who’s your ex?” Trixie’s cheeks flushed at that. “I’m talking about my friend!” Rarity only gave her a look and cocked an eyebrow. “Alright, fine, it’s me.” “So?” Trixie took a deep breath, and after pondering for a moment, she told Rarity everything. As the story progressed, Rarity leaned back and placed a hand on her mouth, thoughtful. Once Trixie was finished, she refused to look at Rarity. “I know what you’re thinking,” Trixie said. “But I don’t know what to do.” “What do you mean you don’t know?” Rarity asked. “It’s simple. You have to decide.” “It’s not that simple!” Trixie cried. “I have these stupid feelings, and I can’t get rid of them!” She covered her face with both hands. “Sunset is gorgeous and intelligent, and we have the same sense of humor. But Maud is an immobile wall of confidence and always knows what to do and say.” “And also broke up with you.” Rarity said in a sobering tone, causing Trixie to breathe sharply. “That’s true, but... she did that for me… because she loved me and knew I needed that.” Trixie leaned forward, resting her face in her hands. “She said she never stopped thinking about me. It...it’s not really fair to her either, is it? I think maybe she expected me to grow up and then come back to her, not just move on.” “Darling, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but if I were you, I would totally go for Sunset. You know better than anyone how it would hurt her if you dumped her for your ex.” Trixie’s hands slipped to her hair and she pulled slightly. “I know! And that’s the last thing I want to do! But every time I try to tell Maud that I want to be with Sunset, she just… finds a way to persuade me!” “As your friend, there’s no way I can sugarcoat this,” Rarity said, glaring intently at Trixie. “That is a very stupid reason.” Hanging her head, Trixie sighed. “I know… I just… I need advice, Rarity.” “First, you have to make a decision. Sunset or Maud?” “Sunset,” Trixie answered immediately. “If you’re so sure, then what’s the advice you need?” “I need to know how to turn down Maud!” Rarity couldn’t fight the urge to roll her eyes. “Trixie, darling, I’m trying, I really am, to understand why is it so difficult for you.” She paused as an idea occurred to her. “In fact, here,” she took out her phone and gave it to Trixie. “Call her and tell her you pick Sunset, and while you’re at it, that you’ll call the police because what she is doing is most certainly not okay.” Trixie eyed the phone. “I don’t know her number.” This time, Rarity forced out an exasperated sigh as she pressed some buttons and held the phone to her ear. “Hello Pinkie Pie. I call the friends code to… What?... I have company! … Ugh, fine” Rarity sighed and looked down while pinching the bridge of her nose like she was suffering an acute headache. “Midnight cupcakes always gone, none of us are asked at dawn… There, I hope you’re proud of yourself? Now, I need your big sister’s phone number, no questions.” She quickly reached a piece of paper and a pencil, and quickly scribbled the numbers. “Thank you, Pinkie. Yes, I’ll tell you in due time. Bye.” She hung up and gave the paper and phone to Trixie. “Here you go.” Hesitantly, Trixie grabbed the phone and slowly dialed the number on the paper. After a moment of silence, she spoke up. “Uh… Hi… Y-Yes, it’s me. Listen, I… What? Now wait a- Hey!” She looked at Rarity and held the phone out to her. “That was an absurdly short conversation,” Rarity said. “What happened?” “She… She only said to meet tomorrow at the mall.” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Just like that?” “Now you believe me? She gives no time to think! She always knows how to act to make me feel-” She closed her mouth shut and stared at Rarity with widened eyes. “I mean…” “Do you want me to go with you? You know, for moral support?” “Yes.” ~~~~~~~~ Later that day, Trixie and Sunset met to have a quick snack at Canterlot’s Mall. As much as she tried to hide it, Trixie was still feeling down, Sunset reckoned. She was very quiet, and barely looked in Sunset’s direction. And when Sunset wanted to kiss her, Trixie would only allow quick pecks. That gave Sunset a very, very bad feeling. She started to think that maybe Trixie had finally gotten tired of her; maybe she finally had realized that Sunset was at a dead end in life, and of course, Trixie deserved better. They had agreed to go watch a movie, because that worked so well the first time, and of course, Sunset had bought the tickets. Sadly, it was scheduled to start in another thirty minutes, and so they decided to walk around the mall to distract themselves. The silence was only torture to Sunset. At some point, Trixie excused herself to go to the bathroom, which left Sunset waiting at a lone bench near a restaurant. Sunset looked at the people walk by with uninterested eyes. She was thinking, trying to solve the problem that was consuming her at the moment. How was she going to do it to get her Trixie back? It had been a couple of weeks since Sunset had realized how much she cared for Trixie, and the thought of losing her terrified her. Even though she didn't know how to fix it, she wasn’t going to let Trixie go without a fight. Metaphorically or literally speaking, she didn’t see the difference. “Oh, great. I had to run into you.” Sunset blinked as the voice resonated in her head and she recognized the source. Lyra Heartstrings looked down at her with an expression torn between hatred and smugness. Sunset stared at her with tired eyes for a moment and then sighed deeply, closing her eyes for a moment. “What do you want?” “Excuse you, bitch,” Lyra replied. “But this is a public place, and as much as you hate to admit it, you’re not important enough for people to give a damn about you. It was a mere coincidence that I found you here. Disgusting, yes, but a coincidence in the end.” Sunset lazily looked up at her. “There is nothing else you can break to make me feel miserable, if that’s what you’re looking for.” Lyra clicked her tongue. “That sounds like a challenge.” Sunset huffed and quickly stood up, getting eye to eye with Lyra. She couldn’t help the grin in her face when Lyra recoiled and stepped back. “What is your problem?” Sunset hissed. “You want a fight? Huh? Is that it?” She pressed her index to Lyra’s chest, hard. “You insult me, destroy my only way to get home, and now you want a fight?” She stared deeply into Lyra’s eyes. “I’ll let you know I’m so in the mood for a fight right now…” “I’ll call the police.” “Go ahead, let’s see how much of you is left before they come.” Lyra stepped back and did her best to frown. “I-I wish I could stay, but I have an engagement.” And with that, she walked away. Sunset glared at her until she not so subtly ducked out of sight behind the giant icecream cone outside the sweet shop. The conversation had left her with a racing heart and a stomachache. Being a bitch still felt bad, but she was so done with Lyra, and she had more important matters to take care of. “I’m back.” Like her uninterested girlfriend. “Hey, Trix,” Sunset turned around with a smile. “Had fun?” Trixie raised an eyebrow, looked behind Sunset and then at her eyes again. “Was that Lyra just now?” Sunset sighed. “Yeah…” Frowning, Trixie crossed her arms while watching like a hawk as Lyra slipped out of her hiding place and tried to look like she wasn’t running. “I hope she’s not planning to do anything to you again. Because if she is, then so help me…” Sunset quirked a brow. “Odd how you start acting normal because of this…” She looked towards the direction Lyra went and then at Trixie. “But… If it works, then I think I can handle you looking at other girls. Just promise me you’ll gawk at someone other than Lyra next time, you can do so much better.”