//------------------------------// // Lowering Defenses // Story: The Mysteries of Love // by MysteriousStranger //------------------------------// Rarity's P.O.V. She fell asleep almost immediately, snoring softly. Poor girl, she suffered too much. I was so glad to see that she could finally rest. She was so peaceful and cute when she slept. I couldn't help myself from watching her. Trixie was... beautiful. I had a new perspective on her now that she was my... girlfriend. *Bump bump* *Bump bump* There it was again. My heart kept pounding harder every time I thought on that word. I still had to process everything. I have a girlfriend! I woke up this morning thinking how to make Trixie to talk to me again, and just five minutes ago, she asked me to go steady. I couldn't hide my joy when I heard her say the words I desired to hear so much. Will you be my girlfriend? I placed my hand on Trixie's hair again. It was so soft and I enjoyed feeling it between my fingers. I thought that dating her, a girl, would be odd. But I didn't feel anything strange. Just what I'm supposed to feel when I'm with the one I like. Bliss. All that mattered was that we like each other. She makes me happy, and there wasn't any doubt that I made her happy. I wanted her to wake up, I wanted to hold her between my arms again. I wanted to go somewhere nice with her and spend quality time with her, but I can't be selfish. She was tired and her brother was at the hospital. I must at least wait until Clementine is released. I didn't mind waiting. She was worth it. Trixie did the impossible. She became a nicer person. Trixie wants to be part of my life. My friends are an imortant part of it. If her feelings are as deep as she claims, she will have to at least get along with my friends. There was no rush, though. I'll be patient with her. I won't force her to talk to my friends. For now, I'll be happy by just having her all for myself. I felt relieved that I'm not keeping any secrets from her anymore. No secrets meant that our relationship started on a good note. I wonder what's in our future? What will be of us? I guess it was too soon to think on the future. I have to live the moment. Not knowing what's going to happen tomorrow is what makes relationships exciting! I wanted to keep stroking Trixie's hair as she slept, but my phone started to vibrate. I checked who it was. It was Sunset, I had to pick it up. I stood up and glanced at Trixie one last time before quietly leaving her bedroom. I answered the phone when I was in the kitchen. "Hello?" "WHAT'S THE EMERGENCY?! WE'RE ALL WORRIED SICK!" I had to remove my phone from my ear. Not only had Sunset scared me, but she also made me lose part of my hearing. I was forced to use my other ear to answer. "Sunset..." I chuckled nervously. "I suppose you got my message...?" "YES, I DID! WHAT'S GOING ON!?" "Please, Sunset, not so loud. You already got me deaf in one of my ears." This time, I was prepared and didn't stick my phone to my ear. "I-I'm sorry... I just... can you blame me?! You left in the middle of lunch and all you told me was that there was an emergency." "I know, and I'm sorry for worrying you. The news hit me by surprise and I had to leave, but everything's fine now. I was going to call you, but you were still in class." "I asked permission to go to the bathroom just to call you. What happened?" I placed the speaker of my phone on my chest. I wanted to tell her everything, but I have just won Trixie's trust back. I can't afford making her mad again, especially when we become a couple less than thirty minutes ago. I sighed and placed the phone back to my ear. "Hello? Rarity!" "Sorry about that, darling. I was... thinking." "Rarity, if I stay in the bathroom for much longer, my classmates will get the wrong idea. Just give me the short version so I can calm down our friends." "Okay. It has to do with Trixie, so I can't say you much. Tell them... tell them that my uncle got hurt and that my mother called me to the hospital." "A-Alright, will do." "I'm staying at Trixie's. I'll see you all tomorrow." "Take care, Rarity, and... I wish Trixie well. Goodbye." "Thank you, Sunset. Oh! Before you hang up!" "Yes?" "I was supposed to walk home with Sweetie Belle today. Could you do that for me, please?" "I will." "You're a sweetheart, Sunset, thank you! Tell her to call me when she gets home. I'm sure she will want answers." "Definitely." Sunset's mood appears to have gotten better. "Okay, now I have to go." "Bye, darling. We'll speak later." I hang up and dropped my face on the table. I was tired of not being able to please everybody. I wish I could tell everybody the truth, but Trixie claims not to be ready. If I force her to be nicer, I'll just end up alone. The only thing I could do was to spend more time with Trixie. I might be able to persuade her to talk to my friends one day. Patience is a virtue, Rarity... I raised my head and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still a long time before Sweetie Belle was out of school. I had to kill time. I told Trixie I would help her to clean her apartment, so I'll just do that. I adjusted my phone to ring instead of vibrate before looking for a rag to clean the table and counters. Then, I washed the dishes before taking a broom to sweep. When the kitchen and corridors were clean, I went to clean the bathroom. It wasn't my favorite chore, but I had no choice. Fortunately, it wasn't too dirty. It took me around an hour to clean everything but the bedrooms. I washed my hands and sat by the table in the kitchen again and glanced at a small T.V. that was hanging on the wall. Clementine bought it a couple of weeks ago. I took the remote control and turned it on. Now that the apartment was cleaner, I could relax watching T.V. with the volume low. I looked for my favorite channel to watch it, but I didn't pay much attention to it. My thoughts went back to Trixie. As happy as I was, there was something about the way she behaved yesterday that was... off. Trixie has a phobia on cars, and Clementine almost died from a car accident last night. I thought she would be more shaken. Yet she was only a little upset. She had normal reactions when I arrived and refused to leave her brother after he was brought back to his room, but after we left the hospital, she calmed down almost completely. I didn't even see cry once. It was... unusual. After all the time we have been friends, Trixie was still a mystery. I know her better than I did three months ago, and I still feel like there's so much to learn about her. She opens to me little by little. Maybe she'll answer me a couple of questions when she wakes up. I watched T.V. until my eyes started to close. I must have fallen asleep, because when my phone rang, I felt disoriented. I didn't know where I was or what time it was. I took my phone from the table and answered without looking who it was. "Hello?" "Sis? What's going on? Sunset walked me home and told me to call you." "Oh? Oh!" I realized where I was and glanced at the clock. It was really after school. "Yes, that's right. I had to leave early due to an emergency..." "Emergency?" "Sweetie Belle... what I'm going to tell you must remain a secret, understood? You can't tell your friends a word." "This has to do with Trixie, right? Is she okay?" "Trixie is fine. It's her brother...." I took a deep breath before continuing. "He had a car accident." "He what?! R-Rarity... is he...?" My sister started to pant. "He'll make it, but he must remain in the hospital. I'm staying at Trixie's to support her." "When can I visit Clementine...?" "Maybe tomorrow. Sweetie Belle, listen to me. He's at the Health Care Hospital. You know how good doctors are there." "The one mom donated to? Yes, you're right. He's going to be fine. How is Trixie taking it?" "She refused to leave Clementine, but she was really tired. In the end, Rosemary and I convinced her to come home. She's taking a nap now." "Who is Rosemary?" "It's Clementine's girlfriend. She's nice. You will adore her." "Alright. I'm smiling again, sis. Tell Trixie I said hi when she wakes up. I'm going to do my homework so I can visit Clementine tomorrow." "Good girl. I'll see you soon, Sweetie Belle." "Oh, Rarity! Before you hang up..." "Yes?" "I love you!" I laughed softly. "I love you too, Sweet'ums. Goodbye." "Bye bye!" I hang up and stared at my phone. My sister was an amazing person. Always cheerful, always caring. She always knew how to make my day. I needed to hear her voice. I returned to watch T.V., but suddenly, an idea hit me. I picked up my phone again and called my mother. She was at work, but she always answered when I called her. "Rarity, dear! What a pleasant surprise." "Hi, mom. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." "Not at all. I have time for you. How was school?" "Actually, that's why I called you... I left early. Someone I know was sent to the hospital and I had to leave school at lunch to support my friend. I'm sorry, mom. It was an emergency..." "That's awful! You did the right thing, dear. How bad is it?" "He will make it, but I think I know how to make his stay more pleasant. I need a favor." "Of course, Rarity. Whatever you need. I'm all ears." This had to be one of the best ideas I ever had. Trixie is going to adore me! Everything went back to be quiet after I hang up. I watched T.V. and browsed on the web for a while until I heard a loud noise coming from Trixie's room. It had to be her alarm. "Oh, shut up, you exasperating thing! I'm up!" I couldn't help but to laugh when I heard Trixie. She must really love her pillow. I heard her footsteps and then the door knob turning. I turned off the T.V. and stood up to receive my girlfriend, but she didn't even glance at me. She walked out, yawing, and headed straight to the bathroom. I didn't move from my spot, but I did move my hands from my chest to my hips. It wasn't until five minutes later when I heard the toilet flushing, followed by Trixie washing her hands. Only then she left the bathroom and walked towards the kitchen, with her eyes closed. When it was obvious that she wasn't going to notice me, I cleared my throat to catch her attention. She opened her eyes and gasped when she saw me. "R-Rarity! What are you...? How...? D-Don't look at me!" Trixie tried to cover her pajamas with her hands. I giggled and crossed my arms. "They're just pajamas, darling." Even with a messy hair, Trixie was still so cute. My heart was beating for her. I just wanted to squeeze her with my arms! "Did you seriously forget? I walked you here so you could take a nap." "You did?" Trixie looked at me, still puzzled. "I was very exhausted, I assume." "Oh, yes. You could barely keep yourself standing." Trixie sighed and rubbed one of her eyes with a hand. "That explains it. I tend to lose my memory when I'm awfully exhausted and I can act... strange. So, I apologize if I said something I shouldn't." "Are you telling me that you have the consequences from a hangover when you don't sleep properly? That's... new." "Kind of. Could you pour me some milk, please?" "Yes, of course." I slid a chair to help Trixie to sit. She thanked me and rested her elbows on the table and her hands on her eyes while I took the milk cardboard from the fridge to pour it in a glass. What she just said worried me. What does she remember? Does she remember that Clementine is at the hospital? Does she remember what I told her? Does she... remember asking me to be her girlfriend...? "Rarity, the glass is full." "Oh!" I forgot what was I doing. My hands were shaking and I did a mess on the floor. "I'll clean it later. Here, take it." "Are you okay?" Trixie said before taking a sip from her milk. "Y-Yes, I'm fine." I faked a smile at her and closed the fridge once I put the milk on its place. "I'm just... surprised to hear about your... memory loss." I sat in front of Trixie as I spoke. "It's nothing to worry about. It comes back on its own unless someone reminds me." Trixie said before taking another sip. "So... care to refresh my memory? What day is it?" "It's Thursday, and... well, umm... where should I begin...?" "Wait..." Trixie raised a hand at me. "I think I'm remembering something..." I watched her closely. I saw how her eyes widened before looking at me with horror. "Please, let it be a nightmare... is my brother really at the hospital...?" "I-I'm afraid so..." Trixie's hands started to shake, throwing milk all over the table. I wasted no time and ran towards her to hug her. She hugged me back immediately. Poor Trixie. I can't believe how much she's suffering. She lost her parents and she almost lost her brother, and the worst part is that she was reliving the pain. "Trixie, listen, he's out of danger. He wasn't even taken to intensive care. He broke his legs, an arm and a couple of ribs, but he'll make a full recovery. He's in good hands and Rosemary is with him." "He shouldn't have been out. He shouldn't have been driving that cage! It was raining and it was dark!" "There was no way to know what was going to happen..." "Of course there was! You can't trust cars! They just ruin lives!" "The problem isn't the car, Trixie...!" I moved my head in order to see Trixie's eyes. "The problem is the person driving it. If someone competent is behind the wheel, it's less likely for a misfortune to happen. Your brother had the bad luck of stumbling across someone incompetent." "No... no! I won't let Clementine drive again!" "That's not..." Trixie ignored me. She stood up and walked towards the front door. "I'm going to force Clementine to sell that thing! No car, no disgrace." "Trixie!" I grabbed her by her arm. "Clementine has been fine driving so far. He needs that car." "Let me go, Rarity! I'll convince Rosemary to get rid of the car!" Trixie was struggling to break free, but I tightened my grip. "No, I won't! You're letting your amaxophobia to control your actions! This is not going to help your brother!" "How do you...?" Trixie stopped struggling all of the sudden, so I let her arm go. She slowly turned her body into my direction. "Y-You know about my fear on cars...?" "Trixie..." I clasped my hands on my chest level. "You don't remember, but we had a serious conversation right before you took a nap. We already talked about this." "Then make me remember." She crossed her arms, now looking angry. She was going to attack me, wasn't she? "Well, umm... I..." Trixie was getting more impatient by every second I took to give her a straight answer. "Speak!" If this was her real reaction for finding out that I know about her fear on cars, how mad will she be when I tell her the rest? I was scared to talk, but the longer I took, the worse she was getting. "I... I know about your fear because... because Clementine told me yesterday night... h-he paid me a visit..." "He paid you a visit... during a thunderstorm...?" I could see one of Trixie's eyes was twitching and she turned a hand into a fist. I made a step backwards, fearing the worse. "What else...? WHAT ELSE?!" I squeaked and continued walking backwards since Trixie was slowly walking towards me with a death stare. I retreated until I hit the dinner table in the kitchen. Trixie kept approaching until she was right in front of me. It was my last chance to say something before she used her fist. I closed my eyes before speaking. "I know about your parents!" I stood still. Several seconds passed but nothing happened. All I could hear was the clock and our breathing. I slowly opened my eyes to find Trixie with an expression that was a mix between shock and sorrow. For the first time since I have known her, I saw a single tear on one of her eyes. "Trixie...?" there was no response. It was like if she was frozen. "Trixie, it's okay to cry..." She gave me a death stare again. I gasped and closed my eyes again, but I didn't feel anything. Instead, I heard sobs. I reopened my eyes and saw Trixie's eyes and cheeks full of water. I raised my hands towards her and she pulled me into a hug. She started to cry and sob loudly on my shoulder. I followed my instincts and embraced her to help her to get rid of her pain. We feel on our knees and she continued to cry for a long while. I wonder how much time she has been holding her tears? I have never seen anyone cry this much. She eventually started to settle down. Her sobs became less frequent and the tears stopped. I placed my hands on her cheeks and made her look at me. Her eyes were sore and her face was all wet. "How are you feeling...?" Trixie sniffed loudly. "I-I d-don't remember when was the l-last time I cried... I think I never did." "Crying is helpful, darling... you shouldn't hold your tears like that." "Crying w-won't make my b-brother heal faster..." "No, but it helps you to feel better. There's nothing wrong with crying. You shouldn't feel ashamed of it..." "N-No one has ever seen me cry before... not even Clementine..." Trixie looked at me with grief. I simply cleaned her tears with both of my hands. "Do you think less of me now...?" "Of course not, Trixie. Quite the opposite. It's natural, it cheers you up. You're not a robot, darling. You can't force yourself not to cry." Trixie was very close to me. I blushed. Not even tears hid how pretty she was. "In fact... after what I witnessed... I like you even more..." "Oh?" Trixie moved her head backwards, blushing as well. "Well..." She cleared her throat. "O-Of course you do...! I'm astonishing!" I giggled and put my arms around her neck to embrace her again. "My dear, Trixie. You don't remember, right?" "R-Remember what?" Trixie's face turned completely red for having me so close to her. "Right before you went to sleep..." I moved my head to gaze Trixie into her eyes, but I kept my arms around her neck to keep her close. "You asked me to be your girlfriend." Trixie flushed even more. My heart was melting by how cute she was! "I-I-I did? W-Wow. One would think I should remember something like that. And you're cool with that?" I giggled. "Yes, but now that you're fully awake, I changed my mind." "Y-You did...?" she looked disappointed. "You don't want to ruin our friendship...?" "No, darling. I meant something else." "What do you mean? I'm not following..." I kissed Trixie's cheek. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Oh, Trixie! "I want you to be my girlfriend." Trixie touched the cheek I kissed with a hand, before smiling. "Absolutely. I'm yours, Rarity! No one else's!" Trixie let herself fall on me, almost making me lose my balance. She hugged me tightly and I did the same to her. I was smiling widely and with my eyes closed to enjoy the moment more. I haven't been this happy since the first time I carried Sweetie Belle between my arms. However, my eyes opened when I heard Trixie sob again. "Trixie..." "You did this to me, Rarity! Happy tears!" I chuckled and closed my eyes again. Trixie has made a lot of progress since she asked me to be friends, and I'm proud of her. She still has a long way to go, but I'll be there to help her. I wanted to hug her forever, but sadly, the moment got interrupted when my phone started to ring. It was on the table, so I had to stand up. "Aww, let it ring! Five more minutes!" Trixie was holding me with both of her hands. She refused to let me go. Of course I wanted to keep holding her, but I had to pick it up. "I'm sorry, darling, but it may be important." My girlfriend released one of my arms, but she put both of her arms around my other one. She walked with me towards my cell phone. She sure was attached to me, wasn't she? I could get used to this. I took my phone and answered with my free hand. "Hello?" "Rarity! You won't believe this." It was Rosemary, and she sounded excited. I wonder if it's because of my doing. "The hospital moved Clementine to an upgraded room. He's in a VIP room now! He now receives better attention and doesn't has to share the room with anybody else, plus, he's now next to the nurse's' office! I can't believe it! They tried to tell us who to thank, but they couldn't understand the handwriting to tell us the surname." "Oh, really?" Ut was my doing after all. "So my mother went there already." "Your mother? Wait... you did this...?" I laughed softly. "I might or might not asked for a favor..." My sight focused on Trixie before I continued to talk. She was completely puzzled. "I told her a friend of mine needed help." "Who is it?" Trixie was begging me to end her confusion. I put my hand on the speaker to answer her. "It's Rosemary." "Oh. Ask her how my brother is! If she needs anything, I can bring it to her." I nodded before unblocking the speaker, but Rosemary spoke before I could. "Rarity, that was a generous gesture from you. I don't know what to say..." "Just a 'thank you' will do. I did what was right. Clementine deserved a better room for a faster recovery." "Words aren't enough to express how grateful we are. Wait... Clementine wants to speak with you." "Wait, what? He's...?" "Yes. He woke up twenty minutes ago. He asked me not to call you after I told him that Trixie was taking a nap. Hang on." "What did you do? What's the deal with your mother?" Trixie was confused again. I blocked the speaker once more to answer her. "I used my influences to upgrade Clementine's room to a VIP one. He now has a more comfortable bed, the best attention, and he has all the room for himself." Once again, I was surprised when Trixie's eyes flooded with tears. "Rarity, you charming beauty...!" I flushed and smiled even more. I was about to say something to her, when a voice spoke to me through the phone. "Hello, Rarity. It sure feels great to hear from you. Thank you for your kind gesture." "It was nothing, really." I said after releasing the speaker. "Listen, Clementine, Trixie is..." "Clementine...? He's awake...?" My girlfriend managed to say between sobs. "Is that my sister... sobbing?" Clementine was clearly astonished. "Yes. Sorry, but I think that I broke your sister. I'm going to give her my phone so you can talk." Trixie stole my phone as soon as I finished the phrase and walked away from me. "Clem...? I'm so glad to hear you...! I thought--- yes, I'm crying. I couldn't hold my tears anymore. Rarity's responsible--- I know, it's crazy! Crying actually helped me to ease my pain, I wish I haven't been so stubborn about that--- why are we speaking about me? How are you feeling...? if you're saying that dizziness is normal, then there's nothing to worry about, right?" Trixie glanced at me from time to time as she spoke. She was beaming. She must be so relieved to be talking with her brother so soon. I watched her as she paced around the kitchen, talking to Clementine. I could barely believe that this was the same girl who messed with me and my friends. I hope I can make her be this lighthearted with everyone one day. There was no rush, though. I would be lying if I said that I didn't like the fact that she was only this happy around me. "Okay, fine! I'll go to school tomorrow, but I'm going straight to the hospital after classes are over. It's a deal. Bye, Clem, I love you too." Trixie remained staring at my phone after hanging up. I approached to her when I saw that she was taking too long to show any sign of life. "Trixie...?" My girlfriend looked at me right before planting a big kiss on my cheek and pulling me into a hug. "Thank you... thank you so much...!" I didn't say anything. Instead, I placed my arms around her and smiled. Dating Trixie was not so bad after all.