Trixie felt terrible. Her body was burning up, her head was killing her, and she felt like she was going to throw up. To make matters worse, her entire body was itching all over, and she was unable to scratch herself, because Twilight Sparkle had tied her hooves together.
Twilight pulled the thermometer from Trixie’s mouth, and her eyes widened at the high temperature reading. She looked worriedly at her poor marefriend, who was obviously suffering, and levitated an icepack onto her forehead, to cool her down. “Well, looks like we won’t be travelling today…” Twilight said, scratching the back of her head.
“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Trixie said weakly, panting heavily as she turned to face Twilight, or the blurry image that she assumed was Twilight. Her eyes were watering, and she couldn’t see things very well.
Twilight shook her head, and pulled the covers over Trixie, tucking her into bed. “Don’t worry about it. We can leave it for another day. For now, we need to focus on you getting better.” Twilight scratched her neck as she looked down at Trixie, and then looked around the trailer. “Do you have any medicine around here to ease the pain?”
Trixie shook her head, too weak to answer verbally. She let out a series of coughs, and her eyes started twitching from the itching that had spread to her nose. “Can you please undo these ropes?” Trixie begged.
“No,” Twilight replied sternly. “You can’t scratch, Trixie, or it could cause scarring.” Twilight didn’t like seeing her marefriend suffering more than she already was, but it was for her own good. Twilight scratched her neck again, and then levitated her saddlebag over to her. “I’m going to get some medicine. I’ll be right back. Will you be ok on your own for a little bit?”
Trixie wanted to reach out and grab Twilight’s tail, to stop her from leaving, but she was unable to move her legs, and couldn’t say anything to stop her. She watched as Twilight left the trailer, pleading silently for her to say.
Twilight left the pharmacy with some medicine recommended for somepony with pony pox. She had pills to help against headaches, some medicinal cream to help against the itching, some pills to help sore throats, and a herbal remedy to help prevent throwing up.
On her way out of the store, Twilight heard a familiar voice call out from behind: “Twilight?” Twilight flinched and slowly turned around to see who was there. A look of relief crossed her face as she saw Cheerilee, one of her friends from Ponyville who she hadn’t been worried about revealing her relationship to, approaching.
“Oh, hi there, Cheerilee! Small world, huh?” Twilight asked, before remembering that there was no time for small talk. “Um, I’d love to stay and chat, but I really have to get going.”
Cheerilee looked at the store that Twilight had just exited, and then turned back to Twilight. “Are you alright? You just came out of a pharmacy. I hope you’re feeling well.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Twilight said, scratching her left forehoof with her right one. She looked down at her legs, and her eyes widened in horror at what she saw.
“So is there somepony else not feeling well? If you want, I can help you,” Cheerilee offered, a warm smile on her face.
Twilight looked back up at Cheerilee, still scratching one leg with the other. “Really? I mean, I don’t want to take too much time out of your day.”
“Well, I had nothing planned for today, anyway. And if somepony’s not feeling well, I-” Cheerilee stopped when she noticed Twilight scratching the side of her body, and then leaned in closer to examine her. She gasped when she saw a rash running down Twilight’s body and legs. “Twilight! Is that…”
Twilight nodded slowly, a frown forming on her face. “Pony pox, yeah…I guess I never got it as a foal…”
Cheerilee watched as Twilight continued scratching herself, and then grabbed a hold of Twilight’s forelegs to make her stop. “Stop that, Twilight! You’ll scar yourself!” Cheerilee scolded, as if she were yelling at one of her students who had misbehaved.
Twilight’s left eye started twitching as she felt her body itching all over, and was unable to do anything about it. “B-But…” she started, before remembering that Trixie was still in the trailer by herself. “Oh no! I really have to go! Trixie’s waiting for me!”
Cheerilee looked at the librarian with a confused look on her face. “Trixie?” she asked.
“Yeah, she’s got the pony pox really bad, and I came out here to get some medicine for her!”
“You left a sick patient all alone!?” Cheerilee asked, her eyes wide with horror.
“I didn’t have a choice!” Twilight defended. “I had to get some medicine, but there was nopony around who I could ask to get it for me!”
Cheerilee released Twilight’s legs. “In any case, you’d better lead the way. You’re in no condition to be nursing somepony back to health, so I’ll take care of the both of you.”
Twilight nodded, and led the way back to Trixie’s trailer, just around the corner to the pharmacy.
Cheerilee sat Trixie up and slipped a pill into her mouth, and then washed it down with some water. Trixie struggled to swallow it, and then let out a moan as her headache grew worse for a second. Meanwhile, Twilight was rubbing some medicinal cream onto Trixie’s legs.
“She looks pretty bad. She has quite a high fever, too,” Cheerilee said, replacing the icepack that was on Trixie’s forehead. “You say she seemed fine yesterday?”
Twilight nodded, moving up to Trixie’s chest as she continued administering the cream. “Yeah, and she said she doesn’t usually get sick. I’m really worried.”
Cheerilee opened Trixie’s left eye and examined it. “Her eyes are pretty red. I think we should probably have a doctor take a look at her, just to be safe.” Cheerilee saw Twilight taking a moment to scratch her sides, and frowned at the purple Unicorn. “Twilight! I told you not to scratch!” she shouted.
Twilight immediately placed her hooves down on the bed, and put on the best innocent face that she could manage. “S-Sorry! It just…Kind of happened…”
Cheerilee sighed, and made her way to the trailer door. “You seem well enough to look after Trixie for a while. I’ll go and find a doctor for Trixie.” She narrowed her eyes at Twilight one last time before leaving. “No scratching, ok?”
“I get it!” Twilight shouted, applying some of the cream to herself. It helped for a second, but she still felt the terrible itching all over her body. She brought a hoof up to her neck, but stopped it just short of her coat, shaking as she resisted the urge to scratch.
She looked around the trailer to try and find something to take her mind off of the itching. She found a few books in Trixie’s closet on the top shelf, and walked over to check them out. She attempted to levitate them down, but that only resulted in a painful headache. She held her hooves against her temples, trying to shake off the pain.
“That’s right…Using magic when you’re sick is a bad idea,” Twilight said to herself. She pulled out a stool from inside the closet, and used it to reach the top. She looked at the cover of each book, hoping that one of them was one she hadn’t read before.
The first book was “Illusionary Magic for Advanced Unicorns, vol. 2”, a book that Twilight had read already. She wasn’t able to pull off many of the spells inside, but she still found it quite interesting. The second book was a Daring Do book. Twilight’s favourite one, too.
The final book had no title on its cover, and was covered in dust. It was obvious nopony had read it for quite a while. Curious, Twilight opened it up and looked inside. She saw that it was a photo album, and on the first page, there were a few pictures of a blue filly, who looked to be about Pipsqueak’s age, trying out various magic tricks from a foal’s magic set.
She recognised the filly as Trixie fairly easily, even without her Cutie Mark being there. ‘Wow, she was one cute filly,’ Twilight thought to herself, giggling at one photo of her seemingly yelling at a top hat. Twilight guessed it was because a spell she was trying to perform didn’t work.
Her curiosity took over, and she flipped the page over to see more photos on the next pages. They were more photos of Trixie, each one showcasing her development as a showmare. Every now and then, there would be a photo of her and some other foals, but in those photos Trixie was usually off to the side, looking annoyed.
It didn’t take Twilight long to notice that Trixie was, for the most part, alone in these photos. And she couldn’t help but notice the poor conditions in which she apparently lived. Behind her was a rather filthy bed which didn’t even have a cover, and the wall behind that was badly damaged, too.
Twilight heard a moan coming from Trixie, and snapped back to reality. “Twilight?” Trixie asked, opening her eyes and turning her head to her side. “Are you there?”
Twilight placed the photo album down and rushed over to Trixie’s side. “I’m here, Trixie,” she said, placing her face directly in front of Trixie’s. “Are you ok? Is there anything I can get for you?”
Trixie tried to sit herself up, but was unable to find the strength to do so. “Trixie would like some water…”
Twilight smiled and nodded. She moved over to the sink and poured a glass of water for Trixie. Twilight took note of Trixie’s third-pony speak returning, and took it as a sign that she was feeling better. She also noticed how Trixie’s voice was sounding a lot better than earlier. ‘That medicine must really be working great,’ she thought, bringing over some water to Trixie.
Trixie’s hooves were still bound, so she wasn’t able to reach for the water herself. Instead, Twilight lifted Trixie’s head up, and put the glass to Trixie’s lips. As she assisted Trixie with drinking the water, Twilight put a hoof to Trixie’s forehead. ‘Yikes! Her temperature’s gone way down! That medicine really is good!’
Once Trixie was finished with the water, Twilight pulled the glass away and gently lay Trixie down. “Anything else I can get you?” Twilight asked.
Trixie shook her head, and shifted to the side a bit. “Just…Stay by Trixie’s side…Please?” Trixie asked, her face red from both her fever, and now from her embarrassment.
Twilight set the glass down on a nearby counter, and lay down on the bed next to Trixie. “Ok. Just let me know if you need something,” Twilight said, wrapping her forelegs around Trixie, who rested her head against Twilight’s shoulder.
The two remained like that for a while, Trixie’s breathing calming down as she rested in Twilight’s legs. Twilight felt herself growing tired, and slowly shut her eyes as she fell into a peaceful slumber next to Trixie.
Twilight woke up in her bed back at the Ponyville library, to the sounds of knocking at the library door. She groaned and tumbled out of bed, and then lazily made her way to the front door. The knocking continued, and grew louder with each passing second.
She finally made her way to the door, and flung it open quickly with her magic, scowling at the pony who had the nerve to bother her at such an hour. “Yes? Can I help you?” Twilight asked, obviously annoyed.
Her eyes widened when she saw the Great and Powerful Trixie standing outside, wearing a seductive maid outfit. “Good morning, mistress. How may I service you today?”
Twilight was taken aback by this. “M-Mistress?” she asked, backing away as Trixie approached her. She felt her face heating up, and then felt a hoof on her shoulder from somepony behind her. She quickly spun around to see Trixie, this time dressed in a very short nurse’s outfit. “W-What? But you-”
Trixie put her forehead up against Twilight’s, their lips so very close, but just not quite touching. “Oh my. It seems you have a fever, Miss Sparkle.” Trixie moved forward as Twilight moved back, keeping their lips a close distance together. “I think I have some medicine for you. Perhaps you’d like to receive it mouth-to-mouth?”
Twilight pushed nurse-Trixie away, and saw maid-Trixie approaching. “What’s going on!? How are there two of you!?”
“Hey, darling,” a voice from behind Twilight said. Twilight turned around to see that her bookshelves had been replaced with another Trixie, this one dressed in a wedding dress. “Should we go upstairs, or should we start our honeymoon here?”
“Honeymoon!?” Twilight shrieked, backing away from bride-Trixie until she bumped into nurse-Trixie again, who wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s neck. “W-Wait! What is this!?”
“Poor dear, you’re under so much stress,” nurse-Trixie whispered into Twilight’s ear.
“Perhaps I can help?” another Trixie asked. This one wasn’t dressed in anything special, but had her mane tied back into a bun, and was wearing a pair of thick black glasses that Twilight for some reason found absolutely adorable. “Why don’t you sit down and tell me what’s troubling you?”
Twilight looked around at the various Trixie’s, each one staring at her with half-close eyelids, and slowly drawing closer to her. “W-Why are there so many of you?”
“I’m disappointed, Sparkle!” shouted a voice from upstairs. Twilight looked up and, sure enough, there was another Trixie there. This one had her mane tied the same way as therapist-Trixie, and had the same glasses, but was also dressed in a white buttoned shirt and a black miniskirt. She held up a piece of paper for Twilight to read. “0% on your last test! I expected better from you!”
Twilight looked at the test paper before her with a shocked look on her face. “What!? T-That’s impossible!” Twilight protested. She found it odd that she was more concerned about the test than all of the Trixie’s around her, but it was too late to question that now.
“Not at all. You forgot to write your name on the paper,” Trixie said, pointing at the blank name section at the top. Twilight facehooved, shocked that she would make such an amateurish mistake. “But, a 0 is still a 0. And now, it’s time for some strict discipline.” Trixie grinned, and the paper turned into a long cane and a pair of hoof cuffs.
Twilight let out a loud shriek, and tried to run away, but yet another Trixie blocked her path. This one was dressed as a member of the Royal Guard, and told Twilight that she was under arrest, and that she would be taken down to police headquarters for “special interrogation”.
Twilight continuously tried to escape, but each time, she was interrupted by another Trixie. There was a stewardess-Trixie, a cowpony-Trixie, a Princess-Trixie, and even a futa-Trixie, this Trixie being the most shocking and unnerving of them all to Twilight, but also the one she was most curious about.
Eventually, she was completely surrounded by Trixies, each one obviously trying to have their way with her. She held her head in her hooves, and kept her eyes shut tight, wishing for them all to just go away. ‘So many Trixies…So many, but…They’re not my Trixie!’
Twilight woke up again, this time in the familiar surroundings of Trixie’s trailer. She looked over to her side, and saw Cheerilee sitting next to her, reading a book. She slowly sat up, gaining Cheerilee’s attention. “Oh, Twilight! You’re awake,” Cheerilee said, closing her book and reaching over to put a hoof against Twilight’s forehead. “How are you feeling?”
Twilight groaned as she felt a headache rising. “Not too good…” Twilight remembered the dream she had just had, and quickly turned around to check on Trixie. Her colour drained when she saw that Trixie was not there. “W-Where’s Trixie?”
Cheerilee turned Twilight to face her, giving her a calm, reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Trixie is just fine. She’s just visiting the little filly’s room, that’s all.”
As if just on cue, Trixie entered the trailer from outside. Twilight turned to Trixie, and looked her up and down. She was dressed in her purple cape, and she was surrounded by the same aura of self-confidence that she always carried around with her. Trixie approached Twilight, asking if she was ok. Twilight’s eyes teared up, and she quickly threw her forelegs around Trixie.
Trixie blushed, not expecting the sudden hug, and tried to pull away, but Twilight’s grip on her was too much. “T-Twilight? What’s going on?”
“Trixie…You really are Trixie, aren’t you?” she asked, rubbing her cheek against Trixie’s. “Please don’t change…Just stay as you are…”
Trixie was confused by Twilight’s words, and turned to Cheerilee for an explanation, but only received a shrug from the equally confused teacher. “Twilight…What happened?”
Twilight held Trixie tighter as she remembered her dream. “I…I had a nightmare. There were so many of you, and you were all trying to take me away, and do Celestia knows what. I was so scared,” she said, barely holding back a few sobs. “I thought I was gonna be taken away by some fake images of you. I was afraid…That I’d lose the real you.”
Trixie let out a sigh, and stroked the purple Unicorn’s mane with one of her free hooves. “Honestly, you worry over the silliest things,” she said, returning Twilight’s hug. “Trixie would never change. She’s already perfect, so there’s no need to. And if a fake Trixie comes along, the real one will protect you. Ok?”
Twilight smiled as Trixie’s words calmed her down somewhat. ‘That’s right,’ she thought. ‘You’re perfect Trixie. So don’t change…Just stay as you are.’
The two continued hugging each other for a few minutes, before Cheerilee, who had been politely (and uncomfortably) remaining silent, cleared her throat to gain their attention. The two turned to her, and then quickly separated themselves from each other, their faces turning bright shades of red.
“While this is all very sweet,” Cheerilee started. “The doctor recommended that Twilight get as much rest as possible.”
Twilight suddenly remembered her condition, and checked her body. Sure enough, her rash was still there, and now that she was thinking about it, the itching had returned, too. She unconsciously started scratching various parts of her body, until her hooves were held in place by somepony’s magic.
“What the?” Twilight turned towards Trixie, who grinning deviously at the purple Unicorn, whilst holding her hooves still with her magic. “Wait, what gives?” Twilight asked, noticing that Trixie was suddenly feeling a lot better. She even noticed that Trixie’s rashes had gone. “How are you better already? How long was I out?”
“Only a few hours,” Cheerilee answered, shocking Twilight. “I was amazed too. Usually, ponies have the pony pox for a few days at least, but Trixie somehow made a full recovery in just a few hours.”
Trixie simply shrugged and lay Twilight down on the bed. “What can Trixie say? Her immune system must be every bit as great and powerful as she is.”
Twilight stared at Trixie with wide-eyed amazement. Either the medicine Twilight had gotten for Trixie was super potent, or Trixie had the most powerful immune system ever. “That’s impossible…Nopony’s immune system should be that good.”
Cheerilee laughed, leaning over and tucking Twilight into bed. “That’s exactly what the doctor said. He insisted that Trixie must have developed some superpony immune system, and told her that she should donate her body to medical research.”
“Trixie declined, of course,” Trixie said. “Trixie’s body is a work of art. And one does not simply allow somepony to deface works of art because they are curious. Besides, Trixie would feel uncomfortable being tested on like some lab rat.”
Twilight could understand where the doctor was coming from. If Trixie truly did have the ability to recover from illness at such a fast rate, then researching her could bring about great things for medical science.
“Well, how about if you let me do some tests on you?” Twilight asked, her eyelids half-closed as she rested her head on Trixie’s pillow.
Trixie looked down at Twilight in surprise, and then let out a small laugh. “Yes, Twilight, it’s cute when you try to seduce Trixie. But maybe you should wait until after you’re better?”
Twilight looked up at Trixie in shock. ‘Seduce? What does she mean? Did my voice sound seductive because of my condition? And what does she mean “cute”? Is she saying I’m terrible at seduction? I’ll show her! When I’m better, I’ll-’
A thought crossed Twilight’s mind, cutting off her previous train of thought. She turned her head to face Cheerilee, who was once again reading her book. “Cheerilee?” she called out. Cheerilee turned to face the sick Twilight. “C-Can I ask you to send a letter to Ponyville, explaining that I won’t be able to return for a few days?”
Cheerilee nodded. “Of course, Twilight. I’d be happy to.” She grabbed a quill pen from Trixie’s desk, and Trixie handed her a piece of paper to write on and an envelope for when she was finished.
“Stamps are in the top drawer,” Trixie said, keeping her attention on Twilight.
“Oh, and don’t mention anything about Trixie,” Twilight said. Trixie frowned at this, so Twilight wasted no time following up. “I want them to find out about us by introducing her to them, face-to-face. Not through a letter.”
Cheerilee nodded, scrunching up the first piece of paper and writing on a new one. “You two must be very close. How long have you been together?”
“A few months,” Twilight answered, not able to give a more precise answer, like she usually would, in her current condition.
“You should have told me,” Cheerilee complained, pouting as she continued writing the letter. “You know I love romance stories.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Twilight apologised, followed by a series of coughs. “By the way, Trixie, what are you going to do about tomorrow?”
“What do you-” Trixie gasped in sudden realization. Tomorrow, she was supposed to make her way to Canterlot to give a performance. But now, with Twilight here and not feeling well, she wasn’t sure if going was a good idea. “…It’s a shame, but Trixie will just have to cancel…Even though she was looking forward to performing to the Princess.”
“The Princess!?” Twilight asked, shooting her head up in surprise.
“Yes, Princess Celestia herself was going to attend Trixie’s show. According to the rumours, anyway.”
Twilight felt herself becoming dizzy, and quickly lay her head back down on the pillow again. “The Princess…” Twilight turned to Trixie, who was obviously upset with having to cancel tomorrow’s plans. “…Trixie? I think you should go.”
Trixie’s eyes widened, and she shook her head quickly. “No, Twilight! I couldn’t leave you here knowing that you’re not well!”
“Who said anything about me staying?” Twilight asked, confusing Trixie. “I won’t be able to go back to Ponyville like this, since Cheerilee will be staying here for a few days, and I have nopony else to go with. And I don’t want to hold you back or inconvenience you in any way.”
“You won’t inconvenience me! All that matters is you get better!”
Twilight smiled at Trixie’s sweetness, and then continued. “I’ll be fine travelling as long as I stay in bed, right? You should go to Canterlot…And then I can introduce you to the Princess, and my family.”
Trixie was once again surprised by Twilight’s words, and then took some time to consider them. She remembered Twilight explaining that Celestia was her mentor, a fact that at first annoyed Trixie, but that she eventually got over. And now Twilight was thinking about introducing Trixie to her family and mentor.
The family thing alone made Trixie nervous to the point that she was starting to feel sick again, but the Princess was even worse. Trixie shook her head rapidly, waving her hooves in front of her face. “Nononono! Impossible! Absolutely no way!”
Twilight frowned at Trixie’s rejection. “Why?”
“She’s the Princess!” Trixie shouted, panic clear on her face. “And your mentor! What if she doesn’t approve of Trixie? She might banish her! Or imprison her! Or…Or…”
“Banish you and then imprison you where she banished you to?”
Trixie nodded. “Exactly! So you understand, right?”
Twilight rolled her eyes at Trixie’s paranoia. “Come on, Trixie. You’re overreacting.” ‘Not like I have any right to say that…’
“How can you be sure?”
“Because she’s my teacher,” Twilight said. “She would never do something like that. And even if she would, if I’m there to protect you, you’ll be safe. She’ll never harm me just to get to you.”
This didn’t help to calm Trixie’s nerves. In fact, it made them even worse. “So you’ll be putting your life at risk to protect Trixie? That doesn’t exactly make Trixie feel better.”
‘Ok, maybe that was the wrong thing to say,’ Twilight thought, and tried to think of something better to say. “Alright then, how about this? Let me go to Canterlot with you, and let me introduce you to the Princess. That can be your favour.”
Trixie winced, and fell silent. Twilight didn’t like using this card, since she never considered Trixie as being in debt to her anyway. Basically, Twilight stuck up for Trixie back before they confessed their feelings to each other, and Trixie insisted on paying Twilight back somehow. Twilight already asked Trixie to take part in a DDR game with her, but Trixie didn’t consider that enough, and had since been pestering Twilight to let her pay back the debt.
Twilight considered that, this way, she’d be killing two birds with one stone. She’d finally get to introduce Trixie the Princess Celestia, somepony who she’d wanted to introduce Trixie to for a while, but even as her star pupil, arranging an audience was difficult, especially if your reason was simply to introduce your marefriend. Twilight would also be able to get Trixie to stop feeling indebted to her by doing this.
Twilight looked over at Trixie, who seemed to have given in. “Alright…Trixie will take you with her to Canterlot…”
“Oh? You’re going to Canterlot?” asked Cheerilee, who had just returned from mailing her letter to Ponyville.
Trixie nodded, still looking unsure about going with Twilight. Twilight smiled and closed her eyes as she fell into a peaceful sleep.
The following day, Trixie set off for Canterlot with Twilight Sparkle still resting in her bed. Cheerilee remained in Manehatten, but wish them good luck.
Trixie had been moving her trailer with her magic for two straight hours, and eventually had to stop to take a break. She moved her trailer off the road, and rested it by a small lake, where a few foals were playing. They stopped to check out her trailer, and while she would usually put on a small show to entertain them, right now, she had a more important matter on her mind.
She headed back inside her trailer to check up on Twilight. At some point, she must have awoken, and was reading a book. Trixie tried to see what book it was, but there was no title on the cover. She titled her head to see Twilight’s face, and giggled. ‘She’s so cute when she’s absorbed in reading. I wonder if I can startle her?’
Trixie walked past Twilight, trying to suppress her giggling, and lowered her head so that her mouth was close to Twilight’s ear. She was about to whisper something that even an engrossed Twilight wouldn’t be able to ignore, but her gaze shifted to the book that Twilight was reading, and she let out a loud gasp. “W-Why are you looking at this!?” she shouted as she grabbed the book from Twilight with her magic.
Twilight jumped at Trixie’s raised voice, and flinched when the book was suddenly snatched from her hooves. She examined her hooves to see that her right forehoof had been cut, and a small trail of blood was starting to run down it.
Trixie also noticed the cut, and immediately threw the book to the floor and moved closer to examine the wound. “Oh no! Trixie’s sorry, Twilight! S-She was just surprised, and wasn’t thinking, and-”
Twilight shook her head. “No, I shouldn’t have been looking through your things without permission,” she said, covering her cut with her other hoof. “I just got curious, and when I start reading something good, I can’t stop…Sorry.” Twilight turned her head away to hide her embarrassment.
Trixie swallowed hard, and had to resist the urge to pounce on the adorable mare in front of her. ‘She’s ill, Trixie. She needs rest.’ Trixie took a deep, calming breath, and then turned her attention to Twilight’s cut hoof. “Let Trixie see it,” she said. Twilight reluctantly obeyed, and moved her hooves so that Trixie could see the cut clearly. “Trixie will get a bandage. Hold on one second.”
Twilight nodded, and sat patiently whilst Trixie searched her kitchen for her first aid kit. She thought about the photo album of Trixie’s, and wanted to ask her some questions about it, but wasn’t sure if she should pry too much into Trixie’s life. Eventually, though, her curiosity and desire to know as much about Trixie as possible proved to be too strong.
“Um, Trixie?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, Twilight?” Trixie responded, bringing the first aid kit over to Twilight. She used her magic to levitate a plaster, and placed it over Trixie’s cut.
“That photo album…Why were you mostly be yourself?” Trixie hesitated for a moment. “Oh, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine,” Twilight said, suddenly regretting asking Trixie something that was obviously a sensitive topic.
“No, it’s fine. You did say that you wanted to hear more of Trixie’s life, right?” Twilight nodded, and Trixie took a moment to decide where to begin. “As you know, Trixie also attended Celestia’s School, just like you.
“But Trixie’s life wasn’t always so great. Trixie’s earliest memory was of being found by the Matron of the Canterlot orphanage.” Twilight’s eyes widened, not liking where this was going. “An orphanage of 31 foals, and only one adult. The government had given up on us, and whatever resources we did get were by no means plentiful. We literally had to fight for our survival.
“That’s why Trixie was, for the most part, by herself. It wasn’t until Trixie was about seven that her magic drew the attention of…Some special ponies that would eventually become her first friends.”
Twilight recalled the first picture she saw of Trixie smiling. It was a picture of a filly Trixie, and around her, a bunch of teenage ponies whose appearances screamed “delinquents”. She gulped, and dared to ask her next question: “You mean those dangerous looking ponies you were smiling with?”
Trixie’s winced, and turned her head away from Twilight, mostly in shame. “…I was poor. And dying. I didn’t know it at the time, but using magic consumes a lot of energy. So since I used it so recklessly, I had pretty much assured an early death for myself. But I was saved, by them.
“A group of ponies witnessed one of my illusions that I used to fend off some of the older foals from the orphanage, who were trying to take my food. They were impressed, and recruited me to help them with some…Questionable deals.”
“Help them…How?” Twilight asked, a look of horror on her face.
Trixie turned to Twilight, and saw the look of horror that she wore. Her eyes widened, and she immediately shook her head rapidly. “No! I didn’t do anything really bad! I would never bring serious harm to somepony!” Twilight’s anxiety seemed to have calmed down, and Twilight felt disgusted at herself for even suspecting Trixie would do something so horrible. “I merely used my magic to assist their escapes after some illegal transactions.”
Twilight’s frown returned, and Trixie turned her head away again. “It’s not a part of my life I was proud of,” Trixie explained. “But I was afraid…Afraid of dying. They offered food and money for my services. And in one year, I was able to enrol into a public school with the money that I had saved.”
“They let you leave? Just like that?” Twilight asked. She quickly put her hooves to her mouth, mentally cursing herself for potentially bringing back more painful memories for Trixie. ‘Stupid! You couldn’t just leave it alone, could you!?’
“Actually…” Trixie started, levitating the photo album over to herself and opening it up to a certain page. “Even though our relations started as mere accomplices, truthfully, that year was the most enjoyable year in Trixie’s life up to that point.” Trixie smiled as she looked through the photos, and felt Twilight looking over her shoulder at the photos.
“They committed plenty of illegal deals, but they weren’t so bad. They always did their best to avoid dangerous cases, because they didn’t want to resort to violence.” Trixie stopped at one photo of herself holding a hoof to her mouth, looking like she was about to throw up. Next to her was a glass floating in the air, and underneath the photo were the words: “Trixie becomes an adult!”
“So, they let you go because they trusted you?” Twilight asked, suddenly feeling a lot less frantic about the whole situation, after hearing that Trixie wasn’t involved in anything too vile.
“Not just that. They actually supported me. They wished me the best of luck, and slipped me a little extra money to start off my new life.” Trixie closed the book, and turned back to Twilight, a smile on her face as tears rolled down.
Twilight leaned over pulled Trixie into a hug. “Two years of public school later, and I finally found my Cutie Mark. I told you about that, right?”
Twilight nodded, not letting go of Trixie. “Yeah. You put on a show and recreated the Sonic Rainboom with your illusions, right?”
“Yeah…Turns out that was the turning point in my life,” Trixie started. “Because at the time, there were some teachers from Celestia’s School watching the performance, and they were so impressed with my performance, that they offered me a scholarship at their school.”
Twilight pulled away from the hug, and looked at Trixie with her eyes wide open. “Really? Wow, that must have been a good show! Those teachers aren’t easy to impress!”
Trixie laughed, and nodded in agreement with Twilight. “Well, it helped that my talent was in illusions. Illusionists are a rarity to come by, especially ones who specialise in the skill.”
Twilight nodded, smiling now that Trixie seemed to have cheered up a bit. “Yeah, it’s not easy to create illusions. Even if you have plenty of raw magic, illusionary magic is just in a class of its own.”
Twilight hated to admit it, but illusionary magic was the one magic type that she couldn’t perform. She knew it shouldn’t bother her, but for some reason, it did. The first thing they teach you at Celestia’s School is that illusionary magic is something you can either do, or you can’t, and no amount of training will change that. It was thought that the ability to perform illusions was genetic, since even the most powerful of Unicorns were sometimes completely incapable of pulling them off.
A sudden realisation hit Twilight as she recalled Trixie’s story. “Wait, you say that you entered Celestia’s School shortly after the Sonic Rainboom incident, right?” Trixie nodded, and Twilight’s face lit up in excitement. “No way! That means…We started at the same time!”
Trixie’s eyes widened, and she looked at Twilight disbelievingly. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because, I passed the entrance exam on the same day as the Sonic Rainboom,” Twilight explained, and then shifted the bed covers to reveal her flank. “In fact, it was thanks to that Rainboom that I got my Cutie Mark.”
“Really?” Trixie asked. “Wow! That’s…Amazing! It must be a sign that we’re destined for each other!”
Twilight giggled at Trixie’s sudden enthusiasm. She considered telling Trixie that her friends were connected in the same way, but decided not to ruin the mood right now. Trixie was happy thinking the two shared a special connection, and Twilight didn’t want to take that away from her.
A few sudden coughs from Twilight reminded the two of them that she was still ill, and Trixie placed the covers back onver Twilight. “Anyway, Trixie will continue moving soon. Would you like something to eat, or do you want to wait?”
“I’ll wait,” Twilight answered. “I think I’ll just get some sleep for now.”
Trixie nodded. “Ok…Twilight?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you…Not tell anypony of Trixie’s dark past?” Trixie asked with a worried look on her face.
Twilight smiled warmly at Trixie. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Trixie’s smile returned, but fell back to a frown when she saw Twilight’s hooves moving about under her covers. Twilight realised that she was scratching herself, and quickly stopped, smiling innocently at Trixie. “Too late,” Trixie said, grinning as she levitated the same rope that Twilight had used on Trixie when she was ill.
“And now, for Trixie’s last trick, she will end on something simple. Something you are all probably familiar with.” Trixie pulled off her hat, and flipped it upside down. “Watch in awe as Trixie’s hat will transcends dimensions, and Trixie will pull a rabbit from within!”
The foals at the front watched with anticipation. Most of the older ponies were disappointed; they had expected something grand after how big the rest of her tricks were. Especially with the Princess of the Sun watching.
Trixie reached into her hat, but then looked confused. She continued shifting her hoof, and then pulled it back, staring at her hat. Something had obviously gone wrong, and the foals at the front were starting to look disappointed. “How odd…Trixie apologises, it seems she has blundered a bit.”
Before the crowd could react at all, a scream was heard, followed by another, and another. The ponies looked around them as they saw rabbits emerging from the hats of various members of the crowd. Trixie ginned and used her magic to levitate the rabbits towards her.
“Trixie would like to thank you all for coming to her performance today! Make sure to tell your friends about the wondrous talents of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” she shouted, connecting her hooves with two rabbit paws. The other rabbits connected their paws, eventually forming a line of rabbits, with Trixie in the middle. They all bowed towards the audience, receiving high applause from the crowds.
Once the curtain closed, and nopony could see her, Trixie undid the illusion, and the rabbits all disappeared. It was so easy to make the rabbits seem real; just seek out some ponies with hats (there were plenty in Canterlot), and cast a levitation spell to raise them up. Then, create the images of rabbits. Since the hats physically moved, nopony would consider the rabbits to be fakes. Well, most ponies wouldn’t, at least.
Trixie moved back into her trailer, using her magic to fold her stage back up. Once inside, Twilight greeted Trixie with some clapping of her hooves. “That was great, Trixie! I especially liked when you set your tail on fire and dumped water onto yourself to put it out. I almost thought it was real!”
Trixie blushed and turned her head away. “It…Was real,” she muttered. There was an awkward silence between the two.
Twilight decided to end the silence before it was too late. “W-Well…Maybe you should make an act based on it? Everypony loves a good comedy act, after all,” she said, laughing nervously.
“Indeed they do,” a voice that didn’t belong to either of them said. They turned around and were both very surprised to see Princess Celestia standing before them. She had just entered the trailer through the front door, and her smile turned to a frown when she saw her student. “Are you ok, Twilight? I felt your magic nearby, but it was…Weak, and uneven. So I got concerned.”
Trixie wanted to scold the Princess for just barging into somepony’s home, and without even knocking, too. But, she knew better than that. That would surely be a one-way trip to the moon. And there was nopony to amaze with her talents up there.
Twilight nodded at her mentor, still surprised to see her all of a sudden. “I-I’m fine, Princess!” Twilight said. She saw the Princess examining her hooves closely, and then checked them herself. There were still rope marks there from when Trixie restrained her hooves. She had undone them just before her performance so that Twilight could cheer for her properly. “Ah, these! It’s not what it looks like! You see, I have the pony pox, and Trixie was just making sure I didn’t scratch myself! She only did it to help me, and-”
Celestia silenced her pupil the same way she always did whenever she started rambling. She placed a hoof up into the air, and Twilight slowly started to calm down. “Yes, yes, I can see quite well what your condition is.” Celestia turned to Trixie, who flinched and immediately hid her face under her hat, as if doing so would make her invisible. “Trixie, thank you so much for taking care of my student. I am most grateful.”
Trixie blinked in surprise, even more so when the Princess bowed to her. Now she wasn’t sure what to do. Having the Princess thank you was one thing, but having her bow to you was completely unheard of. “W-Well…O-Of course I took care of her! S-She took care of me when I had the pony pox, after all.”
“Except you got over them faster,” Twilight moaned, pouting.
“Trixie can’t help it if her immune system is stronger than yours!” Trixie said, turning to Twilight. “Besides, you should be thankful! It means you got to see one of Trixie’s shows from backstage!”
“You mean you wouldn’t let me see your shows backstage if I were healthy?” Twilight asked, putting on the best puppy dog face she could muster.
Trixie was taken aback by this, and started flustering. “O-Of course Trixie would! You know that’s not what Trixie meant!” Twilight couldn’t hold back her laughter. Trixie grinned at the laughing Unicorn, and was about to walk over and punish her for her little trick, before she remembered that the Princess was still in the trailer with them.
“You two seem to be getting along well,” Celestia observed, smiling at her pupil. “I’m glad you seem to have made another great friend, Twilight.”
Twilight and Trixie exchanged glances, and Trixie walked over to Twilight, with a determined look on her face. She nodded to Twilight, and Twilight turned to Celestia. “Actually…Princess…”
“Hm?”
“The truth is…Trixie and I are…Well, that is…We’re…” Twilight felt so resolved a moment ago, but suddenly, she was finding it really hard to bring out the words. What if Trixie’s fears weren’t entirely unfounded? What if the Princess truly does reject their relationship? She’s the ruler of Equestria. So she can literally make it forbidden for them to see each other.
Trixie saw Twilight’s determination fading, and gathered the courage to finish what Twilight was saying. “Trixie loves Twilight Sparkle!” she shouted, startling both Twilight and Celestia. “A-And, regardless of what you say, Trixie wants to spend her life by Twilight’s side!” she finished, wrapping her front legs around Twilight, causing the purple mare’s face to turn a deep shade of red.
Celestia stared at the two wide-eyed for a few seconds, and then turned to Twilight, with a serious look on her face. “And you, Twilight?” Twilight gulped under Celestia’s gaze. “Do you feel the same way towards Trixie?”
“I-I do,” Twilight said, bringing her hooves up and grabbing a hold of Trixie’s with them. “I love Trixie, and I want to spend my entire life with her!”
Celestia looked at the two ponies for a few seconds, and then her face turned into a warm smile. “I see,” she said, approaching the two, who braced themselves for whatever would happen next. “I can’t tell you how happy I am!”
The two blinked in surprise, and Celestia pulled them both into a hug. “I was always worried that Twilight would never find a special somepony! She was always so obsessed with books. At one point, I even thought she would marry a book.”
Celestia and Trixie shared a laugh. Twilight, on the other hoof, was un-amused. ‘Oh, come ON! There’s nothing wrong with being well-read, right?’
Celestia released the two ponies, and then turned to Trixie. “Trixie, please take good care of Twilight. She can be quite a handful, as I’m sure you know.”
Trixie laughed again, as Twilight turned away and pouted. “Yes, Trixie knows all too well,” she said. “But, she’s also the kindest, sweetest pony Trixie knows…Evidenced by how well she cared for Trixie yesterday.”
“Yesterday? Didn’t you have the pony pox?” Celestia asked.
Trixie turned back to Celestia with a look of confusion. “Yeah…”
“…When did the symptoms start?”
“Yesterday, why?”
Celestia put a hoof to her chin as she processed her thoughts. ‘She recovered from the pony pox on the same day that she caught them?…Well, it’s rare, but it’s not impossible for a Unicorn’s immune system to be enhanced by magic…Maybe I should run a background check on this filly.’ Celestia shook her head, clearing the thought from her mind. ‘No, I’m just being silly. She’s Twilight’s marefriend, and she’s clearly a very kind pony. There’s no reason to go digging into her past.’
Celestia’s smile returned to her face. “It’s nothing. I was just curious,” she said as she turned around and began leaving. She stopped to mention on final thing to Twilight. “Oh, Twilight, I assume you were going to tell your family about your relationship?” Twilight nodded, and Celestia continued. “That will have to wait. Your parents are out of town on their anniversary, and your brother’s currently out of town on a very important mission.”
Twilight’s ears dropped, and a frown formed on her face. “Oh…Is that right?” Trixie’s hold on Twilight tightened, returning the smile to Twilight’s face. “Oh well, I guess it can’t be helped.”
“Maybe I could drop them a message for you?” Celestia offered, but Twilight declined.
“I’d rather tell them myself, face-to-face.”
Celestia nodded in understanding, and left the trailer. The two were once again alone, and sat together in a peaceful silence, until a sneeze from Twilight broke said silence. Trixie tucked Twilight back into bed, and fetched some of the medicine that Twilight had bought the previous day.
“So, um, Trixie…” Twilight paused to take the medicine that Trixie had brought over. She scrunched up her face, as she always did when she had to take some medicine, which Trixie found too adorable to resist hugging her. “Uh, about coming to Ponyville…”
Trixie released Twilight and moved away to pour some water for her. “Sorry, Twilight, but it will have to wait. Trixie’s schedule is full for this week.”
“Then, this weekend?” Twilight asked hopefully. “The truth is, this Saturday is my birthday.”
Trixie almost lost her magical hold over the glass of water, and turned quickly to Twilight. “What!? Why did you not tell Trixie of this sooner! Oh, this isn’t good! Trixie has to get you a present!” Twilight tried to calm Trixie down, but it wasn’t quite working. “What would you like? Tell Trixie! She has to make sure she gets you the perfect gift!”
“No, really, it’s fine,” she insisted, but Trixie would have none of it. “Uh, then…How about you surprise me?” Twilight suggested. “Honestly, anything would be great, as long as it comes from your heart.”
Trixie stared into Twilight’s eyes for a few seconds, and then turned away to let out a muffled laugh through her hooves. “That was so cheesy, Twilight,” she said.
Twilight frowned, and lay back down, throwing the covers over herself. “Fine, then forget I said anything!” she said. “Good night, Trixie!”
“…In any case, perhaps Trixie shouldn’t go to Ponyville this weekend,” Trixie said, causing Twilight to poke her head out from under the covers and look at her quizzically. “Trixie knows you hope for the best, but if things don’t go as we hope…Well, Trixie doesn’t want to ruin your birthday.”
Twilight looked at Trixie with a sad expression on her face. “But…I want you to be there, Trixie. It’s my birthday, after all.”
Trixie grinned at Twilight with that same grin she always wore right before a big show. “Oh, don’t you worry, Twilight. Trixie has a plan…Yes, she’ll make this the greatest birthday of your life.”
Twilight didn’t like the way Trixie was chuckling to herself, and ducked back under the covers. ‘Oh Celestia, she’s planning something…Please let everything be ok.’