//------------------------------// // 12 - Showmare's Flaunt (Trixie) // Story: Eyes On You // by UnlicensedBrony //------------------------------// “Eyes On You” Chapter twelve: Showmare's Flaunt “What about 'The Amazing and Magical Twilight'?” Trixie offered as she took another bite of her pancake. The lavender unicorn across the table from her adopted a doubtful frown. “I don't know... it doesn't exactly flow like yours does.” “Hmm, I guess not...” Trixie racked her brain. “Then what about 'The Pretty and Mysterious Twilight'?” As intended, that brought a timid little smile to Twilight's face, and she averted her eyes in favour of fiddling with her fork. “It's a little... presumptuous, I think. And I'm not really very mysterious, am I?” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. You try one.” Surely enough, Twilight's face lit up into a grin and she looked back up at Trixie. She'd probably been waiting for that invitation all morning... “I was thinking more along the lines of 'The Educated and Well-Read Twilight',” said the purple unicorn cheerily. Trixie's hoof met her face. Somepony didn't quite grasp the concept of coming up with an exciting title. She was spared the bother of telling Twilight as much by loud, ground-shaking thump from outside. Both unicorns turned their eyes to the door, which creaked open just enough for a grey-coated snout to poke through, bearing a letter in its teeth. “Urgent mail for Trixie Lulamoon!” came the muffled voice of the mailmare. Eyebrows raised in surprise, Trixie reached out with her magic and grasped the letter. “Er... thank you?” she guessed as she tugged it gently from the pony's grip. “My pleasure!” With that, the grey snout disappeared and the door clicked shut behind it, leaving Trixie to levitate the letter over to their breakfast table. “Urgent mail?” Twilight repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Who's it from?” Trixie shrugged as she magically broke the official-looking wax seal on the envelope and removed the letter within. A brief glance at the document was enough to reveal that it was from Manehattan – those ponies who were organising the Manehattan Display, to be exact. She smiled and waved Twilight over. The bookish mare tilted her head in question as she rose to her hooves and trotted around the table to stand beside Trixie, who held the letter so that both of them could see it. “Dear Miss Trixie Lulamoon,” Twilight read aloud. “We are delighted to hear that you and your partner will be competing in the Manehattan Display this year. The purpose of this letter is to provide you with information on important dates and times pertaining to the event, and also regarding special benefits granted to competitors...” The letter revealed that the opening ceremony for the event would begin at midnight in just under two weeks' time, and that they would need to be in Manehattan ready for their introduction on the following morning. Apparently, it was there that they would receive the details regarding the first event. “Oh, look – we get to stay in a hotel!” said Twilight excitedly, pointing a hoof at something further down the page. “...'Reservations have been made for all competitors to stay in Manehattan's 'Pegasus Down Hotel' for the week-long duration of the event – one room per pair...'” She looked over at Trixie with a wide smile. “It looks like we're going to be roommates!” Trixie read the section herself to make sure, then returned Twilight's smile. Secretly, the showmare was just as excited about the prospect as Twilight was. Why, though, she wasn't sure. Sleeping in the same room wouldn't be a whole lot different from just sleeping in the same house, would it? Except, Trixie thought with a smirk, that she'd have a smiling view of Twilight looking back at her as she drifted off to sleep each night... “...What're you looking at?” said Twilight, furrowing a brow in mock suspicion and mimicking the smirk. “Nothing,” said Trixie calmly. She held the gaze and the smirk for a long moment, until Twilight started to look adorably uncomfortable. Then, satisfied, the showmare blinked mercifully and turned her attention back to the letter. “...Looks like we're going to have to make our own travel arrangements.” “I could arrange for a horse-drawn carriage,” said Twilight. “I've never been to Manehattan other than by chariot, but I've heard it's a nice journey on the ground.” Trixie nodded, only half-listening. She found herself staring blankly at the letter – at her name upon it and the official seal and signature on the bottom. She gave a little half-smile as the reality started to set in... Beside her, Twilight cocked her head. “Trixie? Is something wrong?” “No, not wrong,” said Trixie dreamily. “It's just... I'm really going to compete in the Display.” Twilight stayed silent for a long moment. When she did speak, it was with a warm smile in her voice. “You deserve it, Trixie. I know how much it means to you, and I'm glad I can help.” Trixie smiled heartily and magically folded up the letter. “I know, Twilight. I'm glad too.” “But don't forget about Flaire either,” said Twilight. “He's the one who got you the invitation, after all.” Trixie chuckled as she slipped the letter back inside its envelope. “Believe me, Twilight, I have no intention of forgetting him,” she said with a dark cheer in her voice. In fact, she had a special thank you in mind for him – which involved wiping the floor with him in front of thousands of cheering spectators... “Um... good?” Twilight guessed, clearly a little unnerved by Trixie's demeanour. The showmare simply turned to smirk at her. “A-Anyway,” said Twilight hurriedly. “If we've only got less than two weeks left before the event, we should probably be practising rather than sitting around talking, right?” Picking up on the not-at-all-subtle change of subject, Trixie stifled a giggle. “Yes, I suppose we should be. So, what's on your infamous checklist for this morning? More hoofball practise?” Twilight shook her head and strode around the table to where her last few pancakes still sat on their plate. “Actually, I was hoping we could do something else today--” She idly dug her fork into a pancake and glanced up at Trixie. “--Something I was hoping you could teach me.” Trixie raised an eyebrow. “And what could the Great and Powerful Trixie possibly have to teach the Educated and Well-Read Twilight Sparkle?” she teased. The lavender unicorn prodded her pancake a couple more times, avoiding Trixie's gaze. “...I've never performed on stage before, not like you have,” she began quietly. “I don't know anything about being a showmare.” “What's to know? You just go out there and flaunt yourself to the crowd,” said Trixie with a shrug. Twilight managed to look up. “Well, that's what you do, sure. But I've never really... flaunted myself before--” Her cheeks reddened a little, either out of embarrassment for the fact or the word. She gulped and shook her head to reassert herself before continuing. “So, I was hoping that you could teach me. You know, to... to show off.” Trixie blinked. With all Twilight Sparkle's knowledge and talent, she'd never once thought to learn how to show it off... It was almost ridiculous. But then again, this was Twilight Sparkle – she wasn't exactly a normal mare. As another smirk made its way onto the azure unicorn's face, she gave an amused grunt. “That, Twilight Sparkle, I can do...” * * * Trixie had never really taught anyone... well, anything before, so she didn't know the first thing about how she was going to do this. And, considering that Twilight's previous teacher had been Princess Celestia herself, Trixie had a lot to live up to. Of course, she wasn't about to let that stop her. She hastily decided that they would need a stage to practise upon and set about arranging the reading tables against a wall, to buy herself some time to think. When she'd finished with that, she had Twilight stand atop it and wait while she, Trixie, found the perfect spot from which to play 'the audience'. And, after several, long minutes of searching, she found it directly in front of centre stage, much to Twilight's annoyance. At long last, Trixie settled herself down onto a reading stool and looked up at Twilight, who was now shuffling her hooves against the wood and glancing down over the edge of the stage. “It's kind of high...” the bookish unicorn observed with a nervous frown. “That's so that you can look down on your audience, and so that the ponies in back can see you better,” said Trixie sagely. She smiled to herself as Twilight nodded in understanding – maybe this teaching wasn't going to be that difficult after all. “Okay, so what do I do now?” said Twilight. Trixie frowned in thought for a second. “The first thing you do when you get on stage is... introduce yourself!” Twilight gave her a questioning look. “Just... introduce myself?” The showmare nodded. “...Okay.” Twilight cleared her throat, drew herself up a little and took a breath before giving Trixie her most welcoming smile. “Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm a student, under the tutelage of Princess Celestia, currently studying friendship in the small town of Ponyvi--” “Twilight,” Trixie interrupted, deadpan. Twilight licked her lips and pointed at Trixie. “Um, question?” Trixie's hoof met her face for the second time that morning and, she had a feeling, not for the last. “Twilight, when I said 'introduce yourself', I meant--” She paused, not quite sure how to explain it. “--Er... Do you remember my magic show?” “The one you held in Ponyville?” Twilight guessed. “No, the one I held when we met in Trottingham,” said Trixie with a roll of her eyes. “But... I've never been to--” Twilight broke off as she saw the look Trixie was giving her. “Oh, right... sorry. Yes, I remember your show... sort of.” Trixie smiled. “Good. Then I assume you remember my entrance?” “Well, it's kind of hard to forget that,” said Twilight, waving a hoof. “You definitely made an impression.” “Exactly!” said Trixie proudly. “That's what you need to do – make an impression on the audience. Make it short, snappy and powerful. Show them that you mean business!” Twilight gulped and nodded shortly. “I mean business... okay, got it. Just give me a second.” She turned her eyes to the ground and started mouthing silently to herself. Trixie folded her fetlocks and rolled her eyes as she waited. Eventually, Twilight looked back up with a smile on her face, declaring that she was ready. She drew herself up again and cleared her throat. And, when she spoke, it was with a lot more volume and fervour than before... “Citizens of Manehattan!” she called out, snout high and eyes determined. “Prepare to feast your eyes on... on the most studious and magical unicorn in... um... i-in all of Equestria!” She finished by throwing a hoof outwards in a kind of clumsy salute, which prompted a little giggle from Trixie. Hearing this, Twilight let out her own breath, shaking with laughter herself. “Th-That was good,” said Trixie after a moment, raising a hoof to her lips to steady herself. “It was silly!” Twilight corrected her between giggles. “Yours didn't sound anything like that!” The showmare shook her head with a smile. “You can't expect to be as Great and Powerful as Trixie on your first try. After all, this is Trixie's talent!” “S-Speaking of which,” said Twilight, finally managing to regain control of her voice. “Do I have to start talking in third person? Or is that more of a... stylistic choice?” Even though Twilight had clearly meant that as a joke, Trixie's smile wavered a little. “No,” she said, avoiding Twilight's eyes. “That's really just my thing...” “...Sorry?” Twilight guessed, biting her lip. Trixie shook her head and got to her hooves. Eager to change the subject, she forced as smile and trotted forwards. Her previously injured hoof gave her no trouble as she clambered up onto the stage and turned to face her partner, who was now giving her a quizzical stare. “Forget that,” said Trixie, her smile turning to a smirk. “Come here, let's work on that entrance of yours.” * * * It wasn't difficult to get into the whole practise-and-improve routine. Twilight would try something, Trixie would critique or show an example of how it was supposed to be done, then Twilight would correct herself accordingly. Not every attempt was as amusing as the first but, overall, the exercise was a lot of fun. For hours, they played, on and off of their makeshift stage, their practise punctuated here and there by bouts of laughter and playful teasing. The morning passed almost without them noticing, and neither of them so much as considered stopping for lunch as they moved straight on from dramatic introductions to emotive casting, with which Twilight had equal amounts of trouble... Trixie couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed herself so much. “--No, that's still too plain! You need to rear up and throw out your hooves – show the audience that you know how Great and Powerful you are!” said Trixie with a wide smile. “I'll show you. Watch closely.” The showmare motioned for Twilight to take a step back, which she did whilst smiling expectantly. Trixie turned to face their imaginary audience, shuffled her hooves and cleared her throat. She gave it a good three count, then channelled magic into her horn as she reared up. “Watch in awe!” she cried, throwing wide her forehooves and sending a magical firework into the air. It struck the ceiling and exploded into a rain of multi-chrome sparkles that floated down around Trixie like snowflakes. Having practised the trick several times in front of a mirror, Trixie didn't have to see herself to know how amazing it looked. When she touched down and the last of the sparkles had faded, Trixie turned to her partner with a smirk. Twilight had an excited glint in her eye. “Come on – we'll try it together,” Trixie prompted, beckoning Twilight towards her. The lavender unicorn trotted forwards without hesitation to stand beside Trixie, casting her a warm smile. “I'm ready,” said Twilight brightly. “Got a spell in mind?” asked Trixie. Twilight nodded. Satisfied, Trixie gave her one last smirk before turning towards the audience again. “Alright, on three. One... Two... Three!” Together, they kicked off with their forehooves in perfect time, horns lighting up as they did. “Watch in awe!” they yelled, their voices intermingling to make a strangely amusing harmonic. Trixie let off her spell, the same as before, just as Twilight cast her own. Whether it was the combination of spells that did it, or whether it was just Twilight getting overexcited, Trixie didn't know, but something brought about a blinding flash in front of them... Caught completely off guard, Trixie let out a loud, pained yelp as her vision went black and she started stumbling around to keep her balance. The flash had caught Twilight too, judging by her own yelp and the sound of clumsy hoofsteps. Trixie's hoof slipped from the table just as Twilight bumped into her and they instinctively grabbed hold of one another... The next thing Trixie knew, she was on her back with one hoof caught under something and with something else wrapped around one of her hind legs. She gave a little groan, only to find that it morphed into a chuckle at the strange warmth she was feeling. Somepony else was giggling too, a familiar mare's voice. 'I must've hit my head,' Trixie thought, which somehow only served to make the whole thing seem funnier. The tangled showmare brought her one free forehoof up to her eyes and rubbed them, trying to clear the darkness. As the haze began to fade, she blinked into view an equally dazed-looking Twilight Sparkle. When Trixie had regained her bearings, she found that her forehoof was trapped underneath Twilight, and that said bookish mare had both of her hind legs wrapped around one of Trixie's. To say that the position was awkward was a bit of an understatement. Their eyes met. Trixie bit her lip to fight off the aching urge to burst into laughter again. For her part, Twilight was still snickering a little, though she was obviously trying to manage a look of concern. “A-Are you... alright?” Twilight asked between snickers. Trixie gulped and nodded confirmation, her smile threatening to escape her face. She felt perfectly fine, if she didn't count feeling a little dizzy, and it looked as if her partner was in the same boat. Even so, part of her wanted to ask if Twilight was okay, though she feared that opening her mouth would just give way to the bubbling laughter in her stomach... “G-Good,” said Twilight, before Trixie could make up her mind. They stared at each other for a long moment, waiting for Twilight's giggles to die down. When, at last, they did, the lavender unicorn held her smile as she said, in a mock pout, “I'm not very Great and Powerful, Trixie.” The showmare gave her own snort of laughter at that, but the dams didn't break. Instead, the laughter drew out into a happy sigh, and the rush of mirth brought with it the strangest impulse. Gingerly as she dared, Trixie brought a hoof up to the side of Twilight's head. The lavender unicorn didn't say anything, nor did she give Trixie any questioning looks. She just pursed her lips and waited. As Trixie touched her hoof to Twilight's mane, all of her reservations seemed to fade away. A warm feeling spread down through her fetlock and into her chest as she ran her touch through the tidy, striped mane. It was unsurprisingly sleek and soft to the touch, like brushing a cloud or a fluffy critter. When she reached the end, she brought her hoof back up to Twilight's ear and swept it through again, falling into a quiet, dreamlike rhythm. Twilight didn't object. Her lips curled up into a smile as she stared at Trixie with her eyes that were so like those which looked back at the showmare in the mirror each morning. No... the same colour, perhaps, but they were different. Warmer. More... sparkly. Trixie's mind was blank – she probably had a concussion. But that was okay. She was content to just lay there for the seconds or minutes that she did and simply to brush her hoof through Twilight's perfectly-kept hair. Until-- “Hey, Twilight,” came Spike's voice, accompanied by the sound of a door opening. “I'm back early, just got to pick up my-- Whoa!” He broke off, presumably catching sight of them. “Are you guys okay?!” Twilight drew a sharp breath, as if snapped out of a daze. She blinked rapidly and craned her neck to look towards Spike, instantly breaking whatever spell that Trixie had been under. The showmare quickly withdrew her hoof and followed Twilight's eyes to the concerned looking baby dragon stood half-way across the room. “W-We're fine, Spike,” said Twilight, unsubtly disentangling her hind legs. “I tripped and Trixie tried to catch me. No damage done.” Spike huffed in relief. “Oh, good. Well, like I said, I've just got to grab something and I'll be out of your hair.” Just like that, he started off towards the staircase, leaving Trixie to wonder what had just happened. Well, she knew what had just happened, of course... and, if she was honest, she knew why it had happened as well. What she really began to wonder was what might've happened if not for the interruption... Spike stopped suddenly at the bottom of the stairs. He cast a questioning look back at them. “Er... sorry, but what's with the tables?” he asked. Shaking herself back to the present, Trixie was quick to extricate her hoof from beneath Twilight and get to her hooves. “I-It's a stage, dragonling,” she said. “We were practising.” Spike creased his brow. “Practising? For what?” Trixie smirked and furrowed an eyebrow as she turned to Twilight, wondering how the silly dragon could possibly have such terrible powers of deduction. For her part, Twilight had just about managed to stand herself up, and was simply smiling over at Spike. “Just a magic show, Spike. Nothing to worry about,” she said off-hoofedly. The dragonling blinked. So did Trixie. “...Oh. Okay,” Spike said, giving a little shrug. With that, he turned to make his way up the stairs, leaving Trixie to stare blankly at Twilight. The lavender unicorn casually brushed her chest off with a hoof before turning to offer Trixie a smile. “...He doesn't know?” said Trixie quizzically. “Doesn't know what?” said Twilight. Trixie cocked her head. “About the Display. Haven't you told him?” “Um, well... no--” Twilight mimicked the head tilt. “--Like I said, it's nothing for him to worry about. I'm just going to Manehattan for a week.” “...And you don't think you should tell him that you're going to compete in one of the most prestigious magical talent shows of all time?” said Trixie doubtfully. A frown crossed her face as a worrying thought occurred to her. “You are sure that you want to go through with this... aren't you?” Twilight nodded emphatically and adopted a serious expression. “Of course! I really am! I just don't want anyone to think that it's a big deal.” Trixie's frown deepened. “It's a big deal to me.” Twilight's face lit up red as she started stammering. “I-I... That's not what I... I didn't mean--” “Got it! See ya later, Twilight and Trixie!” Spike called out as he made his way down the stairs and to the door. “Have fun with your practise, or whatever!” Trixie turned to him, and Twilight gulped down her stammering to flash him a smile. “Bye, Spike!” they called together. The door closed, and they turned back to one another. Twilight still looked as if she wasn't sure what to say... but she didn't really need to say anything. “It's okay,” said Trixie with a shake of the head. “I know you didn't mean it like that... sorry.” Twilight took a breath to calm herself. “It's a big deal to me too, Trixie. I just meant that I don't want it to become a big deal for my friends – something they think they have to worry about or... or help with or something... Do you know what I mean?” “...No. Not really,” said Trixie honestly. Twilight hung her head and sighed. And then Trixie smiled. “But that's okay,” she said. “Your friends are your department. We'll keep it a secret if that's what you think is best--” She paused and adopted a lopsided smile. “--Of course, when we win, they're going to hear about it anyway.” The lavender unicorn gave a little smile at that. “I guess you have a point, there...” She slowly turned to look up at Trixie. As their eyes locked again, Trixie unconsciously gulped – her mouth suddenly went strangely dry. “...For me,” she began, pausing to lick her lips. “It's enough to know... that you care.” Silence fell over the lobby as the two stared at each other. Trixie's face turned red with embarrassment as she immediately regretted her choice of words and averted her eyes in a hurry. She tried to think of some way to take it back without... taking it back. “Th... That sounded better in my head,” Trixie muttered, which made the whole situation so much less awkward... Another moment passed in silence. And then Trixie felt a hoof against her chin. Twilight Sparkle guided the azure unicorn's head upwards, until their eyes met. She was smiling, but not in amusement. It was more of a kind, understanding smile, and it made Trixie's breath catch in her throat. “I know what you mean,” said Twilight softly. And she did. Even if Trixie didn't really know herself, she had distinct feeling that Twilight did. It was weird... a little scary, maybe. She wasn't sure what to think, but she knew one thing for certain – there was something new about the way that Twilight was smiling at her. For a fleeting moment, she felt seconds away from figuring it out, and then-- “Sorry guys,” came Spike's voice again. “I just need to get one more--” “Spike!” they snapped together, moment thoroughly annihilated. * * *