“At last! The Great and Patient Trixie knew this moment would come!” Trixie triumphantly raised her hooves to the sky.
“Well, yeah, Silly. You ordered it.” Pinkie Pie set down a milkshake on the small wooden table Trixie had been awaiting her drink at. “Can I get you anything else?”
Trixie wrapped her lips around the straw and took a long gulp of the sweet cool treat. It was just what she needed after all her hard work. Well, maybe it wasn’t exactly hard, or work, but she still deserved it! After all, she was pretty sure that resolving a conflict between two elements of harmony counted as saving Equestria on some level. “Do you have anything that won’t go straight to Trixie’s hips?”
The entire store seemed to be one big boisterous joke against dieting. Just at a glance she could see various types of cakes, cupcakes, pies, lollipops, muffins, and brownies. Each colorfully decorated and put on proud display just daring her to try one and then another and then never stop until some merciful pony might roll her out of the store.
“No problem!” Pinkie Pie presented some yellow glazed cupcakes. “These are actually meant to go straight to your mouth!”
“Greaaat, that’s exactly what Trixie meant and-uhm, are you eating those?” She asked incredulously as Pinkie Pie shoveled about two hooves full into her mouth, chewing happily with the kind of relish and delight that was normally reserved for Haute Cuisine advertisements.
“Mmrph?” Pinkie Pie questioned with her mouth filled to the brim. One seemingly physically impossible gulp later however she was good to go. “I just thought I’d demonstrate. These are definitely mouth cupcakes! Although, now i'm curious how hip cupcakes would taste. I mean I guess they’d have the same flavor, but how would you taste that?”
Rolling her eyes, Trixie waved Pinkie off. “Shut up, just, just go get Trixie one of those yellow ones… they looked pretty good.”
“Coming right up!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully as she bounced off behind the counter to fetch her one. As she was rummaging around, she asked, “So, how did things go with Dashie?”
“Trixie left her and Twilight to sort out their differences among themselves.” Of course, Trixie didn’t need to be in the room to know how it went. Somewhere during the conversation Twilight would surely notice the absolute mess the weather station was in and couldn’t allow herself to leave without dealing with it first. Like the neurotic little librarian that she was. The fact that Twilight had not yet come after Trixie to ‘stop her’ after she skulked out like that could only mean Twilight was doing just that, which meant surely the two of them had made up somehow or another. A twisted smile played on Trixie’s lips as she took another sip of her victory beverage. “Just as planned.”
“That’s great!” Pinkie Pie said with unreserved enthusiasm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you look really happy and that’s all I need to know to be happy for you.”
“Uh, then why did you ask about it?” Trixie asked, feeling a smidge suspicious.
“Actually, I mean how things went with Dashie and you. You were fighting earlier today, remember? I was there, telling you about mind reading. I was asking about how that went.” Presumably, Pinkie had left to go to work after her little interruption. “I was worried if maybe you’d broken up. It looked like things were going well when I left, but you never really know how it goes.”
“Oh, right. That fight. Well, the Great and Discreet Trixie would have to say ‘pretty good’. She supposes that she has you to thank for that in some small part due to your advice. Telling Rainbow Dash how Trixie feels as bluntly as possible does seem to work.” Trixie smiled at Pinkie Pie. As odd as the girl was, she really did seem happy to help others be happy. Perhaps, Trixie could test the waters with her a little bit? She fidgeted with her milkshake straw. “About that, actually… How do you feel about somepony like Trixie dating your friends?”
“I think it’s great!” Pinkie Pie beamed the widest smile Trixie had seen on a pony. “You’re worried about how the rest of us feel about Rainbow Dash and you, right? Don’t worry! I think most of the girls warmed up to you a little by now, even if you were a little disruptive before. It’ll be a big surprise for some, though.”
Trixie at once felt slightly more at ease. Not because of Pinkie’s reassurances, no, but because it was now clear Pinkie could not actually read her mind. After all, it was Fluttershy she was worried about; most of this little friend group already knew about her and Dash. In fact, up until today she was under the impression that only Pinkie Pie and Twilight were out of the loop. “You didn’t seem very surprised this morning.”
“Oh, I was totally surprised when I found out! But that was ages ago.” Pinkie Pie had vanished underneath the counter, rummaging around through what sounded like a kitchen cabinet judging by all the clanking, but that couldn’t be right. “First time I heard about it was like a couple weeks ago. Dashie came in to get snacks once for a first date with somepony special. Well, I say that, but she didn’t say that. If you know what I’m saying?”
Trixie smirked. “Heh, she did that thing where she denies something specific before you asked about it, right?” It wasn’t hard to imagine, Rainbow Dash must have been nervous. The thought of her standing at the counter trying very hard to keep her cool and deny she was doing anything special made Trixie smile.
“Right! Anyhow, at first I thought it was probably Fluttershy, you know? That would’ve been the obvious pick. After all this time messing around one of them had finally asked the other out! It was so exciting! There’s this big party I’d been working on for when they finally did it, but then I got this feeling for peanut butter chocolate muffins. I just knew that’s what Dashie needed, but that didn’t make any sense, of course.”
“Right, of course. Out of everything you’ve done that’s the part that makes no sense.” Trixie said absentmindedly, she couldn’t get past the part where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had apparently been on the cusp of a relationship for so long without it going anywhere. Was that true? That couldn’t be right or why would either of them agree to date her instead?
“Exactly! Fluttershy likes Strawberries! That’s totally what Dashie would have asked for if it was for her, but she was all flustered and asking for variety like she wasn’t sure what that pony liked. Then I remembered she’d been spending a lot of time with you lately! I was so surprised!” Pinkie Pie reemerged as though she was coming up for air. “Wait, it was you, right?”
Trixie smirked. “If it wasn’t, Trixie would have some serious questions. Speaking of which, tell Trixie more about why you thought it would have been Fluttershy?”
“Before that, I think I might have eaten the last yellow ones.” Pinkie admitted with a look that was closer to mischief than embarrassment. “Is there anything else I could get you?”
Trixie narrowed her eyes at the stalling pink pony. “You know what Trixie wants.”
Beaming, Pinkie Pie hopped over the counter and plopped down a tray of Trixie’s favorite muffins in the world. “Tada! Enjoy!”
Trixie didn’t need to be told twice, though she had to promise herself to jog back home afterwards. “You’re *Mph* evil.” She managed to get out between bites.
“I just think if you want something, you should go for it! It’s like my Nana Pinkie used to say: it's better to regret something you did than something you didn't do!” Pinkie Pie smiled widely while she shuffled up to the farside of the table. “That’s why I never really got what was taking them so long, you know? They spent a lot of time together since they were foals.”
“There’s a Nana Pinkie?” It was entirely too horrible to imagine there might be more than one of her. Although, Pinkie had been a bit more down to earth this time around. Perhaps she was just really excited before? Trixie didn’t mind this version. “Forget it. What you're describing just sounds like things friends would do.”
“Right? That’s what we thought at first. Totally normal. But then you start to notice… stuff.” Pinkie Pie looked left and right, then leaned into a conspiratorial whisper. “Like, they keep looking at each other when they think the other isn’t. Or if they gotta get a present or something they are fine picking something for anypony else, but they get all flustered when it comes to each other. Like, they wanna get something perfect, but not too perfect or the other might notice, ya know? Stuff like that, lots of it.”
“That’s pretty circumstantial, don’t you think?” Trixie asked, starting to feel a little nervous.
Pinkie Pie leaned back a little bit and eyed Trixie up and down. “Okay, then how about this. Neither of them ever had a special somepony or anything like it. That’s not saying much for Fluttershy, but Dashie jumps into things all the time! And she’s pretty popular. I know ponies asked her out before and she always turns em down then goes to hangout with Fluttershy instead. It’s totally obvious!”
“Okay, uhm, maybe you have a point.” Trixie suddenly found the little cakeshop awfully confining. She needed some air.
“Well, until you came along that is.” Pinkie Pie continued unabated. “That’s why it was such a big surprise! I guess maybe I was just seeing things.”
“Yes, probably.” Trixie stood up. “Say, can Trixie take these to go?”
“Of course!” Pinkie Pie trotted off behind the counter and produced a paper bag. “Would you like anything else?”
“No, no. Trixie is fine.” She said while levitating her treats into the bag as she got ready to leave. “Wait, actually… Do you know how to send a letter around here?”
“Sure, there’s the Ponyville Post Office just two streets down that way.” Pinkie pointed down the street. “Or you could ask Spike. He always sends Twilight’s letters to the princess with his fire! It’s really impressive.”
Dragon fire mail? That was just weird enough to catch Trixie’s attention. “Do you know what he likes? Get Trixie one of those.” She motioned to the various pastries.
“I sure do, but you have to promise not to give it to anypony else.” Pinkie looked surprisingly serious for a change. “If you do, I’ll throw in something special for Dashie and Fluttershy at a discount! Sound good?”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Fine, you have Trixie’s word.”
No sooner had she said it that Pinkie Pie shoved another bag over the counter. “That’ll be seven bits. Thanks for shopping at Sugarcube Corner!”
“Certainly.” Trixie floated the bits over then turned to leave the little shop. “Though, Trixie feels she got more than she bargained for.”
It was evening by the time Twilight made it back to the library.
“Spike, I’m home!” Twilight called out as she trotted through the door.
An affirming grunt came from the kitchen.
Helping Rainbow Dash had taken up most of her day, but it had actually been kind of cathartic. Creating order out of chaos like that via the introduction of a proper filing system, bookkeeping, scheduling, and most importantly…
“You would not believe the day I’ve had, Spike. Did you know Rainbow Dash has never heard of delegation? No wonder she was behind on absolutely everything!” She plopped down in her favorite reading corner and settled in to get comfortable with a nice book for a little bit before she’d have to start thinking about dinner. “We’ve got it sorted out for the most part. She only fell asleep three times, which was honestly better than I expected.”
“Back already?” Spike came walking into the room, carrying a tray with a half eaten sandwich, a drink and a folded open comic book that his eyes barely left. “It sounded like that mess would take days to clean up. By the way, thanks for letting me know.”
“No problem, I… wait, what do you mean?” Twilight was certain Spike couldn’t have known that she had been helping Dash. She didn’t even know it herself when she left. In fact, she never even told him she was going anywhere. In hindsight, that was a bit irresponsible of her. Trixie’s antics had her more off balance than she thought.
Spike didn’t seem to take notice of her confusion as he sat down near her, still engrossed. “Trixie came by to give me your message,” he said before taking another bite.
“Trixie was here!?” With that, she immediately got up and began a frantic sweep of the library. Something else had to be missing. “What did she take!?”
“Uh, just a comic book. I was here the whole time.” Spike replied cautiously as he watched Twilight pull out a large inventory scroll, they’d made after ‘someone’ stole the book. It had been meticulously prepared to document everything inside Golden Oaks Library. He hadn’t thought they’d actually use it, but the process of creating it had calmed Twilight’s nerves at the time. “Actually, she was bringing back those books she borrowed this morning. Are you okay? I thought you girls made up or something.”
“Or something” Twilight echoed while she was going down her list, the process itself already helped steady her nerves and calm her down a little as she ticked box after box as present. “She bailed on us immediately. Gah, maybe I should have followed her after all. Did she say or do anything while she was here?”
“Did you want a full report?” Spike asked sarcastically.
Twilight nodded as she moved to a different shelf. “That would be great, Spike.”
“Of course you do.” Spike groaned, exasperated as he put his sandwich down and started counting on his fingers. “Lets see… She told me you would be late, because you were helping Rainbow Dash sort out some big mess and that she brought me lunch.”
“Lunch?” Twilight asked.
Spike’s focus drifted from the present back to that precious meal, licking his lips. “An amethyst and jade encrusted muffin. It was amazing! So crunchy.”
“What? Where did she even get that?” Twilight wondered briefly before concluding it wasn’t what was important right now. “Nevermind. What else?”
“Uh, well I guess I had some soda to wash it down with?”
“Thank you, Spike, but I meant after that.”
Spike shrugged. “After that we just hung out for a bit and I showed her some of my comics, I guess? She liked them and stayed a while to look through a couple and I lent her one when she left. She didn’t take anything else, but we talked about a bunch of stuff.”
“Like what?” Twilight asked as she moved to a different shelf while thinking through the implications of this visit.
So far, everything seemed to be in order. Trixie’s presence was concerning, though. Perhaps by coming here and not doing anything, Trixie was trying to demonstrate she intended to uphold their truce, but that also served as a reminder that if Twilight were to break it, so would Trixie. Was Trixie sending some sort of message on how easy it was for her to get close to anyone Twilight cared about?
Meanwhile, Spike was entirely oblivious and just groaned, annoyed with having to put up with Twilight’s paranoia. “I don’t know! Lots of stuff. The weather and Rainbow Dash. Trixie’s magic show. You and me. Dragon Mail. Power Ponies Comics. Trixie’s magic show again. Pinkie Pie. Snack foods and what dragons eat. Nightmare Moon and the princesses. That big dragon you guys talked to… and uh... do I need to keep going? I think that was about it.” By now, he’d run out of claws on both hands to keep count with.
“No, that’s fine, Spike.” Twilight brushed some strands of frazzled mane out of her face. “If I just calm down and think about it rationally, I should be able to work this out. A couple of things are not adding up here.”
“What do you mean?” Spike asked before setting to work finishing off his meal.
Trotting in small circles, Twilight still continued down her checklist while she mused. “She came here for a reason, Spike. How did she know to tell you I would be late? She’d already left. So that must mean she planned for this to happen, somehow. She could have just dropped by for a second if all she wanted was to send me a message… So, why was she here this long?”
“Okay, I can see this is going to be a while.” Spike got up and stretched. “I’m just gonna make you dinner and leave it out before I go to bed. Once you’re done, eat something, okay?”
“If she didn’t take anything, it must have been information she was after. That would explain why she talked to you about so many topics; to obfuscate what she wanted. Some of these are obvious red herrings, but the rest…” Twilight mused, too absorbed in her thoughts to take no notice of Spike as he left the room grumbling as to why he bothered.
Twilight flipped over her inventory scroll and made a quick list of the ten topics then began crossing out everything she felt certain wasn’t relevant. That brought her down to just three.
Twilight held the quill to her lip as she thought over the list again.
The three topics were certainly connected. That Spike could communicate to the princess through dragon mail. What was most interesting however was the gap between the topics. If Trixie wanted to go unnoticed, she might have asked around what she really wanted to know and gathered information that way without directly addressing it. From that perspective, it looked as though Trixie was trying to gather information on Twilight’s relationship to Princess Celestia.
Turning back to the frontside of the scroll, she continued her inventory check. The books were all accounted for, though. Now she was down to rifling through office supplies. She didn’t really care to count them, but it kept her busy while she thought it through.
Six quills, one of which she was holding. Five inkwells. Forty six sheets of paper. Two candles of sealing wax…
“Huh, wait… Did I miscount? There should be forty seven.” Twilight looked back to the list. She ran through the papers again. All of them were blank, as they should be, but there was no doubt about it. One of them was missing. “Spike! Did you take anything?”
Spike poked his head around the corner. “No. Why?”
Sweeter words had never been said. Twilight cracked a smile. “Of course. That’s why she brought the muffin.”
Blinking slowly, Spike turned on his heels and left the room. “Oookay. She’s snapped.” The sound of Twilight’s mad cackling behind him did nothing to reassure him.
“No no, wait. Listen. I’ve got a theory.” Twilight called out as she caught up to him. “Now, to see if it maps to reality, we need to test if it has any predictive power. So, tell me… You didn’t bring up the Dragon Mail thing on your own, did you? Trixie either asked about it or lead you to it. Correct?”
Spike paused to consider the question. “Uh, yeah I think we got to talking about some of the things I do around here and it came up. So?”
“So, Trixie already knew you could do it!” Twilight announced, excitedly. “Somepony told her about it, but not in detail. That’s why she came to ask you about it, because… she wanted to know if you could send it to anypony you wanted, right?”
“Right, but I can only send it to Princess Celestia.” Spike scratched his head. “Why’s that important?”
“Trixie didn’t know that. She was planning to use that jeweled muffin to butter you up, so you’d help her out. She’s trying to send a letter! More importantly, she doesn’t want me to know.” Twilight rubbed her hooves together, a smile of maniacal glee on her face. Trixie thought she could outsmart her? Hah! “Why do you suppose that is, Spike?”
“Gee, Twilight, maybe she doesn’t want you going through her mail like you went through her stuff?” Spike deadpanned.
Twilight froze briefly. “Oh, uh, I guess that’s possible too. I was going to say it is because she’s making some sort of evil report to her dark masters.”
“She’s not really the dark master serving type.” Spike pointed out. “I mean, can you imagine having Trixie as an underling?”
“Okay, okay. We’ll dial it back a little. Whoever she’s trying to contact, she’ll have to resort to the Ponyville Post Office now.”
“Hold on, how is it a secret? If I could have done it, wouldn’t I know she’d sent a letter and tell you?”
“Oh, that’s a good point.” Twilight admitted and came to a stop. “In which case… She’s only concerned with sending it once. We won’t get a second chance to intercept it!”
Spike groaned. This was clearly a terrible road to go down. “I’m pretty sure reading another pony’s mail is illegal. Also, it sounds like a great way to get back on Rainbow Dash’s bad side. Maybe you could just, oh I don’t know, look at the address on the outside of the letter?”
“You’re just full of good ideas today, Spike.” Twilight gave him a pat on the head. “It won’t tell me much immediately, but it’ll give me a good place to start looking for more information. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
Twilight smiled as she charged up her teleportation spell and barely managed to get the answer in before vanishing in a magenta flash.
“Just visiting the post office!”
The sky was already darkening by the time Trixie finally made it back to the cottage.
It had taken considerably longer than she anticipated now that she was carrying around so many things that even a unicorn as talented and gifted as herself was having a little trouble keeping it all afloat individually for such a long time.
“Ugh,” Trixie groaned as she stepped through the door, spinning the items around and levitating them each to a proper resting place. “Maybe Trixie should have gotten some saddlebags after all.”
Of course there were all the things she’d originally brought with her. Sunglasses, icebox, umbrella, and the fold-out chair. Which would have been bad enough, as she’d been willing to carry them around for the sake of the gag. Twilight had been pretty amusing.
But, in addition, there were now her new acquisitions. A bag with various muffins from Sugarcube Corner, a Power Ponies Comic from Spike, and a single blank piece of letter paper from Golden Oaks Library.
It could have been worse, at least she wasn’t lugging any hardcover books around, she’d wisely returned those already. Just a shame that Twilight wasn’t there to receive them. It might have done both of them some good if she were to witness Trixie give her a book for a change.
Perking up her ears, Trixie could hear some noises coming from the other room and trotted over to investigate the living room. On the couch was the expected visage of Fluttershy, no doubt recuperating after the evening round of feeding the critters. Why was she staring at the ceiling, though? “Trixie’s back!” She announced while striding in. “She comes bearing gif—Oh, hey, Dashie!”
To Trixie’s surprise, Rainbow Dash was flying near the ceiling beam, holding a new birdhouse against it with a look of some quiet desperation. “Here? Seriously, how do you want this?” she asked while glancing down to Fluttershy, then took notice of Trixie’s entrance. “Sup, Trixie? You’re home late. Nevermind that, know anything about how to install a birdhouse?”
“What does Trixie look like? A bird engineer?” She looked over toward Fluttershy. If the various bits of wood laying around were any indication, she’d made the new birdhouse that Rainbow Dash was holding. “Fluttershy, how do you install that?”
“Oh, uhm… H-however you want is fine.” Fluttershy replied with a blush from her comfortably curled up spot.
“Ah, Trixie is beginning to see the problem,” she said with a grin. Fluttershy’s easy going nature was obviously getting in the way of giving proper instruction. Fortunately, Trixie suffered no such qualms! She trotted over to the couch and scooted up beside Fluttershy to rest her weary legs and get an overview of the situation. “Fear not, The Great and Decisive Trixie shall tell you how to...huh...” She paused as she looked up at the construction work in progress.
“Great, could you hurry it up a little?” Rainbow Dash asked while she hovered in place waiting for instructions. It took her a moment to realize none were forthcoming and she glanced back down. “What’s taking so long?”
Trixie was staring back at her with a sly grin. By now, she’d gotten herself a nice comfy spot on the couch alongside Fluttershy, wrapping one hoof around her. “However you want is fine.” As it turned out, in addition to enjoying the nice soft feeling of the couch cushions and the warmth of her fuzzy companion, Trixie had herself a majestic view from this angle.
“Oh, don’t you start now too! Gah, fine. I hate you both.” Dash groaned and pushed the birdhouse into the beam with one hoof, then grappled for one of the nails she had stuck behind her ear and tried to find an angle from which she could get it through the wood.
“Okay, okay.” Trixie replied with a poorly suppressed giggle. “A little to the left.”
“I know you’re messing with me, Trixie. I can hear it in your voice!” Rainbow Dash grumbled. Despite maneuvering around the little house a bit she couldn’t find a good way to attach it. She wasn’t about to let herself be beaten by a little wooden box however! If she couldn’t drive a nail through the house, she’d just have to keep putting nails around it till it couldn’t fall anymore!
Rainbow Dash had grabbed hold off the beam with one hoof and used it to hold herself aloft while she positioned a nail using her freed up wing.
“That’s terrible. Trixie bets that’ll never work.” Trixie couldn’t have picked a better method herself, but motivating Dash was an art form. “If you actually do it that way, Trixie'll give you a prize.”
“Shut up. I know what I’m doing,” Rainbow Dash grunted back. The strain this put her under already had a lovely effect showing off some of the reckless athlete’s toned muscles beneath her fur. But, even better to Trixie, when Dash used her other hoof to strike the nail, driving the metal through the splintering wood, little ripples of force shot through her.
“Oh, oh dear. I don’t, uhm. T-that’s fine,” Fluttershy stammered out. Using one wing to cover her face and only watching through the gaps between her primaries as Rainbow Dash cracked a good bit of the wood when she missed a strike, occasionally even knocking out the nail she’d been working on.
Still, Dash pulled it off eventually and with a victorious cry she zipped away from the newly mounted house, to Trixie’s everlasting disappointment. “Ahah! Got it! No thanks to you two.”
“Aw, you won so quickly.” Trixie lamented and gave Fluttershy a nudge before bringing her hooves together. “Let’s give her a round of applause.”
Fluttershy squirmed but followed suit. Or at least, she mimicked the motions. If there was any sound it was too quiet for her to hear, but it was the thought that counted.
Still, Rainbow Dash hardly seemed to mind as she basked in her moment of glory, regardless of how it was obtained; a sentiment that Trixie could appreciate. After a moment of reveling, Dash remembered she’d been promised a reward. “So, what’s the prize?”
“So impatient,” Trixie teased while levitating the paper bag from Sugarcube Corner up between them. “While you were having fun with Twilight, Trixie went shopping. Here you go.”
Out of the bag floated a delicious looking cinnamon muffin, which Rainbow Dash swiftly scooped out of the air and took a big bite out of. Her eyes sparkled as she discovered the hidden surprise within. It was far sweeter than she anticipated! A quick inspection revealed molten caramel slowly dripping from the now exposed centre. She couldn’t help but take another bite and savor it, the first one was gone far too soon. “Mph! This is great!”
“Yes, that Pinkie Pie is surprisingly talented. It makes Trixie wonder if she acts so weird on purpose.” Trixie said. The genuine moment was quickly brushed aside again. “Not as talented as Trixie, of course.”
“Uhm, of course...” Fluttershy said, quietly. “But these are still wonderful.”
As Rainbow Dash came down from her moment of revery, she noticed the bag had been crumpled up and now both Trixie and Fluttershy had muffins of their own. Granted, neither of them looked as good as the one she had, but she still felt cheated. “Hey wait a minute! You were going to share these anyway, weren’t you?”
“No, Trixie is in the habit of buying things her lovers like and then hoarding it for herself.” She rolled her eyes with a playful smirk. “Of course Trixie was going to. She wasn’t expecting to see you so soon. How did things go with Twilight?”
Fluttershy nearly choked on a piece of strawberry.
Even Rainbow Dash faltered for a moment, definitely not used to being referred to like that if the deep blush on her face was any indication. “R-right. Well, uh, good. Great actually. She even helped me organize the weather duties and made a great schedule that… uhm. Well, I’d have to look at it to explain it, but according to Twilight if we just follow that I’ll have way more time on my hooves.” She then quickly shoveled the last piece of her delicious treat into her mouth.
Trixie was just loving the reactions all around. She patted Fluttershy on the back with one hoof to help dislodge whatever was bothering her then looked back up to Rainbow Dash. “Are you trying to make Trixie jealous of time?”
Swallowing, Rainbow Dash gave Trixie a confused look. “What?”
“Trixie would much rather you’d have more Trixie on your hooves.” she winked, absolutely loving the shades of red both of her favorite girls were turning. “Maybe we’ll count that as your replacement reward? Since you felt so slighted by Trixie’s first offering, how about you decide what we do? Although, if you are looking for suggestions, Trixie was hoping to get a taste of that cinnamon caramel.”
Fluttershy at this point had managed to tuck herself away in her own wings.
Glancing at the empty wrapper, It didn’t take Rainbow Dash long to figure out what Trixie was getting at. Clearly, the minx was having fun teasing her like this. Perhaps because Trixie thought she wouldn’t call her bluff when Fluttershy was near? “Oh, just you wait.”
“What are you gonna do about it?” Trixie replied, smugly.
Rainbow Dash closed in on Trixie, with a surprising speed that nearly had her worried, but once she was half an inch away, her eyes darted to the side for just a moment before meeting hers again. “Nothing serious. I was just thinking its a nice cool night for a flight.”
“Uhm...” Fluttershy’s voice drew the attention of the posturing pair. She shrunk away as two pairs of eyes were suddenly on her due to the interruption, boring into her. . Fortunately, both of them knew to give her some time to adjust and gave her little nods to continue. It took her a moment, but she found her voice again. “I, I’m glad you’re so, uhm, lively? I-It's just... Rainbow Dash had some news and, uh…”
Trixie narrowed her eyes a little as she observed her shy friend. She’d written this sort of behaviour off in the past as simple poor timing at first, then as a cute bit of jealousy. It was something she thought they’d settled, but now Pinkie’s words echoed in the back of her mind. She turned back to Rainbow Dash. “Is it urgent news?”
“Ehhh.” Rainbow Dash wiggled her hoof back and forth as though trying to weigh the issue. “We’re having a little meeting tomorrow to surprise Pinkie Pie. It’s kinda early in the morning. Twi asked me to let you two know. You in? Fluttershy and I are going. I just gotta clear the clouds first, so I’ll meet you there.”
“Trixie has a minor errand to run first, but she would be delighted,” she said while looking over to Fluttershy who gave a slightly tense smile before Trixie turned back to Dash. “But, it sounds like you have a very early day tomorrow. Maybe you should get some rest?”
“Are you serious?” Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs with an annoyed look and flew back a few feet, hovering midair. “It’s like, barely dusk. I’ve not had a curfew since… ever! It’s nothing to worry about.”
Fluttershy also looked taken aback and hurriedly added. “Wait, w-we could just do something relaxing? I don’t think, uhm...”
“No, no. Trixie insists. Come on, Dash, Trixie will walk you out.” She said while slipping off the couch and shooting Dash a wink in the process. A quick glance told her Fluttershy was looking on with what she must have hoped was a soft apologetic expression, but Trixie was starting to feel as though it was covering up equal parts guilt and disappointment.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what was happening anymore, but Trixie seemed to be signalling her for something. “I guess? Uh, see you tomorrow then?”
Fluttershy shifted to get up and follow them, but Trixie gently pushed her back down, causing Fluttershy to give her a confused look.
“It’s okay, Fluttershy.” Trixie smiled and petted her reassuringly. “You look tired, and no wonder, you had to do all the chores today already. Trixie’s got this.”
“Oh, uhm, okay?” Fluttershy leaned to the left to look past Trixie and waved. “S-see you tomorrow, Rainbow Dash. Thanks for coming by. S-sorry.”
Trixie unceremoniously ushered Rainbow Dash out the front door, closing it behind them as she kept walking.
“So, where are we going?” Rainbow Dash asked as she trotted behind. “I kinda lost the plot.”
“Just a little further across the bridge should be fine, on the downslope of the hill.” Trixie said, glancing back at the cottage. “And a few paces to the right.”
Once they arrived at what Trixie had designated a suitable location, they came to a stop. Now that they were both standing around in the cool night air, Trixie sat down in the grass and patted a spot beside her for Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash shrugged and took a seat as well. She noticed that when she did so, she lost sight of most of the cottage behind the hill. The exception was the second floor window, whose gentle light contrasted with the dark exterior and the night sky. “Sooo, what did you have in mind?”
Trixie didn’t respond immediately. Staring up at the night sky, she took a moment to enjoy the refreshing breeze, the quiet dark, and the soft ticklish feeling of the grass beneath her. It was a nice and relaxing spot. Now if only she knew what she was doing, but in truth she’d just wanted to get away from Fluttershy for a bit before she got annoyed with her. Though, maybe she’d been insensitive, flirting with Dash in front of her?
Suddenly the cold air was replaced by a warm, comforting touch, prompting Trixie to bring her attention back down to earth. She found Rainbow Dash had wrapped a wing around her and was looking up at the sky right up until she noticed Trixie looking at her, after which she met her gaze.
“Thank you.” Trixie smiled. The sensation of being taken underwing invoked a nostalgic feeling of safety within her. “Trixie’s sorry for dragging you out here like that, but...”
“Fluttershy was uncomfortable?” Dash finished for her.
“You noticed?” Trixie was a little surprised.
“Sorta. She’s not super clear about it, but I can’t really blame her,” she said, sounding unusually contemplative. “I mean, it’s her house and we kinda shut her out if we do stuff like that, right? I didn’t really mean to, just… I got a little carried away, I guess? She’s too innocent to deal with that.”
“Maybe that was a bit rude.” Trixie agreed, though she wasn’t so sure that assessment of ‘too innocent’ was entirely accurate. Fluttershy had seemed to be enjoying the view just like Trixie herself. Trixie scooted a little closer and leaned against Dash, feeling her warmth spread through her side. “Hey, tell Trixie something. Did you two used to be a couple?”
“Nah, nothing like that.” Rainbow Dash tried to be flippant, but being so close to her, Trixie could feel her otherwise spunky girlfriend’s chest deflate a little. “We’re just friends. Always have been. We’re way to different.”
Trixie nodded, resting her head on Dash’s shoulder. “You never thought about it?”
Rainbow Dash tensed up slightly as she thought on how to answer the question. Or, more accurately, on what it meant for Trixie to be asking such a thing. “...Sure, I think that’s normal? I mean, to think about it. When you hang out with somepony and get along, it’s only natural to at least consider. That doesn’t mean you’re, like, doing anything. Or something. Or, uhm.”
Trixie snickered and snuck a hoof around Rainbow Dash, pulling her in a bit closer. “Relax, Dashie. You’re not in trouble. Trixie was just curious. Like you said, it would’ve been only natural. What made you decide not to pursue… something?”
“I dunno if I wanna go down this road.” Rainbow Dash pulled away. “What are you trying to get at?”
“What’s wrong with her?” Trixie asked, point blank.
“What’s wrong with you?” Rainbow Dash shot back, dismissively.
“Tons! Trixie’s vain, selfish, and greedy, to name but a few.” Trixie stared right at Dash, expecting to take her off balance with the remarks. “So, what made you choose her instead?”
“What?” Rainbow Dash simmered down some, the tensing of her muscles that had been prepping her typical fight or flight impulses subsided as she began to try and read between the lines a little. Dash knew she was terrible at it, though. Was Trixie angry? worried? Why would she be? Maybe she’d gotten jealous when she got home to find the two of them hanging out alone?
Trixie seemed content to wait for Dash to give her an answer, though she looked a lot more nervous than she had at the beginning.
It took Rainbow Dash a good long while before she finally formulated a response. “Tell me what’s wrong. I can’t read your mind, remember?” She’d have to remember to thank Pinkie later if this worked.
Trixie looked frustrated with the reply. It wasn’t an answer at all. Still, she’d try to play along. “Trixie is…” Her throat felt dry and it was hard to form the words. She looked around as to ensure herself they were alone. “Trixie is scared she was your second choice,” she said with a weak tremor in her voice.
Rainbow Dash was stunned for a moment, but it dawned on her that she couldn't leave Trixie so vulnerable for long and then quickly wrapped her in a tight embrace. “Of course not! You’re awesome! I love how totally confident you can be. How caring you try to be. How nothing ever keeps you down long. Heck, I even love those little barbs that come with every other word you say, you don’t even notice it half the time and it’s hilarious to me!” She pulled back a little, so she could come face to face with Trixie, shooting her a grin.“And hey... it doesn’t hurt you aren’t half bad to look at.”
The warmth of the embrace was nothing to Trixie compared to that of the words that came with it. The tight feeling in her chest melted, giving way to an overwhelming sense of relief. She gripped tighter into the hug as she felt her eyes sting. As Dash pulled away and delivered her last cheesy line, Trixie couldn’t help but grin stupidly while tears ran down her cheeks, no doubt ruining her appearance, she brushed her tears away with her wrist, smearing wet streaks into her fur. “Trixie’s a mess.”
“Yeah, you are, but I still love you anyway.” Rainbow Dash smirked then leaned in for a kiss. One that quickly grew deeper and longer as Trixie received her long awaited sweet taste of cinnamon. Judging by the ever tightening embrace, Trixie was loving every moment of it.
Eventually, Trixie broke for air and nuzzled into Dash’s neck with her eyes closed, content to just soak up the warmth for a little bit. “Thank you.”
“You can always count on me.” Rainbow Dash smiled while stroking Trixie’s back, enjoying the soft feeling of her fur under her hoof. Raising her gaze up over the hill, she saw Fluttershy’s silhouette in the top window of the cottage, looking out. Dash wrapped her wings around, Trixie, hiding her from view.
A part of Rainbow Dash wondered if she’d done the right thing, but… She couldn’t very well admit to Trixie that she was right, could she?
What difference would it make.