//------------------------------// // A Twixie Cruise - Night 2 // Story: A Twixie Love Story // by Yukito //------------------------------// Twilight hummed to herself quietly as she washed the shampoo out of her mane before moving on to her tail. Next to her, Trixie poured some soap into her hooves, and began to rub it onto Twilight’s body. Twilight didn’t mind at first, but when Trixie spent way more time than necessary on her thighs, she had to nudge the mare away to make her stop. “Trixie, you know we don’t have time for that.” Trixie pouted and resumed applying soap to Twilight’s body, though this time focusing on different areas. “Can you really blame Trixie? What’s that tune you were humming, anyway?” Twilight, after finishing with her tail, put the shower head aside and began to apply soap to Trixie’s body as the showmare continued with hers. It was slightly awkward, but since they could only have a quick shower (thus invoking a “no fooling around” rule), she had to at least let Trixie have this, lest the clingy Unicorn spend the rest of the night sulking. “It’s just a little something I came up with. It doesn’t really have a name…” “Oh? Trixie didn’t know you were a songstress.” Twilight blushed, and turned her head to avoid looking into Trixie’s eyes. “It’s nothing great, really… I just came up with it as I was reading this book called Egghead’s Guide to Trolling.” “‘Trolling?’” Trixie asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why would you want to be a troll? They’re stupid, they smell, and they’re so barbaric… Trixie has defeated many of them, of course. One particular troll that was a worthy opponent for Trixie was-” Twilight stopped Trixie by handing her the shower head before she could go off into one of her stories. As much as she liked to hear them, she had no idea how long it would be, and if it was too long there was a chance that they would miss their appointment with Lyra and Bon Bon. Trixie, now finished applying soap to Twilight, began to wash her marefriend off. Twilight took this chance to explain the book to her. “Not that kind of troll, Trixie. It means somepony who says something hateful or completely meaningless, with the intention of annoying others and provoking an emotional response.” “Oh… Like the hecklers at Trixie’s shows?” Twilight nodded slowly. “Yeah, something like that.” Once the two mares were finished with their showers and had dried themselves off, Trixie took a moment to apply some makeup to her face. Twilight didn’t care much for makeup personally, but according to her book Dating – An Introduction, it was customary to wear at least a little when you go out with your date, and she assumed it worked the same for double dates. To that end, she applied just a little makeup, and then lounged on the bed whilst she waited for Trixie. She finished blow-drying her hair, and placed her manepin into her mane. It was then she realised that Trixie hadn’t actually been wearing her manepin during the cruise, and started to look around the room for it, hoping that Trixie had just been so excited that she simply forgot to wear it. “Trixie?” she asked when she couldn’t find it anywhere. “Hm?” Trixie responded, backing away from the mirror to admire her work. She nodded to her reflection, and began to blow-dry her mane. “Where’s your manepin?” Trixie turned the blow-dryer off and remained silent for a bit, before putting the appliance down. “Trixie?” “Finally!” Trixie exclaimed, turning around and smiling at a confused-looking Twilight. “Trixie’s been waiting for you to ask, so that she could perform this trick she’s been practicing.” Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. “It’s not going to be like when you made that bouquet of flowers appear in my saddlebag, is it?” Trixie’s ear twitched, and she turned away, frowning at the memory. “Well… Not exactly…” “‘Cause it took me forever to clean those petals out, y’know? And let’s not forget when you froze my mane that time you tried to-” “Yes, yes, Trixie remembers! But don’t worry. This one won’t be quite as… Destructive towards your property or your body.” Twilight, against her better judgement, gave in, and let Trixie perform her trick. Providing it wouldn’t take too long. “Alright. Let’s see it.” “Well, first, the Great and Powerful Trixie will need a volunteer from the audience!” Trixie declared, donning her cape and her hat as she entered ‘the zone’. Twilight rolled her eyes and raised her hoof, seeing Trixie pretending to look across an audience for a volunteer. Inwardly, she admired how serious Trixie seemed to be about her job, and giggled at how cute she was being. Some part of her was also happy that Trixie was giving Twilight a private show, though it was nothing new for the librarian. “You!” Trixie shouted, pointing towards Twilight. “The purple mare with the cute bangs. What is your name?” Twilight smiled and played along. “Twilight Sparkle.” “Well, Twilight, would you like to come up and assist the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Not a second passed after Trixie had said that before Twilight teleported to Trixie’s side. “Impressive. Trixie sees your special talent is magic,” Trixie said, leaning her head and admiring Twilight’s Cutie Mark. “It is… And your special talent must be ogling,” Twilight said in a mocking tone while grinning at Trixie, who pulled her head back to glare into Twilight’s eyes. “You can look, but ya can’t touch!” Twilight said in a playful tone. Trixie harrumphed and raised her head up, before levitating two objects from her nearby saddlebags. One was a small blue box, and the other was a small pink wand with a star shaped tip, the kind anypony could get from a one-bit store. “It is fairly simple, even you might be able to do it,” Trixie said, grinning as she opened the lid of the box, and continuing before Twilight could come up with a witty retort. “First, can you confirm that this is indeed an ordinary box?” Twilight placed a hoof in the box, and nodded to Trixie. After spending so much time with her, Twilight knew that Trixie had probably already started casting illusions, using her hat to hide that from her audience. But even if Trixie had, there was no way Twilight could know for sure, short of lifting the hat up to check for a glow. There was really no point in sabotaging her performance like that, so she just played along. Most ponies wouldn’t even consider that an illusion was at work here, anyway. “Now, place the wand in the box, and hold it in your magic.” Now Twilight was interested. If Twilight held the box in her magic, then she would be able to sense if, and when, Trixie used her own. ‘What could Trixie be up to?’ Twilight wondered to herself, but followed Trixie’s instructions nonetheless. “Now, watch in awe as Trixie replaces the box’s contents, without even touching said box at all!” Trixie closed her eyes and sat on her haunches, pointing her forehooves to the box as though she were meditating. Twilight waited for some sign that Trixie was using her magic, focusing all of her attention on the box. She waited, and waited, but nothing happened. “Twilight?” Twilight looked up to face Trixie, who was now standing once again, and smirking towards her fake crowd. “Would you care to check the box’s contents?” “Uh… Sure…” Twilight opened the box up, and her eyes widened when she saw that the wand had gone, and in its place was the manepin that she had made for Trixie, along with a piece of paper. Curious, she picked up the paper in her magic, flipping it over and reading what was written on the other side. “… Trixie?” Trixie was blushing heavily from the moment Twilight began reading, and lowered her hat to hide her eyes. “… It’s a… Little corny, Trixie knows. Poetry isn’t Trixie’s strong suit.” Twilight read over the poem in front of her, her eyes wide as saucers and her face growing redder with each line. Trixie was right; the poem was far from being a masterpiece, and there were one or two areas where the grammar actually made Twilight want to cringe. But overall, the poem conveyed Trixie’s feelings to Twilight very clearly, and the fact that Trixie went to so much effort to write it… Twilight was at a complete loss for words. “W-Well, maybe we should get going now,” Trixie said, reaching over for the box. She stopped when Twilight levitated the box, along with the poem, to the side, and moved forward to push Trixie down onto the bed beside them. Before Trixie could even try to get up, Twilight planted herself on top of her, pinning her down. “W-What are you-” Trixie was cut off when Twilight leaned down and forcibly planted a kiss on Trixie’s lips. “So, what was that about us not having enough time?” Trixie asked coyly as she walked down the hallway. Twilight was following closely behind, slowly turning red. “W-Well, when you write something like that…” Twilight’s ears drooped and she turned her head away in embarrassment. Trixie slowed down a bit to allow Twilight to catch up to her, and then gently nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “If Trixie had known it would have that effect on you, she would have started writing poetry long ago. Heck, she would have even attended a creative writing class or two.” The two mares stopped at Lyra and Bon Bon’s room. Twilight began to raise her hoof, but stopped when Trixie surprised her with a sudden kiss on her cheek. Turning to Trixie with a blush on her face, she found the showmare looking back at her with a grin on her face. “Problem, Twilight?” she asked with feigned ignorance. Twilight sighed, and raised her hoof to the door, keeping her gaze on Trixie as she did so. She knocked on the door twice, and it soon opened to reveal Bon Bon and Lyra, the latter looking at Twilight with… Worry? “Twilight! Are you ok?! You’re not hurt, are you? You know you don’t have to force yourself to come if you’re feeling ill!” Twilight and Trixie shared startled looks at Lyra’s sudden outburst. Trixie felt her head heating up as Lyra jumped at Twilight, placing her face against the librarian’s as if she were checking her temperature. “A-hem!” Trixie used her magic to put some distance between the two other Unicorns, placing herself in front of Twilight for good measure. “Perhaps you wouldn’t mind explaining what this is all about?” Bon Bon pulled Lyra back, took a moment to shoot a glare the green Unicorn’s way, and then turned back to Twilight and Trixie with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about that. I tried to convince her that you were fine, Twilight, but…” “Twilight’s never late for an appointment! Something serious must have happened for this to have happened!” Bon Bon rolled her eyes, and turned to Lyra, who seemed to be performing some sort of exorcism. “Honestly, Lyra, it’s only been ten minutes.” “You don’t know Twilight like I do! Back in school, she considered ten minutes early to be late!” “Oh now that’s just ridiculous.” “Um,” Twilight started, “Actually… It’s true…” An awkward silence passed between the four mares, which was broken a few moments later by Trixie’s giggling. Twilight, her face now as red as a tomato, glared at Trixie, though it did nothing more than aid Trixie’s laughter. Bon Bon scratched her head nervously, trying to control her own laughter, and then cleared her throat to gain the group’s attention. “Anyway, my point is that she seems fine. And now that we’re all here, perhaps we should get going.” Lyra, having finished her strange ritual, hopped into the hallway excitedly. “Good point! We have ta get there before it fills up!” The four ponies moved down the hallway, following Twilight, who seemed to have memorized the layout of the entire ship. “So, why were you guys late?” Twilight winced and remained silent, having no intention of answering. Trixie, on the other hoof, was grinning from ear to ear, and was more than willing to answer her ‘number-one fan’. “Would you like the short version, or the long version?” “Long, please!” Lyra responded. Trixie began to speak up, but Twilight cut her off before she could begin. “The long version is that Trixie told a story she was never meant to tell, and had to spend every night for the next three months sleeping in the library basement by herself.” Trixie gulped at Twilight’s not-so-subtle warning, and smiled nervously at Lyra. “Eheheh… Trixie prefers the short version herself, where we just lost track of time, and that’s all.” Lyra looked at the two ponies with a confused expression on her face, and then turned to Bon Bon, who obviously knew something, but wasn’t telling her. After contemplating the situation in her head for five minutes, she broke the conversation between the other three ponies by suddenly shouting out. “Oh! You two were having sex!” The four mares finally made it to the front of the queue at the ship’s restaurant. That’s one complaint they’ll be making: having only one restaurant on a ship this vast was a rather big design flaw. Once they were at the front, Twilight was about to request a table for four, but the waiter, upon seeing Trixie, spoke up first. “Ah, Miss Lulamoon and party?” he asked, causing the other three to face a confused-looking Trixie. “Your table is ready. If you would please come this way?” The waiter began to walk off, and was followed by the four mares. “Trixie, what’s going on?” Lyra asked. Trixie thought about it for a moment. “Did you reserve a table for us?” Twilight asked. “Is that where you’d gone off to earlier?” “Hm? Uh… Yeah,” Trixie answered, still wondering what was going on. When the group reached their table, they began taking their seats – Lyra and Bon Bon on one side, and Twilight and Trixie on the other. The waiter gave each pony a menu, and whispered something to Trixie. “Captain Armour sends his regards, and wishes you a good meal.” Trixie grinned and dismissed the waiter with a wave of her hoof. ‘I see…So he’s responsible for this. I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on him, then.’ “Um, Trixie?” Trixie turned her head to face Twilight, who was looking at her with a look of guilt on her face. “Sorry for being so hard on you earlier… I guess you were just trying to surprise me, huh?” Trixie’s grin faded, and she quickly hid her face behind her menu. “No, it’s fine, Twilight. Trixie shouldn’t have kept it from you, since it clearly meant so much to you.” Trixie was fine accepting praise for this, but she did not want to make Twilight feel guilty about anything. That was the last thing she wanted. “How did you even manage this, anyway?” Bon Bon asked, though her attention was fixed on the menu. “This is the only restaurant on the ship, and this is the VIP area! How did you manage to reserve us a table here?” “Well… Let’s just say that Trixie has her ways,” she said nonchalantly, turning to the wine section on the menu. ‘So this is what being Captain of the Royal Guard can get you.’ The two couples had placed their orders, and decided to tell each other how they got together whilst waiting for their meals. Lyra and Bon Bon told the story of how they met during summer break one year when they were in High School, and how Bon Bon became enraptured with Lyra’s music. Lyra stated that she was drawn to Bon Bon’s “sweet candy flanks”, and neither Twilight nor Trixie were sure if she was joking or not. Bon Bon simply facehooved, as if it wasn’t anything new to her. “So how about you guys?” Lyra asked. “How did you two get together?” Twilight and Trixie exchanged looks, and then smiled and turned back to the other couple. “Well,” Twilight said, “That’s actually an… Interesting story.” “‘Interesting’ is one word for it,” Trixie said, turning away and snickering. “Looking back on it now, Trixie acted rather petty back then, didn’t she?” Twilight leaned over and nuzzled Trixie’s neck lovingly. “Well, it all worked out in the end, right?” Lyra leaned closer and asked: “So, what happened, exactly?” Bon Bon also leaned closer, curious as to what their story was. “Well…” Twilight sat up straight as she remembered the event that essentially set things in motion. “You guys remember the ursa minor incident in Ponyville, right?” The other couple nodded. “How could we forget? It’s like the parasprite incident… It’s just not something you forget.” Trixie’s eyes widened, and she shuddered a little, at the mention of parasprites. “Twilight, you never told Trixie that you’d dealt with parasprites before.” “Oh, didn’t I?” Twilight asked innocently. “Eheheh… I guess it just slipped my mind.” “Trixie would personally prefer to never deal with those accursed creatures again. Even basilisks are better than those things.” “Anyway,” Twilight said, continuing the story, “A few months ago, Trixie and I ran into each other, completely by chance, at the Manehatten Sci-Fi Convention, or MSFC.” “And you fell in love at first sight?” Lyra asked, hoping for a romantic story. Twilight laughed nervously, and Trixie turned around with a look of… Guilt? “Not exactly,” Twilight said. “You see, Trixie was still a little upset about the ursa minor incident, and wasn’t exactly my biggest fan…” “Trixie held resentment for Twilight, even before the ursa minor incident,” Trixie said, her voice shaking as she did so. Twilight reached over and pulled Trixie into a hug, but Trixie remained facing away. “Trixie was jealous of everything that Twilight had, and angry that Twilight took it all for granted. So when Trixie saw Twilight, and remembered how she had shown Trixie up in Ponyville… Trixie kind of…” “She kicked me,” Twilight said, seeing that Trixie was having trouble finishing the story. Both Lyra and Bon Bon stared at the two in shock, and Lyra regretted her decision to start drinking water during the story, almost choking on it after what she had just heard. “In the face. Hard.” Twilight felt Trixie shaking, and tightened her hold on her. “Yeah…” was all that Trixie could say. “I already told you, it’s ok,” Twilight said, nuzzling the back of Trixie’s head, trying to get her marefriend to calm down. “Besides, you weren’t the only one. I fought back, remember?” This news shocked Lyra even more than the initial news. “You fought back?” Twilight blushed. Now it was her turn to look away, out of both embarrassment and guilt. “I know, I still don’t know why I did it. I guess… I was kinda stressed that day, and the convention wasn’t going as great as I had hoped… But it was still no reason to take it out on Trixie like that…” Trixie heard Twilight’s voice getting weaker, and turned around to see Twilight looking down at the floor. Trixie raised her forelegs, and returned the hug that Twilight was giving her. “It wasn’t the best meeting we’d ever had, but without it, we might not be together right now.” “So… What happened next?” Lyra asked, now entirely captivated with the other couple’s story. “I mean, you guys obviously made up. Did one of you seek the other out or something?” Twilight laughed, and looked back up at the green Unicorn opposite her. “Sorry, Lyra. Nothing like that.” Lyra pouted, and Twilight continued. “You see, that night, I decided to go stargazing to clear my mind. I asked somepony at the convention, and they told me the best place in the city to go stargazing.” “Trixie loves stargazing, and already knew the best place to view the night sky in Manehatten. So you can probably guess what happened next.” Lyra and Bon Bon nodded, both certain of where this was going. “Twilight happened to stumble upon Trixie whilst she was getting ready to stargaze.” “If we hadn’t have had that fight earlier,” Twilight began, “Then I probably would’ve just left her alone, or we probably would’ve had that fight there and then. But because of our earlier fight, I felt it was only right to go and apologize to her.” “And then?” Bon Bon asked. “She didn’t hit you again, did she?” Trixie smiled, and shook her head. “No,” she said. “Thankfully, Trixie had managed to calm down enough to think clearly. Besides, Trixie wasn’t about to let anything ruin what had so far been a wonderful night of stargazing.” “She didn’t accept my apology immediately,” Twilight said, “But we did manage to make peace, and we talked all throughout the night. As it turned out, we had a lot of common interests. It started out as just a friendship between us, but… After spending more time together…” “You fell in love?” Lyra asked with a big, toothy grin. The two mares opposite her nodded, and leaned their heads against each other. “Wow… That’s awesome! Right, Bons?” Bon Bon simply nodded in agreement, her heart melting as she watched the other couple in front of her. She was snapped from her thoughts when the waiter returned with their meals, and the two couples continued exchanging stories, with Twilight and Bon Bon stepping in to silence their respective marefriends when the stories started to get a little too personal. After their meal, the four mares made their way to the ballroom, where a party was being held. Upon walking in, they were greeted with the sounds of romantic music, and the sight of many couples dancing on the dance floor, or talking to other ponies around the sides of the room. “C’mon, Bons!” Lyra shouted, grabbing Bon Bon’s forehoof with her own and dragging her off towards the dance floor. “Let’s go show these ponies how to really dance!” “Wait, Lyra!” Bon Bon protested, but it fell on deaf ears. She was dragged off by her marefriend, leaving Twilight and Trixie by themselves. Trixie offered a hoof to Twilight, and looked at her with a playful grin. “May Trixie have this dance?” Twilight giggled, but wasn’t sure. “I dunno… I’m good at dancing solo, but I’ve never danced with a partner before.” “Don’t worry. Trixie is an expert, so just follow her lead.” Twilight smiled and accepted Trixie’s invitation, and followed her to the dance floor. They found a space with a lot of room, and Trixie helped Twilight get into position. “Ok, Trixie will lead, you just follow. It’s not actually all that difficult.” “Ok… I’ll try…” The two started dancing slowly, and then gradually built up their speed as Twilight got into the rhythm… And within half a minute, they already had their first collision with another couple. “Sorry!” Twilight apologised, flustering as she got back into position. After a few more collisions, the ponies around them began to distance themselves a bit further away, and Twilight could feel the eyes of all the couples around her glaring at them. “Wow… Are you sure you can dance solo?” Trixie teased. “Honestly, Trixie’s never seen anypony dance so poorly in her entire life.” Twilight instantly forgot about all the glares directed their way, and shot her own glare at Trixie. “Oh really?” she asked, getting back into position once again. Her first idea was to poke fun at Trixie’s singing in return, but she decided to be the bigger mare, and not initiate a fight in front of all these ponies. There would be time for that later, in the privacy of their bedroom. “Maybe it’s because my teacher’s not teaching me right?” Trixie’s grin turned into a frown, and she narrowed her eyes at Twilight. “Oh, it is ON, Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie used her skill, and the extra space that was now available to the two of them, to help guide Twilight as they danced, acting quickly to correct themselves whenever Twilight made a wrong move, and helping to guide Twilight into making the correct moves. Soon they were dancing at a reasonably safe level, and the ponies around them were a little more at ease now. The two continued to dance for the duration of the current song. Twilight gazed into Trixie’s eyes, and found herself caught by Trixie’s stare. The two stopped at the end of the song, and closed in on each others’ lips. After parting, Twilight leaned her head against Trixie’s shoulder, and Trixie wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s neck, holding her lover close to her body. “Thanks, Trixie,” Twilight said, returning the hug. “This is the best birthday present I could have ever asked for. Being here with you, it’s just… I don’t know how I could ever repay you for this.” Trixie looked down at Twilight with a questioning gaze. “It’s a birthday present. You’re not supposed to repay it, right?” Twilight giggled, and pulled her head back. “I meant for your birthday.” Soon after saying that, she let out a terrified gasp of realisation. “Oh no! I don’t even know when your birthday is! We didn’t pass it already, did we?” Trixie shrugged, which confused Twilight. “Don’t know. Trixie doesn’t know when her birthday is, either.” Twilight continued to stare at Trixie as if there was something on her face. Just in case, Trixie checked with a small mirror that she pulled out of her cape, but found nothing. “… What?” she asked, looking back at Twilight. “Um… How can you… Not know when your birthday is?” Twilight asked, completely dumbfounded. “Well, you see, the only ponies that Trixie is aware of who would know when Trixie’s birthday is all died when Trixie was only two years old.” Twilight gasped, but Trixie continued before she could say anything. “Don’t worry. Trixie’s already made her peace with it… It was a long time ago, after all.” Trixie had to try hard to not let Twilight see through her lie this time. Although it’s true that it happened a long time ago, Trixie had far from gotten over it. But she didn’t want Twilight pitying her for it, or feeling sad in any way. “But… What about your birth certificate? Surely it’s still in one of the hospitals near where you were born, right?” Trixie shook her head. “The Lulamoon family – Trixie’s family – used to all live together in a mansion, just outside of Canterlot. It was that same mansion, that was the Great and Powerful Trixie’s birthplace.” Trixie added in some of her usual cheer and theatrics to make sure Twilight didn’t pick up on her true feelings. “According to a doctor at one of the hospitals in Canterlot, Trixie’s mother went into labour during a terrible snowstorm, and couldn’t make it to the hospital for delivery. The delivery was performed by one of Trixie’s uncles, who, at the time, was a medical student in training. “The delivery was performed at the mansion, and as such, no official record of Trixie’s birth was ever made. In fact, legally speaking, Trixie didn’t exist until she enrolled at that public school at age ten. When it was discovered that Trixie had no records of being born, they had to take Trixie through a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo to have her officially recorded as being alive. But no matter how hard they searched, they couldn’t find Trixie’s date of birth. “When Trixie started living at the orphanage, she had only her name, and her age. So she kept a tight hold of both of them. That’s the only reason Trixie knows how old she is, and from that, we can deduce what year she was born in, but nothing more specific.” When Trixie had finished her story, it took Twilight a few moments to fully piece together everything that she had heard, and when she was done, a small tear fell down her face. She didn’t even realize it until Trixie looked at her with a look of concern, and asked: “What’s wrong?” “Huh?” Twilight asked, snapping out of her thoughts. Finally, she noticed the tear, and quickly wiped it away. “Oh! It’s just… That’s so sad, Trixie. What did you do for your birthday each year?” Trixie smiled warmly, and nuzzled Twilight’s cheek, hoping to calm her marefriend down. “Don’t worry. Trixie wasn’t sad.” ‘Not about that, at least.’ “There were a lot worse things weighing on Trixie’s mind than her birthday.” “So… You’ve never once celebrated your birthday?” Trixie shook her head, still smiling, and Twilight could tell that it was a genuine smile. Earlier, she could sense that Trixie was hiding some kind of deeper sorrow when she talked about her family’s deaths, but this time, there was nothing. Trixie honestly had no problems not knowing the day she was born, and not being able to celebrate it every year. ‘Not gathering around with friends, and partying like there’s no tomorrow? No gathering around to open presents, or play games, or tell stories, or anything?’ Twilight leaned forward and kissed Trixie on the lips suddenly, catching the showmare by surprise. ‘No way! Even if you’re ok with it, I’m not! Everypony deserves to celebrate the day they were born with the ones they love, and you’re no exception!’ Twilight pulled away from Trixie, her tears now halted, and smiled. ‘I’m definitely gonna help you, Trixie! I won’t let you go through life without experiencing at least one birthday party!’ “What was that for, Twilight?” Trixie asked, grinning at Twilight. Twilight shrugged, and returned Trixie’s grin. “Just felt like it,” she said, leaning forward for another kiss. She was stopped by the sound of somepony behind her clearing his throat, and the two lovers turned to see a bunch of couples once again staring at them. Some out of annoyance towards the two ponies that were about to start making out on the dance floor, and some just trying to enjoy the show. Twilight’s face turned red quickly, as did Trixie’s, though not quite as much as Twilight’s. Trixie grabbed Twilight’s hoof with her own, and tugged at it. “Maybe we should continue this somewhere more… Private.” Twilight agreed, and allowed Trixie to lead her away by her hoof. Once they were out of the ballroom, they made their way around the corner to a seemingly unpopulated part of the ship where they were able to get a good view of the ocean, with the moon shining brightly in the distance. “This seems like a good spot,” Trixie said, stopping and turning to face an unsure-looking Twilight. “I don’t know… What if somepony happens to come by?” Trixie grinned mischievously, and closed in on the blushing librarian. “Doesn’t that make it more exciting?” Twilight was about to answer, but stopped when her ears picked up a strange sound nearby. Trixie picked up on this, too, and the two mares rounded the next corner to see what it was. They both gasped in shock and surprise at what they saw. Octavia (who they were sure was playing her cello in the ballroom not too long ago), and another pony, who Twilight recognised as the resident DJ in Ponyville. Vinyl something-or-other. Both mares wrapped in each others’ forelegs, their bodies pressed against each other, and were making out against a wall, filling the air with moans and sighs every now and then. “Wow…” Trixie said, unable to look away. “Trixie had no idea that Octavia was so… So… What’s the word Trixie is looking for?” She turned to face Twilight, hoping that her bookworm-marefriend would have the answer. Unfortunately, Twilight’s brain seemed to have crashed, and she was having trouble getting any words out at all. Half of Trixie felt sorry for Twilight, and wanted to help her by leading her away from the scene. The other half was angry that their own make out session was interrupted by stumbling across these two mares. Ultimately, the two halves worked together, and Trixie used her magic to pull Twilight away by the tail, until they were far enough away from the scene that Twilight was able to regain her senses. “T-That was…” Trixie released her grip on Twilight’s tail, and tried to work a different kind of magic on the purple Unicorn. “Did that turn you on, Twilight?” she asked, once again shooting a mischievous grin at Twilight. Twilight stumbled over her words as Trixie drew closer, and was saved (or interrupted, she wasn’t sure) by the sound of a familiar voice coming their way. “HEY! There you guys are!” Lyra shouted, walking towards the two with Bon Bon at her side. “Why’d you run off like that?” Trixie shot a glare at the two interrupters, who flinched slightly. They were sure they could see flames in the showmare’s eyes. ‘Damnit! I was so close, too!’ Shining Armour sighed as he lowered his head into his forehooves. “Man, this is killing me… So much for a relaxing getaway with Cadance.” He looked over the files in front of him one more time, and felt his eyelids growing heavy. He shook his head to wake himself up, and rose to his hooves. “I think I need more coffee…” He moved towards the coffee machine sitting on a nearby cabinet, and switched it on. As the coffee poured into his mug, he allowed himself to get lost in thought. ‘Trixie has no intention of joining us. I know that, and the only reason she agreed to be an honorary guard was so that she could get information on that stallion. She even made it one of her conditions that we let her in on any missions that directly concern him. I should tell her about what we’ve found, but… The aroma of coffee broke Shining Armour free from his thoughts, and he levitated his mug to his mouth, blowing gently before drinking. He cringed at the horrible taste, but continued anyway. He had to stay awake, so he sucked it up and drank the disgusting beverage. “No. For now, I want her to enjoy herself, with her special somepony… Technically, as long as she doesn’t ask me for the information, I’m not under any obligation to share it with her.” Shining sighed at his poor logic, and lowered his now empty mug down onto the cabinet. “I just hope we don’t find any leads from this case… I want Trixie to give up on revenge, and maybe some time spent with this marefriend of hers will do the trick. I just need more time… More time before we confront him…” Shining was about to go back to the table to continue his work, when suddenly the entire room started to shake, accompanied by a large crashing sound from outside. “W-What the hay was that?!” Twilight and Trixie rushed to the front of the ship, along with many other ponies, to see what was going on. Lyra and Bon Bon were among the rest of the ponies running across the ship. When they arrived, more worn out than the other ponies around them, Twilight and Trixie joined the series of shocked gasps at what they saw: a giant squid, just slightly taller than the cruise ship (which itself was fairly tall), wearing what appeared to be shell-like armour. “T-That’s… Trixie… That’s a… A…” Twilight was struggling to get the words out, so Trixie helped her along. “A kraken!” Trixie shouted, staring in awe at the monstrous creature before them… Until it lowered a tentacle onto the ship, shaking it once again. The ponies around them began to scream and run around in a panic. “What is a kraken doing here?! Krakens don’t live in Equestrian waters!” “Actually, Aqua Marine theorised that there may be a small group of krakens in the eastern sea, and there have been reports of kraken being sighted in Equestrian seas.” “Yeah, but weren’t all of the ponies who made those reports nut jobs, or just ponies looking to make a quick bit?” “Well, most were, but some of them were somewhat credible. They just lacked the evidence to back up their claims.” “Uh, girls?” Bon Bon asked, not taking her gaping face off the monster-sized squid before her. “Shouldn’t we be more worried about… You know, getting out of here?” Twilight and Trixie exchanged knowing glances, and then turned back to Bon Bon. “Trixie wouldn’t worry too much,” Trixie said. “Yeah,” Twilight agreed, “Kraken are known to be fairly peaceful creatures, and by now, it should know that there are living creatures on this ship.” “Chances are, it’s just passing through,” Trixie continued. “So long as we don’t provoke it, we should be-” “FIRE!” The group turned around just in time to see Prince Blueblood giving the order to a number of guards to fire their harpoons at the kraken. Twilight and Trixie suddenly turned pale, and could only watch in horror as a number of sharp projectiles flew through the air, and found their way towards the kraken. Most of the harpoons bounced harmlessly off the kraken’s body, while some pierced it, eliciting a pained roar, and causing it to stop in its path, and turn to face the ship. Lyra turned to Trixie and asked: “So… What now?” Trixie turned back to Lyra, her eyes still wide as dinner plates. “Now… We panic.” The ship shook violently again, this time from an intentional attack from the kraken. The screaming of the ponies around them started up again, and the crowd of ponies began to make their way towards the other end of the ship. “Everypony, evacuate now!” Blueblood shouted, using a voice amplification spell to make sure that everypony could hear him. “The lifeboats are located in the middle of the ship, and at the back! Mares and foals fir- Wait, there wouldn’t be any foals here anyway… Mares and Princes first!” “C’mon! We should go, too!” Lyra shouted, and the others wasted no time arguing with her. They began to move quickly, but had to stop momentarily to grab a hold of something as the ship shook once again. “Whoa! Bons, you okay?!” “I’m fine!” Bon Bon shouted, holding onto the rail next to her for dear life. Once the shaking stopped, the group began to run down the ship again, amongst the crowd of fleeing passengers. “Trixie! What are you doing?!” Twilight shouted, prompting both Lyra and Bon Bon to stop and check to see what was wrong. “Run!” Trixie stared forward in horror as Twilight shouted to her to run. ‘Don’t you think I want to?!’ Trixie wanted to shout, but her mouth wouldn’t move. If she could, she would be shaking in absolute fear right now. However, she couldn’t. She couldn’t speak, or shake, or blink, or do anything. She was frozen in place, completely unable to move. ‘What the hell’s going on?! Move, body! MOVE!’ No matter how much Trixie demanded her body to move, it simply wouldn’t obey her. She’d been held by binding spells before, but that wasn’t what this was. She could tell that magic wasn’t at work here, and there was nothing physically restraining her, as far as she could tell. Her body was just refusing to listen to her. “TRIXIE!” Trixie quickly stumbled forward, and quickly realised that she was able to move once again. She wanted to contemplate what had just happened, but there was a more pressing matter at hoof at that moment. “LOOK OUT!” Twilight shouted. Trixie wondered what she meant by that. Curiosity taking over her, she turned around to see something moving towards her quickly. She didn’t have enough time to wonder what it was, though. The next thing she knew, she was looking up at Twilight Sparkle, who was leaning over some kind of railing, shouting something that she couldn’t make out. “TRIXIE!” Twilight tried to run over to her marefriend, but another violent shake caused her to fall to the ground. She rose to her hooves, and looked over at Trixie, who had stumbled forward from the shaking. Behind her, Twilight could see pieces of debris falling from the upper levels, some of which were flying towards Trixie. “LOOK OUT!” Twilight shouted, and immediately regretted it. She saw Trixie turn around, only for a sharp piece of metal to fly right into her face. Twilight gasped, and galloped to Trixie as quickly as she could. Trixie stumbled around for a bit, before tripping over her own hooves, and falling over the railing next to her. “TRIXIE!” Twilight reached out for the showmare, but was unable to reach her in time. “NO! TRIXIE!” Twilight leaned over the railing, and tried to extend her reach, only to be stopped by something tugging on her tail. She turned around to see Bon Bon, who was holding Twilight’s tail in her mouth and pulling it back. “LET ME GO! I HAVE TO SAVE HER!” “It’s too late!” Lyra shouted, looking over the side of the ship. Twilight turned just in time to see Trixie fall into the sea below them. She tried to jump after her, but was stopped by a violent tug at her tail from Bon Bon. “You can’t! It’s too late now!” Lyra shouted, trying to sound, but she was struggling to hold back her tears. “No… It can’t… It can’t end like this…” Twilight fell to her haunches, and just stared at the floor with a blank expression on her face for a few seconds, before bringing her forehooves to her face, and letting her tears flow as she wept. Trixie opened her eyes slowly, and tried to remember what had happened. The last thing she could remember was Twilight looking down at her, shouting… Something. She felt pain running through her body, and suddenly realised that she wasn’t breathing. ‘What’s that… That red colour?’ Trixie stared at the stream of red mist in front of her, and found that it seemed to be coming from her. ‘Blood? Is that blood? Why? And why does my body hurt? … Am I underwater? Oh, that makes sense. I’m drowning…’ Trixie closed her eyes, too tired to even attempt swimming back up to the surface. ‘Sorry, Twilight. I was really looking forward to spending more of our time together… I’m so sorry…’ “Shoop-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo!” ‘… What the hay is that?’ Many ponies watched from their lifeboats as the S.S. Blueblood sank. In one boat – which stood out quite distinctly from the rest, with it being three times the size of the other boats, having a much nicer paintjob, and equipped with tools that were priotised to help one relax, rather than to ensure survival – Princess Cadance was giving her cousin a long lecture about his rash decision to attack the kraken. “This is what aunt Celestia is always warning you about! You never stop to think about things, you just act irrationally and then run away at the first sign of trouble!” “Cadance,” Shining said quietly, trying to calm down his marefriend. “You endangered everypony on the ship, and now we’re stranded out here, waiting for help to come! It’s not like we can send for help; we’re too far from the mainland to swim or fly there!” “Well how was I supposed to know it was just passing by?!” Blueblood responded. “I thought it was attacking the ship, so I acted how any Prince would: I tried to protect the lives of everypony onboard!” “Yeah, nice job with that, by the way, storing your own private lifeboat in a separate location, and prioritising your own escape before anypony else’s!” “I’m a Prince! They’re mere commoners! It’s obvious which has higher standing!” “Guys,” Shining tried, but was ignored once again. “When will you grow up and start taking responsibility already?! It’s because you’re a Prince that your first duty is to your subjects! A Prince has to be selfless! A Prince has to be-” “GUYS!” Shining shouted, earning glares from the two arguing cousins. He suddenly remembered that they were both Royalty, and started to regret yelling at them like that. However, at least now he had their attention. “Can we talk about this later? We need to figure out a way to get back to the mainland.” “By the way, Cadance,” Blueblood said, ignoring Shining Armour, “Would you mind explaining what this commoner is doing aboard our lifeboat? This is for Royalty only!” Cadance turned her glare back to her cousin, making him flinch, before flying up and over Shining Armour, landing behind him and wrapping her forelegs around him. “He’s here because I say so! If you don’t like it, then we’ll both leave!” Blueblood groaned, and turned away so that his back was facing the other two ponies. “Fine, he can stay… But only this one time! Be grateful, Captain.” He finished with a pout as he continued staring towards the wreckage of his ship. He sighed and buried his head into his hooves. “Auntie’s going to kill me…” Elsewhere, Twilight, now completely out of fresh tears, simply stared forward into the distance, her eyes completely out of focus, and her face void of any expression. Lyra and Bon Bon attempted to cheer her up, but found that words were unable to get through to her. They decided to give Twilight some space, and remained completely silent out of respect for the purple Unicorn and her lost mare. “Shoop-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo!” “You say something, Bons?” Lyra asked, breaking the silence that seemed to have dragged on for an eternity. “I didn’t say anything… Wait, what’s that?” The two mares looked over the side of the lifeboat, where they saw a faint glow in the water. It slowly started to get brighter, and after staring at it for a few seconds, something burst out from under the water, sending the two ponies tumbling back into their boat. “Aah! W-What was that?!” Lyra looked up at what had just come out of the water. It was a white, transparent sphere, floating in the air and slowly lowering itself down onto the boat. Lyra’s eyes widened as she saw what was inside. “T-Trixie!” Suddenly, life returned to Twilight Sparkle, who slowly lifted her head up, focused her eyes, and then quickly spun around with desperate hope upon hearing her lover’s name. Lying down behind her, breathing heavily, was indeed the blue Unicorn mare that she thought she had lost. Twilight did a double-take, and ran her eyes over Trixie’s body once more. Trixie was fine for the most part. She was soaking wet from head-to-hoof, and breathing more heavily than she should have been. Also, there was a rather nasty bruise on her flank. Other than that, there was only one thing that caught Twilight’s attention: the alarming amount of blood running down the left side of her face, from her left eye down to her chin. “We’ve stopped the bleeding for now,” a voice to the side of Twilight said. The three conscious ponies in the boat turned around to see somepony treading water just next to the boat. “But you need to take her to a doctor, and fast. She needs proper treatment.” Lyra arched an eyebrow and stared dumbfounded at the pony in the water. “Um… Thanks? But… Who are you?” “We’re the Sea Ponies!” another voice called out, and the three mares, along with many of the ponies in the boats around them, turned to see many different ponies popping out from the water. There were also a few more spheres being lifted up and lowered onto lifeboats, each one containing somepony who had apparently fallen off the ship, or wasn’t able to make it out in time. Ponies all around the group rejoiced and shared tearful reunions with their loved ones, whom they thought they had lost. “It’s strange that a kraken is all the way out here,” one of these ‘Sea Ponies’ said to her friend. “And even stranger for it to be acting so on edge. Even if it was provoked, it shouldn’t react this violently.” The other Sea Pony, a red one, nodded and turned to one of the lifeboats, facing a Royal Guard. “We’ll handle things here. You should all get away from here while you still can.” “We’d like to,” the guard grunted, looking out over all of the lifeboats, “But we can’t. We’re stuck here until somepony comes along.” “In that case,” a pink Sea Pony shouted, after appearing from nowhere and startling the guard, “Us Sea Ponies will help! We’re always happy to lend a fin to anypony in need! Right, guys?” The other Sea Ponies nodded – some reluctantly, and some happily. The Sea Ponies split into two groups: those who would attempt to calm down the kraken, and those who would tow the stranded passengers back to land. Twilight would have been more fascinated by these strange ponies, and in the back of her mind, she even had a whole range of questions that she wanted to ask them, but right now, she was far more concerned with Trixie’s well-being. She cast a spell that she had memorised from one of her books to help Trixie’s breathing, hoping to ease her pain. “Amazing… Simply amazing…” Trixie scratched her hoof nervously as she watched the doctor in front of her mumbling to himself, apparently deep in thought. He turned to her and shone a light into her injured eye… Again. “This is… Impeccable.” “That doesn’t sound good,” Trixie moaned, sinking into her seat. She wished that Twilight was with her to help her feel more relaxed, but there were a lot of ponies that needed treatment, and she had been asked by one of the doctors to lend a hoof. The doctor turned off his light, and shook his head. “No, no… Quite the contrary. You see, your eye was pretty badly damaged by the piece debris that hit you. However… Even though the damage, both internal and external, should have left you blind in that eye, these tests have shown that you can not only see through that eye, but that you still retain your 20/10 vision!” “Trixie has a 20/10 vision?” Trixie asked. “Trixie doesn’t remember that. Last she checked, it was the standard 20/20.” “Well, it’s definitely 20/10 now. Honestly, this is nothing less than a miracle!” “So… Trixie is ok, then?” Trixie looked hopeful for a second, but that soon faded as the doctor shook his head. “There’s more?” “I’m afraid so. Although your vision is fine, you did suffer a rather nasty wound. It’s been taken care off for now, but because of where it is, we’ve only been able to do so much. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay in Fillydelphia for about a week, until we can be sure that your wound won’t open up again, or get any worse.” “But-” “Also,” the doctor said sternly, “There’s always the chance that you suffered an infection, and we can’t let you leave until we can be absolutely positive that your health is in no danger.” “But Trixie had plans! Important plans!” Trixie shouted frantically, flailing her hooves for emphasis. The doctor responded by levitating some bandages up to her head, and wrapping them around her eye. “Well, reschedule them. When it comes to your health, you can’t be too safe.” “Can’t Trixie just use another doctor?” Trixie yelped as a stinging pain passed through her head, and calmed down a bit so that the wrapping wouldn’t hurt so much. “You could, but then I’d have to take the time to explain to them how I’ve treated you so far, and what I’ve already discovered from examining your injury. And right now, there are a lot of other ponies who also need my help.” He sighed, and finished wrapping bandages around the top left part of Trixie’s face. “Look, you were lucky that you didn’t die. If I were you, I’d count my blessings, and just take a week off to ensure that everything is alright.” Trixie groaned, but she couldn’t argue with that logic. She quietly thanked the doctor for his help, and left the first aid tent, sulking as she walked. “Well, I agree with him, Trixie,” Twilight said as she ran a brush through her mane. She had just arrived at Trixie’s trailer, after spending the whole evening assisting the doctors and nurses with injured ponies. “You can’t be too careful when it comes to your health.” “But what about moving into the library?” Trixie asked, lying down on her bed with the covers over her face. Twilight thought she was being silly, but also found it adorable. “Well, obviously that’s a bummer… Oh great, now I’m starting to talk like you…” Twilight giggled, trying to get a similar response from Trixie. When Trixie stayed silent, she walked over to her and pulled the covers away with her magic. “Look, Trixie, I was looking forward to us living together, too. But I don’t want to rush it if it means putting you in danger.” Trixie didn’t answer, so Twilight continued after climbing into bed next to Trixie. “I thought I lost you today. I thought I’d never get to see or hear from you ever again.” Twilight tried to hold her tears back as best she could. She had to be strong right now. “So please, Trixie. Just do what the doctor says, and take a week to make perfectly sure that you’re fine. For me?” The two stayed silent for about a minute, before Trixie turned around and rubbed her nose against Twilight’s. “Okay… For you, Twilight.” “Good. Then let’s go to sleep,” Twilight said, reaching over to turn the lamp off, before remembering something. “Do you need help with your bandage?” she asked. “W-What d’you mean?” “The doctor said it would be a good idea to take your bandage off at night, to let the wound breathe.” Trixie shuddered, and lifted a hoof up, as if to guard her bandage. “… Trixie?” “I… Trixie doesn’t want to remove it.” Twilight frowned, and sat up, soon followed by Trixie. “And why not?” “Because… Because I don’t want you to see it…” Twilight rolled her eyes, and gently lowered Trixie’s hoof, despite some resistance on Trixie’s end. “Trixie, come on now. Don’t be silly.” “I’m not being silly!” Trixie shouted, startling Twilight. “T-Trixie’s a showpony… That means that Trixie’s appearance is everything! And not just that, but as a mare… Trixie doesn’t want anypony to see this. Least of all you.” Twilight leaned over to hug Trixie, though Trixie didn’t return it. She was too busy shaking and feeling distressed. “Trixie, it’s fine. I won’t think any less of you. I promise.” She pulled back, and stared pleadingly into Trixie’s eye. “Please?” Trixie thought it over many times in her head, but after looking into those beautiful eyes in front of her, and that saddened expression that Twilight was wearing, she just couldn’t say no anymore. “… You won’t… You won’t tell anypony else about this?” “I won’t.” “… Alright, then.” Trixie allowed Twilight to undo the bandage neatly for her, even though it was unnecessary, since it would just be thrown away and replaced with a new one tomorrow anyway. Still, Twilight liked to do things neatly, and Trixie liked that part of her. Once the bandage was off, Twilight looked at Trixie’s face, and, despite her best efforts not to, couldn’t help but let a tiny gasp escape her mouth. Trixie’s left eye had the nastiest-looking wound that she had ever seen. It was obvious that this would leave a scar, but it wasn’t just that. The wound ran from diagonally down Trixie’s left eye – and slightly past it on both ends, too – from the top right to the bottom left. But rather than going across her eyelid, the wound was actually across the eye itself. Trixie’s left eye was now just a solid purple colour, with a mark across it that made Twilight shiver upon seeing it. ‘She can still see through that eye?’ Twilight asked herself mentally. Trixie’s face fell when she saw Twilight’s reaction. “I look ugly, don’t I?” Twilight immediately shook her head, and threw the bandage carelessly behind her. She reached out and placed both of her forehooves on Trixie’s shoulders. “No. You’re not. I was just… A little surprised, that’s all. I simply didn’t expect it to look like… That, I guess.” This didn’t help Trixie at all. “You’re lying,” she insisted, not looking up at Twilight. Not until Twilight placed a hoof under Trixie’s chin, and lifted the showmare’s head up herself. “I’m not lying, Trixie. It doesn’t matter what happens, or how many wounds you receive. You’re the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria… No, in the whole world!” Trixie looked into Twilight’s eyes, a slight smile starting to form on her face. “Really?” Twilight smirked and leaned closer to Trixie. “Was there ever any doubt?” Twilight pushed Trixie down onto the bed, and fell down next to her. “Anyway, I like to look into your eyes at night. It helps me relax, and sleep peacefully… And I also like to look into them in the morning, just after waking up. So please don’t try to hide them from me, Trixie.” Trixie wrapped her forelegs around Twilight, snuggling up closely to the other mare. “… Alright… The Great and Powerful Trixie will allow you this privilege, Twilight.” Trixie let out a loud yawn, and nestled her head against Twilight’s chest. She felt Twilight’s forelegs wrap around her, and heard a click from the lamp as Twilight shut it off. “Goodnight, Twilight.” “Goodnight, Trixie.” A/N: Thanks to TimeTravInDEMON and Campisi for pre-reading and editing this chapter.