//------------------------------// // 7 - It Takes Two (Twilight) // Story: Eyes On You // by UnlicensedBrony //------------------------------// “Eyes On You” Chapter seven: It Takes Two At first, Twilight hadn't been eager to explain about her history in Canterlot and her relationship with the Princess, for fear that Trixie would think she was boasting. But, by the time dinner that evening was over, she was glad to have gotten it out of the way. That story marked only the first of Twilight's recounts though – Trixie seemed eager to hear more, and Twilight was all too happy to share. Over the next few days, Twilight told more of how she had come to stay in Ponyville, of how she had grown closer to her friends, and of some of their adventures thereafter – though Trixie quickly lost interest whenever the story wandered too far from Twilight herself. They spoke over meals, whilst walking around town or sometimes just when they were sitting in the library. And even though Twilight was doing most of the talking, she had to admit that she was enjoying herself – Trixie was a good audience when she wasn't... 'being Trixie'. By Thursday morning though, when Twilight stepped out the door behind the showmare, she wasn't even sure that she could call it that any more – having seen so many different sides of her over the past week. But which, if any, were the acts? And which were signs of the 'real' Trixie? “Could you walk any slower?” teased Trixie. Twilight found herself trotting down the middle of the trail through town, lagging behind Trixie, whose cape was blowing softly in the wind. She shook her head and hurried to catch up. “S-Sorry. I was just thinking.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yes. You do that a lot.” Twilight gawped at her. “You say that like it's a bad thing!” Trixie gave a little chuckle at the joke, whilst Twilight just smiled beside herself. A strange thought crossed her mind as they walked, side-by-side down the street – Being with Trixie was becoming more and more like being with a friend… As the hospital tent came into view, Trixie began to slow down. Twilight picked up on the hesitation, but she chose not to say anything. If Trixie was nervous, she certainly wouldn't want Twilight to know that. Nurse Redheart poked her nose out from under the flap as they approached and, when she caught sight of them, she smiled warmly. “Good morning, you two!” she chirped, sliding out of the tent. “No problems, I trust?” “No,” said Twilight brightly. “We're just here for our check-up.” The Nurse creased her brow and smirked a little. “I think you mean Trixie's check-up.” Twilight drew back a little as her face grew warm under the Nurse's – and Trixie's – gaze. “O-Oh, of course! I just--” The Nurse chuckled, and Trixie smirked as well, which just made Twilight all the more embarrassed. “Oh, why is everyone picking on me lately?!” “Maybe you should try thinking before you speak, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie suggested. “Or not. Trixie loves seeing you embarrassed.” Twilight shot her a glare. The Nurse covered her mouth with a hoof to stop the laughter. “A-Alright, you two – come on inside and we'll see about getting that cast off...” The inside of the tent smelled just as strongly as ever, but Twilight managed to keep from gagging this time around. She and Trixie followed the Nurse up to one of the beds which, at the Nurse's request, Trixie sat down upon. Twilight planted herself on the ground beside her. “Just a moment,” said Nurse Redheart, sliding over to grab her clipboard from a nearby stool before setting it down on the bed. “Okay, are you ready?” “Yes,” said Trixie firmly. “Trixie thinks she's had about enough of this itching piece of--” “Hold still,” said the Nurse, leaning in to bite down on the cast's knot. With practised ease, she lifted the cast away and placed it carefully on the ground whilst Trixie let out a quiet sigh of relief. “Itching gone?” asked Twilight with a smirk. “Yes. Yes it is,” said Trixie contently. “Okay, Trixie – I want you to take it slowly this time,” said the Nurse. Trixie rolled her eyes at the tone. “I'm serious – one thing at a time, okay?” “Trixie understands,” she huffed. The Nurse smiled and glanced over at her clipboard. “Good. Now, I'd like you to flex your leg, please.” Trixie, eyes focused on her foreleg, did exactly as she was told. She slowly extended it all the way, without any obvious trouble, then brought it back to sit beside her chest. “There,” said Trixie. “Excellent!” said Nurse Redheart. “Next, I'd like you to stand up on your three good hooves... Not too quickly!” she added as Trixie practically jumped from the bed. With another huff, Trixie rose to her hooves as slowly as she could manage without falling over. The Nurse nodded in approval. “And now the tricky part – I need you to touch your foreleg to the ground.” Trixie hesitated, and Twilight had to admit to being a little worried herself. “It might hurt a little,” the Nurse admitted. “'A little'?” said Trixie, throwing her a glare. Twilight offered a warm smile. “You can do it, Trixie.” Taken by surprise, Trixie gave her a puzzled look. “...W-Well, of course Trixie can do it,” she said. “It's just-- Oh, never mind! Let's get this over with.” Trixie took a sharp breath and held it as she cautiously lowered her hoof. Twilight, despite what she'd said, found herself biting her lip as she watched. Trixie braced herself with one eye closed as the hoof neared the ground. Clop. Twilight cringed, expecting another pained yelp, but it didn't come. Trixie slowly opened her other eye and tapped the ground again. Nothing. She let out her breath and turned to smile at Twilight. “Nothing?” said the Nurse, raising an eyebrow. “Nothing,” said Trixie proudly. Nurse Redheart beamed at her. “That's wonderful! That means we're ready to start with your therapy.” Trixie's smile faded. “You mentioned that before,” Twilight mused aloud. “What kind of therapy are you talking about?” Nurse Redheart removed the top page from her clipboard and put it to one side. “Physical therapy,” she said. “It will be some time before you can walk on your own again, Trixie – but we can start working towards that right away.” Trixie furrowed her brow. “What do you mean? It doesn't hurt to touch the ground anymore. Why shouldn't Trixie be able to walk?” “I think you'll agree that just touching the ground isn't a good approximation for the pressure of walking, hmm?” said the Nurse sweetly. Trixie shut her mouth. “So, what do we need to do?” asked Twilight. Nurse Redheart smiled at her. “Put simply, you need to practise.” She tapped her clipboard a few times. “A little exercise every day will help your leg heal up properly, Trixie. But--” She locked eyes with Trixie. “You're going to need some help.” Trixie scoffed. “Please, Trixie thinks she can manage 'a little exercise'.” The Nurse shook her head. “Trixie, if you try to do this alone, you're just going to make things worse. The safest thing to do is to let Twilight here give you a helping hoof.” “Me?” said Twilight. “What can I do?” * * * “Trixie isn't doing it.” Twilight rolled her eyes as the two of them made their steady way towards home – with Trixie keeping her foreleg held close to her chest. “Come on,” said Twilight. “It's really not that bad...” Trixie scoffed and looked at her sidelong. “Not that bad? Trixie has a reputation to uphold, Twilight Sparkle. Besides, anypony who saw would think we were--” She broke off and looked away, but Twilight didn't have to see her face to know that she was blushing. “Look, if you don't want to do it, I'm not going to make you,” sighed Twilight. “But shouldn't we at least try? Don't you want to be able to walk properly again?” “It's not that!” snapped Trixie. “Just... drop it, please. Trixie will manage on her own.” Twilight frowned at her. “But Nurse Redheart--” Trixie fixed her with a glare. “I know what she said!” Twilight pursed her lips, worried that Trixie was going to get angry again. The glare lasted only a few seconds though, before she huffed and looked away. “Trixie will manage,” she said again. “Watch...” Twilight rolled her eyes. It was a moment before she actually registered what Trixie had said, and she turned too late… Trixie placed her bad forehoof firmly on the ground and, after a brief cringe, looked up at Twilight triumphantly. “See?” she said. Twilight still had her mouth open, ready to speak, but couldn't find any words. And then Trixie took a step forwards... Twilight gasped and dived to the ground just in time to cushion Trixie's fall. The showmare flopped unceremoniously over Twilight’s back with a pained “Oof!” Groaning, Twilight carefully pushed herself upright to support the weight. “Ugh, you were saying?” she grumbled. As Trixie's head lolled down beside Twilight's, she saw a tear running down her cheek. “Ow...” Trixie muttered through clenched teeth. Empathy drove any trace of spite from Twilight's mind in an instant. “I'm sorry, Trixie. I--” “Don't,” Trixie interrupted, keeping her eyes closed. “Just... don't. Take me back to the library... please.” The shame in her voice was unmistakable, and it was a disturbing thing to hear – considering how proud Trixie usually was. Twilight wanted to offer some more words of sympathy but, even if she could think of anything, Trixie clearly didn't want to hear it. With a sigh, Twilight began shambling onwards, Trixie's foreleg slung across her back. * * * Twilight stared up at the darkened roof of her loft with a firm frown set on her face. Her eyes were aching and the pillow atop her chest did as little to comfort her as did the mattress beneath her. Spike's snoring didn't help much either... With a huff, she rolled onto her side and gazed out of the window, into the starry sky above. She idly started naming the constellations in her head, hoping for a sheep-counting effect that never came. She frowned as her eyes reached the last one. “That’s not right,” she muttered. “Celestia’s Wing has fourteen stars, not nine…” She craned her neck to get a better look, but she just overbalanced and fell to the floor with a yelp. Twilight stood up, grumbling under her breath as she rubbed her nose. She pulled herself up to the windowsill, pressed her face against the glass and squinted. There were still only eleven out of fourteen stars… Compulsiveness taking over, she growled trotted down to the balcony door. She nudged it open and slid out, taking care to close it quietly so as not to wake Spike. Surprisingly, the night air was not unwelcoming – there was a crisp but gentle breeze that made the inside of the library seem terribly stuffy. She didn’t take a moment to enjoy it though, instead striding straight up to the edge of the balcony and casting her gaze about for Celestia’s Wing. “Aha!” she said, raising her hoof to point. “Twelve, thirteen, fourteen!” With a nod and a satisfied smile, she made to go back inside, only to stop when something caught her eye – a pale flash of light from the town below. Curious, she peeked out over the railing and, to her surprise, saw a unicorn in the street below. The light from said unicorn’s horn was subtle, but unmistakable in the dark of night. “Trixie?” muttered Twilight, squinting down. As her eyes adjusted, she could just about make out the familiar, starry pattern of Trixie’s cape. “What’s she doing out there?” Twilight knelt down and poked her nose through the gap between the railing, thinking it best that Trixie didn’t know she was spying on her. It wasn’t really ‘spying’, of course – she was just checking up on Trixie, to make sure she was okay. Twilight gave a firm nod and bumped her snout on the floor. She had to bite her lip to keep from cursing as she massaged her nose and forced herself to focus on Trixie instead. It wasn’t hard to figure out what she was doing, stumbling around and hopping back with a squeak every now and then. Despite the Nurse’s advice, Trixie was trying to go it alone, and it was working about as well as expected… Every yelp from Trixie made Twilight feel that much worse, until finally she couldn’t stand to watch any longer. Twilight rose to her hooves and took a breath to call out— “Sad, isn’t it?” Twilight jumped back with a start as she noticed the tall, radiant pony beside her. “Princess Celestia?!” The Princess offered a warm smile. Twilight was too stunned to figure out whether she should smile back, bow deeply or simply turn tail and run. “H-How long have you been standing there?” she managed. Celestia shook her head gently. “Not long. I hope you don’t mind my dropping in on you like this?” “N-No! Of course not!” said Twilight quickly. Even as she spoke, she found herself glancing down at Trixie, who, strangely, didn’t seem to have noticed their voices. The Princess followed her eyes. “She can’t hear us, Twilight. I made sure.” Twilight felt her face growing suddenly red. “I-I know how this must look, but--” “It looks like you’re watching out for your friend. There’s no need to be ashamed of that,” said the Princess warmly. Her tone was soothing, as always, and Twilight let herself relax a little. Celestia took a step closer to the railing and peered down at Trixie. “She certainly looks a pitiful sight.” Twilight swallowed – knowing how much Trixie would hate to hear that word. Pitiful… As unkind as it sounded though, it was true. Frowning, Twilight stepped up beside the Princess to watch Trixie again. “She’s very proud,” said Twilight. “Too proud to let me help--” Trixie stumbled and fell, but she pushed herself back up a second later. “--But she’s strong too. Maybe she can do it on her own.” The Princess nodded slowly. “Perhaps. But determination isn’t always enough – sometimes, even the strongest of us need a helping hoof--” She turned to smile at Twilight. “Do you remember?” Twilight’s heart filled with warmth at the memory. She returned the smile twofold before cuddling up to Celestia’s neck. “I remember, Princess.” For what felt like minutes, she revelled in the warm embrace, enjoying the rhythmic rising and falling that came with Celestia’s breathing. She’d almost forgotten how fluffy her coat was… Celestia’s chest rattled with a tinkling chuckle. Twilight snapped back and blushed, suddenly aware of how long she’d held the embrace. The Princess pressed a gentle hoof to Twilight’s lips to pre-empt the apology. After a moment, Twilight settled for drawing back and offering a sheepish grin. The Princess just smiled. After a few moments though, her silence started to get unsettling. “Um, Princess… why are you here?” asked Twilight. “Not that I mind!” Celestia cocked her head to the side in mock puzzlement. “Hmm? Are you saying I need a reason to come visit my Little Sorceress?” “Oh, goodness, no!” said Twilight quickly. “You can come and visit whenever you want! I didn’t mean to--” Celestia chuckled again. “Your letter made me curious, Twilight – I had to come and see this ‘Trixie’ for myself.” “My… letter?” “More… the wording of your letter, I suppose,” said the Princess, looking up to the sky. Twilight kept her brow furrowed until Celestia met her eyes again with a smile. “Oh, don’t mind me, Twilight – I’ve just gotten thoughtful in my old age.” Twilight shook her head when she registered the words. “Don’t be silly, Princess! You’re not old!” Celestia’s laughter rang out through the night air, and Twilight couldn’t help but join her after a moment. When the mirth finally died down, Celestia brushed her neck against Twilight’s. “That’s very kind of you, dear,” she chuckled. She pulled back and turned to look towards Trixie again, leaving Twilight with a smile that quickly faded into a thoughtful frown. “…Princess, can I ask your advice?” Twilight turned her eyes to Trixie. “…Do you think that, in this case, some… ‘tough love’ might be prudent?” Celestia chuckled again. “I love it when you do that,” she said. When she saw Twilight’s frown though, she hummed in thought. “You want me to tell you whether you should force your help on Trixie?” Twilight glanced down at the floor, then nodded. “…I’m not sure that it’s my place to decide,” said the Princess. “I know it’s my decision,” said Twilight. “But I honestly don’t know what’s best for her…” The Princess turned to look at her. “If you had to decide right now, what would you do?” “Right now?” Twilight looked up at the sky in thought. “…I don’t know.” “Then perhaps you should wait a while, hmm?” said Celestia. She unfurled her wing and brushed it against Twilight’s face. “Get some sleep, my dear. Perhaps things will be clearer in the morning.” “But--” Hearing Trixie yelp, Twilight turned to see that she had collapsed again. It took a moment, but she did indeed rise up to keep trying. “--No, you’re right,” said Twilight. “I have to let her try, at least.” Celestia smiled at her. “You've come a long way since moving to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle. I know I've said so before, but I'm very proud of you.” “Thank you, Princess.” She gave Celestia one last nuzzle on the neck. “Um, would you like to come in for tea, or--” The Princess shook her head. “I would love to, but I really must get back... Perhaps another time?” Twilight nodded understandingly as Celestia unfurled her great, white wings and beat them, sending a gust of warm wind over the balcony. “Goodbye, Princess,” said Twilight, bowing low as Celestia rose into the air. “I'll let you know what I decide!” “Then I'll look forward to your letter, as always,” said the Princess with a smile. With that, she beat her wings again, rising higher. Once more, and then she was gone. Twilight chanced another look down at Trixie. She wasn't trying to walk anymore. She was sat on the ground beneath the balcony, staring down at her hooves in silence. Twilight wasn't able to make out anything more, but she found herself biting her lip all the same. The urge to go down and talk to her was almost overpowering and, if not for the Princess' words, she most certainly would have done so. But... “Sleep,” Twilight muttered. She nodded firmly to reassure herself, then finally tore her eyes away from Trixie and headed back inside. * * * With the Princess' blessing and the pleasant memory of her warm touch, it wasn't hard for Twilight to find sleep that night. When she trotted down the stairs the following morning, it was with a smile on her face and a lazy flounder in her step. As usual, the Princess was right – a good night's sleep had done wonders to improve her mood and she was sure that, as soon as she'd had breakfast, she'd be able to think much more clearly. '...Or maybe that's just my stomach talking,' Twilight mused, allowing herself a quiet giggle as she came out into the lobby. She stopped at the base of the stairs and did a double-take towards one of the reading tables, across which was sprawled a very bedraggled-looking blue unicorn. Trixie was perched vaguely atop one of the stools, one forehoof clutched to her chest whilst the other reached out towards the middle of the table. Her mane was unkempt, half covering her face whilst the other half was strewn out in front of her. Even the cape that she had draped over her like a blanket looked messy – it wasn't hard to guess that she'd stayed up for a long time the night before. Twilight cocked her head as she watched Trixie's sleeping eyes. Her breath was soft and steady, but her face held no trace of the faint but content smile that Twilight had seen before. Even so, it seemed that Trixie couldn't help but look adorable in her sleep – no matter how exhausted she was. Gripped by a flash of brilliance, Twilight turned on the spot and crept into the kitchen, hurriedly setting about making breakfast. She emerged barely ten minutes later with an impressive stack of pancakes and set them down gently atop Trixie's table. That did the trick... The sleeping Trixie took a breath of the food and let it out in a silent sigh through her nose. Almost immediately, her mouth curled up into a smile, which Twilight returned twofold. Deciding to make the most of her flash of brilliance, Twilight leant down until she was only a few inches from Trixie's snout. Twilight opened her mouth to whisper, but closed it almost immediately – in favour of a better idea. Slowly, she shifted over and brushed her nuzzle against Trixie's shoulder. As Twilight pulled back, Trixie mumbled something and her eyes fluttered – sending an electric tingle down Twilight's back. When Trixie’s eyes drifted open, they settled upon Twilight, who met the gaze with a smile. As she'd been hoping, the smile on Trixie's own face didn't fade – at least, not right away. “Good morning,” said Twilight. Trixie followed her nose to stare at the pancakes beside her. “...Morning,” she muttered, eyes still half-lidded. A moment later, she blinked away the sleep and refocused on Twilight, her smile disappearing in an instant. “Morning?” Twilight nodded and gave a little giggle. “Morning!” Trixie lifted herself upright atop her stool, her face screwing up with effort. “How long have you been watching Trixie?” “Not long,” said Twilight, shaking her head. “But I have to admit, you do look kind of pretty with your mane like that.” Trixie furrowed her brow for a moment, then gave a huff and rested her head on the table. “Oh, shut up.” “Well, that'll teach you to stay up so late,” said Twilight brightly. “Not that I'm one to talk...” Trixie groaned. “It's too early, your cheeriness is giving Trixie a headache.” Twilight leaned in and nudged the plate towards her. “Will pancakes help? They're cinnamon-apple...” There was a short silence before Trixie lifted her head again to regard said pancakes, as if deciding whether or not it was worth the effort to wake up properly and eat them. “...Fine,” she said at last. She dragged the plate towards her with magic and sat up as Twilight smiled and took the seat across from her. She waited until Trixie had taken a few bites of her first pancake before clearing her throat. “So, how's your leg this morning?” “It aches,” said Trixie, flexing it half-heartedly. “But so does the rest of me...” “I'm not surprised,” said Twilight before she thought better of it. Trixie gave her a questioning look, in the face of which Twilight quickly corrected herself. “I-I mean, what with all that walking we've been doing lately – it's got to be difficult with just three legs...” Trixie flicked back her mane. “It's nothing Trixie can't handle.” The words had hardly left her mouth before shied away from Twilight's gaze, a gesture not overlooked by Twilight herself. “Have you given any more thought to... you know...” asked Twilight. Trixie blinked, but didn't turn her head. “...Yes.” “And?” said Twilight, leaning in hopefully. There was another silence until, finally, Trixie looked up at her. “Trixie will do it alone.” Twilight let her head droop backwards and groaned. “Do I have to beg?” Trixie raised an eyebrow. “...I'm not going to beg, Trixie,” Twilight deadpanned. Trixie shook her head. “It doesn't matter anyway. Trixie has a reputation to protect – she isn't going to go parading around town with her leg around you for all to see.” Twilight huffed and let her gaze fall to the table as Trixie took another bite of her pancake. 'If she goes on being this stubborn, her leg is never going to get fixed,' she mused sadly. 'There has to be some way that I can get her to--' Twilight looked up, her eyebrows raising in surprise as an idea struck her. “What if you didn't have to?” she said. Trixie, her mouth still full of food, simply creased her brow at Twilight. “I mean, what if they didn't see us?” Trixie swallowed. “What are you talking about?” “Well, ponies hardly ever come in here – the place is practically private. So, why don't we just practise in here? Where nopony can see.” “No-pony, maybe,” said Trixie. “But, in case you've forgotten, you're not the only one who lives here. What about the dragonling?” Twilight cocked her head. “Spike? Oh, I can send him off to do some things in town. I'm sure he'd be all too happy to spend some time helping out around Rarity's boutique.” Trixie curled her lip ever so slightly. Sensing her advantage, Twilight pressed on. “And besides that, we could always go out at night. We could walk down by Fluttershy's cottage – nopony ever goes down there after dark.” “...You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?” said Trixie, though her voice betrayed that she was considering it. 'Just one more push...' “I know how strong you are, Trixie – you could do this on your own if you wanted to. All I'm saying is that you don't have to...” She flashed Trixie her most charming smile. “I can help – trust me.” Trixie was silent for a long time, gazing thoughtfully to the side all the while. When she finally looked up at Twilight, it was with a searching frown. “...Not because Trixie is too weak?” she muttered. Twilight reached out to lay a hoof atop Trixie's. “No. Because I'm your friend. And friends help each other.” Trixie stared at her as she took in the words. A faint smile crept its way onto her lips. “Friends...” A moment later, Trixie quickly shook her head, pulled her hoof out of Twilight's grip and cleared her throat with authority. “A-Alright, Twilight Sparkle – you make a good case,” she said. Twilight's eyes lit up with hope. “So...?” Trixie levitated her pancake fork and waved it in front of Twilight. “We'll start after breakfast.” As soon as Trixie closed her eyes to enjoy her next bite of pancake, Twilight grinned wide and clopped her hooves together joyfully. * * *