Trixie snored loudly, as she shifted in her sleep, only to be startled as a giant bottle entered her mouth. The resulting shock woke her up, leaving her staring at the bottle in confusion. A soft chuckle turned her attention to the smiling face of Fluttershy.
“Good morning sleepyhead, sorry to wake you, but I thought you’d be hungry after last night.”
The Ursa Minor only smirked as she laid back down and just suckled away at the bottle as Fluttershy cooed, “Oh what good girl, yes you are.”
“Trixie thought we agreed, enough with the baby talk. While Trixie appreciates the sentiment, she is an adult and should be treated as such….current situation notwithstanding.”
Her response was another chuckle from the shy mare, meriting a snort of derision from the bear. “Okay, well, we have a big day ahead of us. The Princesses want to meet with you.”
The mention of the Princesses actually brought a sense of excitement to Trixie, the bottle falling out of her mouth, as she practically hopped around the small house with unbridled excitement.
“Trixie will get to me both Princesses. Never in her life did Trixie believe such a thing was possible.”
Her excitement however, quickly turned sour as her eyes and expression retracted inwardly into outright horror. “No, this is terrible. No doubt they will question Trixie about her condition and it’s causes….And she’ll have to reveal everything that transpired….EVERYTHING!”
The thought of having to so much as mention the mortifying acts she was forced to undergo with the press was bad enough….but to actually discuss it with the standing rulers of the entire country, it’d be the conversational equivalent to getting one's teeth pulled, slow and agonizing.
The Ursa Minor shakes her head “No, Trixie will not subject herself to further humiliation. She’ll wait here until Twilight creates a cure.”
Fluttershy however, wasn’t having it and shifted into her stern face,“Trixie, what did I say talking back?”
Said Ursa only growled again, “And what did Trixie say about talking to her like a child?”
Fluttershy’s expression grew sterner, almost entering her infamous “Stare” face. “Trixie, you may be an adult, but you are as of this moment a young Ursa under my care and as such there are certain rules you need to follow. That includes being polite and to not reject an invitation to meet someone just because you’re embarrassed.”
Trixie’s confidence dissolved as she turned to moaning in frustration, , “But..it’s degrading. Trixie doesn’t want to discuss what happened with the Princesses, it painful enough mentioning it to total strangers, much less the most revered ponies in Equestria.”
The sight of her distress, shifted the animal caretakers expression to one of comfort, she gave the bear a reassuring hug. “I know it’s an unpleasant thing to do, but if they know what happened they might be able to help fix it and you want that don’t you?”
Trixie only nodded in the affirmative.
Fluttershy’s smile grew wider as she lead the large bear outside the makeshift house. “Alright, now the Princesses are waiting for us at my cottage. They felt it would be better to meet in a more open area.”
As they made their approach, Trixie body continued to fidget and twitch with each step she took, which Fluttershy was quick to notice. “Everything alright Trixie?”
“Trixie is just a little nervous is all.”
“It’s alright, you have nothing to be scared of.” Fluttershy offered another comforting pat upon her massive legs, as the cottage came into view and with it the two princesses, seated by the front door, some of their guards standing nearby, all having varying reactions to the massive Trixie.
The guards, despite maintain their typical stoic demeanor, were clearly unnerved by the sight, if the sweat leaking from every pore on their bodies was any indication. Luna seemed almost gobsmacked at the sight, mouth hanging open and eyes open wide. Celestia however, didn’t seem too shocked.
“My, it seems Twilight wasn’t exaggerating about the situation.” Her eyes scanned all over Trixie, who attempted to hide her face behind one of her massive paws, meriting another chuckle from Fluttershy as well as Celestia.
“Well isn’t that adorable, in spite of her size, she’s still shy around us. Though having an Ursa, even a transformed one, react ot us like this, is a strange experience. Don’t you think Luna?”
Luna however, was still shocked, trying to come to terms with what was before her. “Celestia, she’s a pony that was turned into a constellation and I’m still trying that such a thing is possible. Noting how cute she may or may not be isn’t really the most pressing issue right now.”
The Ursa Minor blushed, while Celestia continued to lightly gush over her. “ Oh come now Luna, how can you not be drawn in by how that bright, blue face. Going by Ursa years, she’s still just a baby and looks like a big, blue teddy bear. It’s hard not to be distracted by it.”
Trixie blushed and waddled back making crinkling noises, causing Luna’s expression to match and even surpass Celestia’s.
“Oh, you’re right sister, she’s too cuddly to ignore.” The Princess of the Night took a step forward, cooing as she did. “Now dear, don’t be shy. I won’t hurt you”
Fluttershy joined in the calling, to which Trixie, reluctantly complied, though made a point to stay close to Fluttershy rather than the Princesses.
”Well she’s certainly grown attached to you Fluttershy. We can tell you’re doing an excellent job in caring for her. Though, it must be quite the undertaking caring for a full-fledged Ursa Minor.”
She nodded. ”Yes, and I’m happy to say Trixie has been very well behaved since she arrived here. We might have had a rough patch or two, but all and all she’s been positively wonderful.”
Celestia explained. “I’m glad to hear it, to be honest one of the reasons I came here was because I was concerned at how you’d handle this responsibility. Caring for an Ursa Minor, in general is a demanding task, but I’m happy you’ve taken to it so well.” Her expression quickly shifted, sending an air of unease through those present. “It’s good you’ve adpated to this task so quickly, as the other reason I came here is….far less pleasant.”
The ursa minor gulped, “What is it?”
As she turned to Luna who nodded grimly as her sister spoke. “Twilight is to ashamed to admit this herself, despite what I’ve I told her many times...well…”
Luna sighed and just sat it out, “Fluttershy I’m sorry to say this, but it appears that Trixie will remain an Ursa Minor until next year.”
They both shouted, ”WHAT!?”
Celestia continued, “I’m rather familiar with this curse, and even though Twilight is currently working nonstop to cure it, it’s not easily resolved. The curse itself happens every hundred years or so and the magic used by the Ursa Major is especially powerful. You’re certainly not the first pony to be subjected to this unfortunate condition.”
Trixie gasped, “Really?”
The alicorn princess nodded, “You’re actually quite fortunate. The magic of an Ursa is very powerful and sometimes is irreversible. Thankfully, according to some tests Twilight conducted on your fur, you haven’t actually been fully transformed. However, if you were to drink anymore of the Ursa Major’s milk, and yes I’m very familiar with that part of the curse as well…” Celestia had to pause when Trixie’s expression turned flaming red at the mention of milk, “The transformation would become irreversible.”
Both Fluttershy and Trixie didn’t seem especially happy about this revelation, Trixie almost looking like she’d have a panic attack, despite the butter colored pegasus attempting to comfort her.
“Well that doesn’t sound all bad. As long as Trixie stays here with me, we can avoid her running into the Ursa Major. And I’ll make sure she stays safe.” Her words were spoken with enough confidence that it managed to calm the once jittering Trixie. ”
Celestia quietly smiled at the sentiment, “We know you will Fluttershy, and ,I’m glad to know Trixie is in such capable hands. I’d never wish this kind of fate on anypony and will do what I can to expedite the process if possible.”
Those words brought a smile to the faces of all parties present, and Fluttershy gave another hug to Trixie, who returned it in kind this time, managing to wrap her large arm around the smaller ponies frame, almost burying her in a blanket of soft fur.
The hug however, was interrupted by a slight cough, courtesy of Princess Luna, looking upon the massive Ursa with envy. “We, don’t suppose you’d be willing to let us take part in the...hugging as well….it just looks so cozy. And We’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to sleep on the night sky instead of under it.”
Trixie and Fluttershy let loose shared bouts of laughter, Trixie’s actually causing some of the windows to shake, before coiling her other arm around the Princess, who hummed happily into the bushels of blue fur.”
“This is truly as heavenly as we had hoped.”