Octavia yawned slightly as she walked towards her front door. There was someone banging on her door. Unless they were on fire they were getting yelled at. When she opened the door however she was barreled over by whoever was one the other side of the door. The other was saved from a beating when Octavia recognized the star-spangled hat and cloak of her fiancée. “Trixie!?” But Trixie didn’t answer with words, as she was currently a bawling mess.
Octavia managed to extract herself and close the door. For a moment the practical side of her brain told her that she shouldn’t get closer to Trixie. To burry her fledgling feelings for the mare deep. Get Trixie back to her wagon and continue with the plan as it was. It was the predominantly logical thing to do. Octavia very thoroughly buried that part of her brain. She reached up with a hoof, gently rubbing the mare’s back. “Trixie, what’s the matter?”
Trixie looked up at Octavia, whimpering. “Starlight hates Trixie!”
Octavia blinked. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I’m getting married!” Trixie continued to whine, holding her forelegs up to Octavia.
Octavia was legitimately taken aback. Trixie had actively pushed her away when Octavia had tried to get a little closer to the other mare previously. Nothing romantic, Octavia had only recently accepted that she had those feelings about Trixie. But Trixie had a bit of a thing about her personal space. She wasn't nearly as casual with affection as most ponies. After a few moments, Octavia stepped forward and pulled the pretty unicorn close to her, adopting a far gentler tone as she hugged Trixie. “Oh... Trixie... I’m sorry, I’ll find someone else.”
The screech that Trixie produces causes Octavia’s eyes to go crossed for a few moments. Her brain likely damaged from the sound. “You’re going to abandon Trixie too!” Trixie burst into tears again as she looked up at Octavia.
Octavia was still a little disoriented from the screech, so it took her a few seconds to answer. “What? Trixie... I...” She sighed shaking her head. Rubbing her temples in both annoyance and pain. That screech had been extremely unpleasant. If she had been on the street she'd have assumed a murder was happening in the house. “I’ll give some bits to help you for a few months. I just want you to be happy.”
Trixie sniffled, wiping her nose and looking off to the side. “Trixie understands... Starlight would be a better wife...” She had stopped outright crying but still had silent tears streaming down her cheeks.
Octavia flinched. That seemed... Needlessly petty. Trixie could be a bit of a bragger and was infinitely sure of her self worth, but that was just mean. Octavia blew out a sigh though, she could deal with it, so long as Trixie was happy. Octavia was used to putting the needs of others first. She smiled as best she could as she let go of Trixie. “I hope Starlight knows how lucky she is.”
Trixie grumbled as she rolled onto her stomach. “And Trixie is supposed to be the arrogant one...” Trixie started towards to door with her ears and head down. Looking about as dejected as Octavia had ever seen her. She frowned deeply as she watched, she couldn't put her hoof on what was going on anymore. It didn't seem like she and Trixie were completely on the same page of... Reality. Though that wasn't too uncommon when dealing with Trixie.
“Wait. Trixie?” Trixie paused but didn’t turn around. "What does this have to do with you being arrogant?"
Trixie whirled around, her hackles up. Octavia was surprised, she had never seen Trixie legitimately angry. Annoyed, frustrated, even sulky, but not angry, not like this. "You're the one being arrogant, not Trixie!"
Octavia bristled at the accusation. There was a part of her saying to remain calm and reasonable. She buried that right next to the part of her brain that had been earlier saying to keep her distance. This was all Trixie's doing, she had no right to be angry. It was Octavia's right to be angry and she had been trying to be nice! "You abandon our deal. Then I congratulate you and compliment you by saying Starlight is lucky!" Octavia was starting to raise her voice, becoming even more agitated. "And I am the one being arrogant!?"
Trixie scowled, becoming indignant herself. She never liked being accused of things she wasn't doing, and now, on top of abandoning her, Octavia was baselessly accusing her of everything under the sun. She might not have any choice in the matter, but she wouldn't take it lying down! "Trixie isn't the one breaking the deal! You said you'd find someone else!"
Octavia blinked, staring at Trixie in stunned silence. She held up a hoof to Trixie, taking a few deep breaths. When she could trust herself to speak again she turned calm, but still angry eyes at Trixie. "Trixie... What exactly happened with Starlight?"
Trixie huffed but had been around Octavia long enough to not interrupt her when she had a hoof up. It occurred to Trixie that she shouldn't care about that anymore but she was still holding out some minute hope of salvaging the plan. She had grown fond of Octavia, she was a nice mare. Trixie was still fuming as she rolled her eyes. "Well, I apparently made the mistake of reminding you that Starlight exists so you could choose her instead!"
"Trixie!" Octavia shook her head, annoyed with her... Whatever Trixie was at the moment before repeating herself. "What exactly happened with Starlight?"
Trixie gave another harumph but gave in to the demand at last. "Well, she got angry when I told her about us being engaged. We had a giant fight!" She waved her hooves in the air. "Then I came here and you called off our engagement! I guess I'm not perfect enough for you if I'm upset after fighting with my best friend!"
Octavia frowned a bit deeper, taking a few hesitant steps closer, Trixie glared but didn't try to stop her from coming closer. "What was your fight about?"
Trixie sniffled a little, now that she was calming down she was falling back into sadness from anger. Wiping her nose with a foreleg she looked off to the side. "Like you care."
"Trixie! I am trying...!" Octavia let out a yell of frustration. "Trixie! Let me state this unequivocally! You are my choice, ok!?" Trixie blinked and looked back at Octavia. "Now what did you two fight about!?" The fact that Octavia was almost yelling shouldn't have made Trixie smile so widely.
"She said I can't marry someone that none of her friends knew she was even dating... And that we've only been... Uh... Together for three weeks..." Trixie knew that was a logical reaction. But still, Starlight's condescension was upsetting, and it caused a big fight. There might or might not be a broken table or two she'd need to ask Octavia to help pay for too... Trixie grimaced a little at the memory. Shifting her eyes back to Octavia she blinked, surprised to see Octavia smiling again.
Octavia couldn't help herself as a few moments later she started to chuckle. "We are both really, really bad at communicating." Octavia shook her head, still chuckling quietly. "Well, when you said she was upset, I thought you meant she was upset that you were getting married because she wanted to be in a relationship. And I thought that upset you because you were stuck with me now."
Trixie started to giggle a bit as well, before gently tugging at her cape. "Oh... No. I mean we're friends, but we're not interested in each other like that." Trixie grinned as she added. "I mean, besides the obvious fact that Trixie is so stunningly beautiful that all ponies would be interested in her!"
Octavia couldn’t help rolling her eyes, but her smile may have widened just the tiniest amount. "Well, now that we're in the middle of a fight, any other things you need to get off your chest? Or shall you head home? It's fairly late."
Trixie nodded. “Trixie has a question one more question, to tack onto our fight.”
Octavia chuckled and turned around, walking back toward her room with a stifled yawn. She had been getting ready for bed and wanted to get back to it. “Yes, Trixie?” Trixie licked her lips, taking a long moment to consider. Long enough that Octavia turned back around to consider her. "Trixie?" Trixie finally came to her decision to ask.
“What... Exactly did you mean when you said you only wanted Trixie to be happy? Trixie thought this was a business exchange...”
Octavia had already stopped walking towards her room, waiting for Trixie, but this made her freeze. Biting her lower lip she quickly tried to think up an explanation as she stalled for time. “Uh... It... Is...”
Trixie however, seemingly having made her decision to ask, shook her head. She didn't buy the answer for a second. “Octavia... Do you have feelings for Trixie?”
Octavia waved a hoof absently, doing her best to sound nonchalant. “Only, minority, Trixie.” Octavia turned around, smiling. “After all, you are great and powerful, and very pretty.”
Trixie paused for an extended moment before grinning. She was a showmare, a good showmare. She could read Octavia far better than Octavia would probably like. “Trixie thinks it’s a little more than that...” Trixie walked a little closer, looking at Octavia with her best half-lidded gaze. “Trixie thinks you had ulterior motives for picking Trixie to marry you.”
Octavia rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop her smile. Trixie’s arrogance was a bit endearing. “Fine, if you insist on hearing it, here it is. This did begin completely on a business level. But I will admit that your determination and self-confidence has grown on me. Now don’t worry this won’t change our agreement at all.”
Trixie looked to the side for a moment before looking back. “And... What if Trixie wants it to...?”
Octavia blinked, as taken caught off guard as if Trixie has pulled out a fish and slapped her with it. She shook her head slowly. "Uh... What now Trixie? You... Really?" She chuckled and shook her head again. "I... Really Trixie... This... Is a really bad idea...." it was Trixie's turn to blink in surprise.
"Why...?" Trixie would have in the past, likely even earlier this day exploded at the perceived insult. But after their giant argument from a single misunderstanding not five minutes ago, she was feeling more cautious.
Octavia smiled, tinged with a bit of sadness. "Well we're going to get married Trixie, right? We don't have a choice, either I get married to you, or someone else soon, very soon. " Trixie nodded. "So we can't date, we can't take the time we need to get to know each other. We need to enter in this as two business partners who are going to have an agreement to fulfill. We'll get along well, and we'll be fairly happy. If we had a relationship that didn't work out... It'd ruin that entire plan, and..."
Trixie shook her head. "Nu-uh. I'm not gonna do that." Octavia blinked as Trixie grinned. "I'm gonna make you try, or else I'm not marrying you!"
Octavia stared for a moment, before unleashing a sound somewhere between a groan and a laugh. 'Really Trixie? Well, I did say your determination was something I liked..." She held out a hoof. "The necklace."
Trixie blinked, staggering like she Octavia had stabbed her rather than asked for an engagement necklace back. But Trixie looked to the side, summoning the necklace from the air with her magic and floating it back over to Octavia. Trixie was about to turn to go, hiding her watering eyes, before she heard Octavia interrupted her retreat.
"Trixie, will you try to have a relationship with me?"
"Yes."