It was still dark outside when Trixie awoke. Beside her, Twilight Sparkle was still sleeping away peacefully, her forelegs wrapped around Trixie’s waist and her head resting on the showmare’s chest. Apparently, the Great and Powerful Trixie was more comfortable than her pillow. Trixie wouldn’t have minded it so much, if Twilight wasn’t currently drooling in her sleep.
“Trixie… doing that here, in the castle library, is so…”
Trixie suppressed a chuckle, and sat up to check the time. She had to use a basic lighting spell in order to see the clock. “Ten past three… For some reason, I don’t feel so sleepy. Maybe I’ll go make some warm milk.”
However, a dilemma presented itself when Trixie tried to get up, and Twilight began to stir in her sleep. Trixie, being the creative genius that she is, came up with a crafty solution, though. “Twilight,” she whispered into her lover’s ear, earning a low moan in return. “The Princess is behind you. I think she wants to give you a test.”
Twilight immediately released Trixie, and rolled over to face the non-existent Princess in her dream. Trixie wasn’t sure whether to be offended or not that tests were apparently more appealing than her, but since it helped in this situation, she decided to let it slide.
She slipped out of their bed, and began to make her way down the stairs of the library. The walk down seemed longer than usual, but that could possibly just be due to her drowsiness. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard a noise coming from the front door. She turned to see what it was, but she couldn’t see anything there. Deciding that it was just her mind playing tricks on her, Trixie continued her journey to the kitchen.
She flicked on the kitchen light, allowing her to shut off her lighting spell, and poured herself a glass of milk, which she quickly heated up in the microwave. ‘Aah, that’s good. Maybe now I can get back to slee-’
Knock.
Trixie turned her attention to the kitchen door, which was slightly open. ‘Did I leave that open?’ Shrugging, Trixie put her glass down on the cabinet. She couldn’t be bothered to wash it now, so she decided to just do it in the morning.
She then made her way to the kitchen door, and opened it completely to leave. Suddenly, a hoof pressed itself against her mouth, and forced her back into the kitchen, the door slamming shut behind her.
“It’s been a while, Trixie.”
Trixie’s eyes widened, and her body froze as she stared in horror at the pony in front of her. That black trench coat… That menacing grin… That cold, unfeeling look in his eyes!
‘It’s him! B-But how? And why?! Why now?’
“To think… the filly that I neglected to kill nineteen years ago, would still be alive, and living a nice, peaceful life, here in this quiet little town. But you messed up, Trixie Lulamoon.” The stallion leaned closer, and pressed his free hoof to Trixie’s horn. “I hear you’re quite an accomplished magician. I think I’ll just shut off your magic for now.”
Trixie flinched, and then tried to charge up a spell. But to her surprise, nothing happened. “You shouldn’t have come after me. Even though Lieutenant Armour kept your identity safe, by getting involved with that case, you allowed me to find you.”
‘That case…’ Trixie remembered well which case the stallion was referring to. It was shortly after Trixie’s second encounter with Shining Armour. Shining revealed that they had a strong lead on ‘Shadow’, which was the codename that they had given to the stallion that had killed the Lulamoon family. And, even though he allowed Trixie to tag along, it was under the condition that she remain on the backlines. She had always suspected that he noticed her there, though, but wasn’t sure… until now.
“Now, I can do what I should have done all those years ago. With this, the Lulamoon family will come to an end.”
“Trixie? Where are you?”
Trixie’s breathing stopped for a split-second, and her attention immediately shifted to the kitchen door. ‘No! Twilight, don’t come this way!’
“Oh, that’s right… You have a marefriend now, don’t you?” Shadow let out a low chuckle, and used a spell to pin Trixie to the kitchen wall. She struggled against its hold, but he was simply too powerful. “I can’t have anypony witness me and live. You stay there for now. I’ll take care of our little pest.”
‘N-No!’ Trixie tried to shout out, but the words wouldn’t leave her mouth. She struggled harder, trying with all her might to break free.
“Trixie? Are you in the there?”
‘Twilight, run!’
Shadow approached the kitchen door, and pulled something out of his cloak. As the door opened, a purple Unicorn walked in, an innocent smile on her face.
‘Twilight, get out of here! Hurry!’
Shadow aimed his crossbow at Twilight’s forehead, and, with a wicked grin spread across his muzzle, pulled the trigger.
“TWILIIIIIIGHT!” Trixie shouted as she bolted up in her bed. A cold sweat ran down her body, and she panted heavily as she stared ahead into space. It took her a few moments to realise that it was a dream, and then jumped when she felt something press against her side.
She turned to find that it was Twilight Sparkle, who was still sleeping away peacefully, mumbling something about wanting more cookies. Trixie laughed lightly, and brushed a hoof against Twilight’s cheek. ‘How stupid of me, having nightmares with somepony like this sleeping next to me.’
Twilight stirred as she felt Trixie’s hoof stroking her, and, with a moan, slowly opened her eyes. “Ngh… Trixie?”
“Sorry. Did Trixie wake you?” Trixie gave Twilight a big smile. She didn’t want to worry the other Unicorn.
Twilight rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes. “You interrupted my dream. And it was going so well, too.”
Trixie rolled over so that she was on top of Twilight, and gave the mare beneath her a sultry grin. “Then, how about if Trixie one-ups your silly little dream?”
Trixie kissed Twilight before she could respond, and the other mare returned the kiss eagerly. The two spent a good few minutes lying in bed together, exploring each other’s mouths and enjoying each other’s tastes. Eventually, though, Twilight had to stop it.
“Trixie,” she said, trying to push Trixie away. Trixie simply settled for planting kisses on Twilight’s neck. “Trixie, we have to get ready. We’re meeting my parents today, remember?”
Trixie suddenly stopped, but then continued again just as suddenly. “We can’t… take… a later… train?” she asked in-between kisses.
Twilight, as much as she was enjoying the feel of Trixie’s lips along her neck, eventually pushed the other mare away. “My brother has evening duty today. He’s been very busy lately, and you won’t have another chance to meet him for a while if we don’t leave early.”
Trixie pouted, and then climbed out of bed. “Fiiiiine. But tonight, the Great and Powerful Trixie expects your full attention.”
Twilight nodded, and wrapped her forelegs around Trixie’s neck. “If you’re a good girl, and are ready to leave before me, I’ll close the library early tonight, and convince Rarity to let Spike sleep over at her place.”
That was all the motivation that Trixie needed to suddenly bolt into the upstairs bathroom and begin her morning routine of brushing her hair and cleaning her teeth. Twilight, no longer having anything to support her, fell forward off of the bed, her face slamming onto the hard wooden floor beneath her.
“… I guess I’d better break into my gem stash,” she said with a sigh as she picked herself up. She then looked over at the bathroom door, and an uneasy smile grew on her face. ‘I just hope mum and dad will like her… And Shiny, too.’
Trixie adjusted the eye patch on her face, using her reflection in the train’s window to assist her. She then brought her hooves down to her seat and began to tap it for a bit, and began to look around the train car as she fidgeted in her seat.
“Trixie, I’m sure my parents will love you, just like I do.” Twilight blushed at her own statement, and began to fiddle with her forehooves. “Well, not quite the way I do, but if you just be yourself, I’m sure you’ll get along great with them.”
“How should Trixie address them?” Trixie asked, bringing a confused look to Twilight’s face. “Trixie has never dealt with a friend or marefriend’s parents before. Should she address them as Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle? Or by their names?” A thought crossed Trixie’s mind. “What are their names, by the way?”
“I didn’t tell you?” Trixie shook head. “Well, my dad is called Night Light, and he’s an astrologist. My mother’s name is Twilight Velvet, and she’s a famous author. She mostly writes epic adventure stories, but she also writes a little romance on the side.”
“Your mother is a storyteller?” Trixie enquired, her ears perking up.
“Oh, no no no no… She writes good stories, but she’s way too shy to actually recite them to a crowd. Maybe that’s where I get it from,” Twilight added bashfully, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.
Trixie put a hoof to her chin. “So your dad is an astrologist… Trixie might be able to use that. Trixie does like stargazing, after all.”
“That’s the spirit!” Twilight encouraged. “Like I said, just be yourself! Though maybe we should refrain from mentioning our little… incident, in Manehatten.” Trixie nodded in agreement. “And try to keep your hooves to yourself when we’re in their company.”
“Ugh! Why does meeting your parents have to be such a chore?!” Trixie joked, causing the purple mare sitting next to her to laugh. “So, your mother and father… And what about your brother?”
“Well, my brother’s-” The train suddenly began to shake, and then came to a complete stop. “W-What the?”
“You okay?” Trixie asked, holding Twilight in her hooves. During the shaking, Twilight had fallen off of her seat, and Trixie had quickly come to her rescue.
“Y-Yeah,” Twilight said, blushing at how close her face was to Trixie’s.
Ding-dong!
“We apologise for the sudden stop. Rest assured that everything is just fine, and that the train will continue moving momentarily.”
Ding-dong!
“What could it be?” Twilight wondered. Trixie got up from her seat, opened one of the nearby windows, and stuck her head outside to check. “Well? Do you see anything?”
“Looks like there’s something on the tracks, though Trixie can’t make it out from here. A chariot, perhaps?”
“Huh, well that’s certainly strange. Who would leave a chariot on a train track like that?”
“There are a lot of crazies out there, Twilight Sparkle.” Trixie pulled her head back in and gave her marefriend a grin. “Well, it seems we have a little extra time… What d’you think we should do with it?”
“Ooh! I did bring along a puzzle book! We could do a crossword together!”
Trixie shook her head, and leaned closer.
“… Or, we could find somewhere private and make out?”
“That’s better,” Trixie said, licking her lips as she approached Twilight with a hungry look in her eyes.
“O-Okay… but this better keep you satisfied until we return to Ponyville!”
Trixie nodded, and Twilight managed to keep her at bay long enough for the two of them to search the train for a private area.
Ten minutes later, the train began to move again, and thirty minutes after that, the two arrived at Canterlot.
The town of Canterlot was absolutely buzzing with activity. Stallions and mares were running all over the place, relaying instructions to each other and setting up decorations. Little fillies and colts were also on the streets, handing out fliers, which Twilight found strange, considering it was a school day.
“What’s going on?” Trixie asked Twilight, who shrugged in response.
“I don’t know… Let’s go find out. Whatever it is, it looks exciting.”
“Trixie has never seen the ponies of Canterlot acting like this,” Trixie said as she followed Twilight into town. “Could the ponies have been made aware of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s arrival?”
Twilight giggled along with Trixie. “Or maybe they’re here to greet Princess Celestia’s star pupil?”
Trixie whistled appreciatively at Twilight’s response. “You’re getting better, Twilight. Though still a little modest,” she quickly added, noticing Twilight’s intense blush. “Still, keep it up, and you’ll be a regular showmare.”
“I… I don’t know. Joking about something like that to you is one thing, but I would never be caught saying that to a crowd of ponies.”
“You should take more pride in your status. Most ponies would do anything to have what you have.”
“I do take pride in it… I just don’t feel comfortable showing off in front of so many ponies. I’ve always been one to get stage fright. That’s also why I almost blew my chance to enter Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”
“Excuse me, miss?” Twilight stopped when a small Unicorn filly intercepted her path. “Can you please spare a moment to donate some bits for the victims of the recent cave-in at the Colton Mines?”
“Cave-ins?” Twilight asked, leaning forward to read the flier being held by the filly’s magic. “‘A concert to help raise money for the victims and their families of the recent Colton Mines disaster’? Oh my gosh, when did that happen?”
“It was a few days ago. Princess Luna has dispatched many soldiers to search the mines for survivors, and Prince Blueblood has arranged for a charity concert, to help raise money to help the town.”
“Prince Blueblood did?” Twilight asked disbelievingly.
“Why is that so surprising?” Trixie asked. “From what the Great and Powerful Trixie has heard, that Prince will do just about anything to improve his public image. Well, anything that doesn’t involve hard labour on his part.”
“That sure sounds like him,” Twilight said. She opened her saddlebag and pulled out small bag of bits. “I’m sorry, I only have fifteen bits on me right now.”
“Every bit will be greatly appreciated, ma’am!” the filly exclaimed happily. She then turned to Trixie with an expectant look on her face.
Trixie eyed the filly suspiciously. “How do we know this isn’t just some elaborate con to take our money?”
The filly tilted her head in confusion. “Trixie!” Twilight hissed. “What are you-”
Trixie leaned in to whisper into Twilight’s ear. “Trixie’s seen this before. Heck, Trixie’s done this before! And events like these are the perfect cover for pretending to be a pony collecting money for charity.”
“Don’t you think you’re being just a little bit paranoid? Look around! There are dozens of foals collecting money!” Twilight whispered back.
“Exactly! That’s what makes it the perfect cover! With all these foals collecting money, who would suspect any of them of trying to steal money?”
“Trixie.” Twilight gave Trixie a disapproving look.
“D-Don’t look at me like that! Trixie is just being cautious, that’s all!” Twilight’s look didn’t soften any. “Haven’t you ever heard the saying: ‘Better safe than sorry’?!” Twilight’s eyes narrowed further. “Ugh! Fine!” Trixie opened her saddlebag, and pulled out three coins. She placed them into the tin hanging around the filly’s neck. “That’s all that Trixie has to give right now. The rest is for a train ticket home.”
The filly thanked both mares, and then ran off to ask a group of stallions for some donations. Twilight and Trixie continued to walk down the street, looking around at all of the decorations around them.
“Wow. Looks like they’re going all out with this concert, huh?” Trixie said. “Better watch yourself. Trixie can guarantee that thieves will be resting up for this event.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “By the way,” she started, moving closer to Trixie, “I get that your past has left you a little wary about other ponies, but don’t you think you could have donated just a little bit more than three bits?”
Trixie shook her head. “Like Trixie said, the rest of her money is for a train ticket home.”
“Can’t you just go to the bank and make a withdrawal? Don’t tell me you left your card at home.”
“The money in Trixie’s saving account is not to be touched. It’s bad enough she had to use it to buy a new trailer. She is not going to withdraw it for anything else, not even for charity.”
Twilight frowned at Trixie. “Why not? What are you saving up for, exactly?”
Trixie stopped in her tracks, causing Twilight to stop too. The purple mare looked at Trixie expectantly. “… You’ll think it’s stupid,” Trixie muttered.
“Maybe, but I’d like to know,” Twilight responded. “I mean, if it’s so important to you, I think that, as your marefriend, I should know.”
“… It’s for when Trixie… has a child…” Of all the things Twilight was expecting to hear, that was not one of them. “Trixie has been saving the money that goes into her account ever since she opened it, which was when she first joined Celestia’s school. In other words, since she was twelve years old. Trixie has been saving for nine years, so that, when the time comes, she would be ready.”
Twilight wasn’t sure what to say. “… You’ve been… thinking about having a foal… since you were twelve?”
Trixie shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s just that, Trixie definitely wants to have a child someday, you know? Since Trixie has grown up without ever knowing her family… without knowing what it’s like to have a mother, a father, an uncle, an aunt, or anything like that… she at least wants to know what it’s like to have a son or a daughter.
“But she doesn’t want to bring a life into this world, only for it to suffer the same way that Trixie has. When Trixie has a child, she will give it everything that it could ever need! A roof over its head, a warm bed, all the food and water that it will need to survive… Trixie wants to give her child all of the things that she never got.”
Twilight was speechless. She simply stared at Trixie, her mouth hanging open as she tried to find the right words. “Trixie… you’ve put that much thought into it…” Twilight moved closer to Trixie, and hugged her. “Well, you don’t have to worry. When we have a foal, we’ll raise it together. You won’t have to be alone, and you won’t have to worry about our child being alone, either.”
Trixie smiled, and returned Twilight’s hug… before realising what Twilight was saying. “T-Twilight, do you realise what you just said?”
Twilight nodded. “I did… It’s funny. We’re not even married yet, but I’m already talking about us having children one day… and it doesn’t feel strange at all. Not one bit.”
Trixie let out a nervous laugh, and after a few more moments in each other’s embraces, the two separated. After a quick kiss, Twilight continued leading the way down the streets of Canterlot, towards her parents’ house.
“We’d better hurry. Mum hates when ponies aren’t on time.”
“Is that where you get it from?” Trixie giggled.
Twilight nudged her marefriend. “If you think I’m bad, just wait. Mum’s so much worse.”
Trixie scoffed. ‘I find that hard to believe.’
“Well, here we are,” Twilight said, her legs starting to shake as she and Trixie stopped just outside of the gates to her parents’ house. She rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe that she was getting nervous now of all times, when they had already arrived at their destination. “Sooo… Let’s go.”
“Y-Yeah.” For a while, the two just stood outside of the gates, shuffling their hooves on the ground and giving each other nervous grins as they each tried to muster up the courage to take the first step.
Finally, with a gulp, Twilight opened the gate, and began to move forward. Trixie followed, staying as close as possible to Twilight as she moved, and taking deep breaths to calm herself. ‘I’m probably just being silly. If it’s Twilight’s parents, I’m sure they’ll accept me. Just as long as I don’t let them know I grew up on the streets… or that I committed thefts in my youth… or that I was once a member of a gang wanted by the Royal Guard… Oh crap, why did I not think of these things before coming here?’
“Get ready, Trixie,” Twilight said, allowing Trixie to fully brace herself as she brought a hoof up to the front door of the house.
Knock, knock.
…
Click!
Trixie’s left ear twitched as she heard the sounds of movement on the other side of the door, and she tensed up as soon as the door began to open. However, what she saw next was not at all what she was expecting.
“Twiley!” the white Unicorn stallion on the other side of the door cried out as he reached forward to hug the purple mare before him. “I’m glad you could make it! It’s been so long since I last saw you!”
“Too long,” Twilight added, returning the stallion’s hug. They parted, and Twilight directed the stallion’s attention to Trixie. “Shiny, there’s somepony I want you to meet. This is my marefriend, Trixie Lulamoon.” Both Trixie and Shining Armour stared at each other with wide, disbelieving eyes. “And Trixie, this is my B.B.B.F.F., Shining Armour.”
“… B.B.B.F.F.?” Trixie asked, not taking her eyes off of Shining Armour.
“‘Big brother best friend forever’,” Twilight explained with a happy smile.
Trixie nodded, and continued to stare at the stallion before her. Shining decided to break the silence before it grew too awkward. He cleared his throat, and then gave Trixie a cold, hard glare. “Well, I can’t say that I approve of this,” he said, his voice stern.
Twilight gave her brother a shocked look, and was about to speak up, before Trixie cut her off.
“That’s fine,” she said, returning his cold look. “The Great and Powerful Trixie can date whomever she wants. She certainly doesn’t need your approval!” She pointed a hoof towards the stallion, who simply scoffed in response.
“Twiley, you can do better.”
“Twilight, your brother’s an ass.”
Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They hadn’t even known each other for a full minute yet, and they were already attacking each other verbally. She was about to ask Trixie to calm down, when she saw the telltale grin on her face.
“Shining,” she said, lowering her hoof and suppressing the laughter building up within her. “I think we’ve teased her enough.”
Shining wasn’t holding up as well as Trixie, and allowed his own laughter to escape before responding. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Twilight was once again in shock at what she was hearing. She shifted her glance between the two ponies, who were both laughing at their apparent joke together and talking as if they were childhood friends. “W-What’s going on?” she asked, looking at Trixie, but directing her question at either of them.
“Sorry, Twilight,” Trixie said, walking over to the perplexed mare and nuzzling her cheek. “Trixie just couldn’t resist playing along.”
“Still, your language was a little harsh, don’t you think?” Shining asked, raising a hoof and rubbing it against the top of Twilight’s head, messing up her mane a little bit.
“What, the Captain of the Royal Guard hasn’t heard worse?”
“Trust me, those rumours about the Royal Guard being gentlecolts are completely unfounded.”
Twilight moved back from Trixie’s nuzzling and Shining’s noogying, and gave them the same confused look as before. “Wait wait wait wait… You two know each other?”
“Well, kinda…” Shining Armour answered. “I didn’t know that Trixie was your marefriend, though. I’ve gotta say, that rather took me by surprise.”
“And Trixie had no idea that this hopeless romantic was your brother,” Trixie added.
Twilight raised her eyebrow at Trixie’s description of her brother, whilst Shining Armour quickly moved aside to invite the two in, suddenly seeming a lot more nervous. “A-Anyway, mum and dad are in the kitchen! And I think mum’s baked some cookies for you, Twiley.”
Twilight’s face suddenly lit up, and she quickly rushed inside, making her way quickly towards the kitchen. Trixie laughed and began to follow, but was blocked by Shining Armour.
“Trixie, wait. Before you go in, I have a favour to ask of you.”
“Oh? Well, since you are Twilight’s ‘B.B.B.F.F.’, you are in luck! The Great and Powerful Trixie will offer her assistance free of charge!”
Shining rolled his eyes, and motioned for her to lean closer. As she did, he leaned forward to whisper into her ear. “Listen, none of my family knows about me and Cadance yet, and I would appreciate it if they didn’t find out. At least not until I’m ready to tell them.”
“So basically, you want Trixie to keep your relationship a secret?”
“Pretty much.”
Trixie nodded, and then walked around Shining Armour to enter the house. “Do not worry. Trixie will not utter a word of it to Twilight Sparkle or your parents.” Trixie hesitated for a bit, and then turned back to face the stallion once more, this time with a serious look on her face. “Hey, about Shadow…”
Shining’s smile fell into a frown. “Oh, right… I guess… this makes things a little more awkward, huh?”
Trixie shook her head. “You need not fear. Trixie has decided not to pursue this case any further. Not when she has Twilight in her life… Trixie finally has something to lose, and the risks are simply too great.”
Shining Armour smiled once more, and he offered a silent thank you to Trixie. “So, what’s the problem then?”
“… Is there any chance… that Shadow knows that I’m still alive?”
Shining Armour put a hoof to his chin. “Well, you were never officially marked off as dead, but then, your birth itself was never officially recorded, so I can’t imagine he was able to keep track of you after you escaped from him the first time around…”
“But what if he knows that I was there in Manechester? Is that possible?”
“… I would like to say no.” Shining Armour sighed, and walked closer to Trixie. “But with him, we can’t be too careful. He’s been evading us for over thirty years now… But, if you haven’t been attacked yet, then I can’t imagine that he’ll suddenly come after you now.”
Trixie smiled at that. That was very reassuring for her. “Yes… Yes, that makes sense.” With a relieved sigh, Trixie turned around and walked a little further into the house. Shining Armour followed her, and then offered to lead her to the kitchen. “Don’t worry,” she said, “Trixie will take good care of your sister, Shining Armour.”
Shining shot her a confident smile. “I know you will. Though you’ll have to get past our parents, first…”
Trixie frowned at that. “Trixie knew it. They’re not going to like her, are they?”
“Well, that depends… on whether or not you pass their ‘test’.”
“‘Test’?”
Trixie entered the kitchen after Shining Armour. She was amazed by how big it was. Sure, she had heard that the nobles of Canterlot had big rooms in their houses, but she never imagined they would be this big. The kitchen itself was as big as the Golden Oaks Library’s main room!
“There you are!” Twilight said excitedly, running over to Trixie with a half-eaten cookie engulfed in her magical aura. “What took you two so long?”
Trixie grinned at the sight of cookie crumbs all around Twilight’s mouth, and motioned to them with her hoof. Twilight seemed to get the message, and, with a blush, quickly wiped them away.
“We were just catching up a bit,” Trixie said, receiving a wink from Shining Armour. She then noticed the two older ponies behind Twilight, walking up to the two of them.
“So, this is the mare that’s after our daughter’s hoof in marriage?” the blue stallion asked.
Twilight spun around quickly. “Daaaad, I told you, we’re not engaged yet!”
The white mare shook her head. “Well? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Twilight nodded, and then waved a hoof across her two parents. “Trixie, these are my parents, Night Light, and Twilight Velvet.” They both bowed their heads, but kept their faces neutral. “Mum, dad, this is Trixie. We’ve been going out for some time now-”
“And you never once thought to tell us about it?” Velvet asked, cutting off her daughter. “Honestly, Twilight. How could you leave us in the dark about something as big as this?”
Shining Armour bit his lower lip, and casually walked away from the conversation. Trixie noticed that Twilight was having trouble thinking up a response, so she decided to step forward and come to her rescue.
“It’s nice to meet you, um… Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle?” She extended a forehoof, and the two parents accepted her hoofshake with uninterested looks.
“Just Night Light, if you don’t mind,” the father said.
Velvet nodded in agreement. “And you can just call me Velvet. ‘Mrs. Sparkle’ just makes me sound so old.”
An awkward silence filled the air for a bit, which Twilight sought to end quickly. “So, uh… Mum, guess what! Trixie is a professional storyteller!” Velvet raised an eyebrow at the showmare, who gave a proud grin in return. “Maybe you could show her some of the books you’ve written?”
“Is that right?” Velvet asked. “Is that what you do for a living?”
Trixie nodded. “Well, that, and Trixie is also a travelling magician.”
“And how much does that earn you?” Night Light asked, surprising Twilight. “Enough to support a family?”
“D-Dad!”
“Well… it depends. Sometimes, Trixie earns a lot. But then there are times when…”
“What are you two doing?” Twilight asked her parents. “Why are you asking her something like that?”
“We’re just concerned, Twilight,” Velvet said, smiling at her daughter. “We want to make sure our daughter is in good hooves.”
“Well I’ll be the judge of that, thank you very much,” Twilight said back, giving both of her parents a stern look.
Night Light didn’t back off, however, and shifted his gaze back to Trixie. “You know, I’ve actually heard an interesting rumour about you.” Trixie swallowed the lump in her throat, and took a step back under Night Light’s glare. “About how you have a rather short fuse, and use your magic rather aggressively in a fight.”
“Stop it!” Twilight shouted. “I can’t believe this! I come here to introduce you to the mare I love, and you two are just-”
“Please, Twilight,” Velvet started. “You must understand, we just want to make sure that you don’t get involved in something that you’ll later regret. You deserve only the best, and quite frankly, we don’t think that this mare is it.”
Trixie huffed at that, and took a hard step forward, her nervousness from earlier now replaced with resolve. “Yeah, so what?” she asked, startling both parents. “So Trixie needs your approval to be with your daughter? Is that it? Well news flash: the two of us have been happily dating for months now, and we will continue to do so because we love each other!” Trixie pulled Twilight towards her, into a hug. “Trixie doesn’t care if you approve or disapprove, she’s not going to let Twilight go, so you’re just going to have to deal with it!”
Night Light and Twilight Velvet returned Trixie’s glare with equal levels of ferocity. Behind them, Shining Armour was nervously nibbling on a piece of toast as he watched the scene unfold. Twilight was sweating and silently pleading for everypony to calm down.
“You have some nerve to speak to us like that!” Night Light said. This set Twilight off, and the purple mare wormed her way out of Trixie’s hold to confront her dad.
“No, you have some nerve speaking to my marefriend like that! I don’t get it! Why can’t you be happy that I’ve found somepony I love and want to spend the rest of my life with? Why are you purposely trying to find faults with her, without even giving her a chance?” Twilight took a step back so that she was standing next to Trixie, and leaned her head onto her lover’s shoulder. “It’s as she said: we love each other, and I’m not going to give her up, no matter what you say!”
The two parents looked taken aback by Twilight’s words, before returning their glares to Trixie, who simply returned their glares with a smug, confident look on her face. After a few more moments of silence, Night Light and Twilight Velvet exchanged looks, and nodded to each other.
They then turned back to the happy couple, this time with smiles on their faces. “Well then, I guess that’s it!” Night Light said, walking up to Trixie and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “You certainly do care for our daughter, don’t you?” Trixie, not quite sure what was going on, simply nodded in confusion. “Thank Celestia! You’ll make a wonderful wife for Twilight! And you most certainly have my blessing!”
Velvet walked by her husband’s side and gave the showmare a quick nod. “Mine too. And it seems that Twilight cares just as deeply for you as you do for her! I wish the two of you a lifetime of happiness!”
Twilight and Trixie simply gaped as the two now-cheerful parents turned around and walked over to their son, engaging him in conversation about his own current love-life, as if nothing weird had just happened at all between them.
“Wait… dad?”
“Hm?” Night Light asked, turning to his daughter.
“W-What was that?” Twilight was now even more confused than before.
“Oh, that little act? We just wanted to see how the two of you would react to disapproving parents.” Night Light turned back to his son and continued their conversation, as if that answer alone was satisfactory.
“Wait wait wait WAIT!” The two parents and Shining Armour turned back to the young couple, each one smiling as they waited for her to continue. “You mean… you were testing us?!”
Trixie placed a hoof to her forehead. “So this is what he meant…”
Velvet laughed, and then shook her head. “Oh, no. Not at all, dear. We were already certain of your relationship from the letters that you sent us.” She gave her daughter a disappointed frown. “I would have thought you’d have a little more faith in us. Of course we’d trust you if you tell us you’ve found the mare of your dreams.”
“‘The mare of your dreams’?” Trixie asked with an amused look on her face.
Twilight ignored it, though still blushed quite noticeably, and turned to her father. “Then, why did you-”
“Like I said: we just wanted to see what would have happened if we didn’t approve. You know, like in all of those family dramas! We wanted to see how accurate they were.”
“We considered being the type of parents that would disapprove of you two both being mares in love,” Velvet said, “But we thought that that may have been in too poor of taste. Not to mention, you already know that I have friends that are… that way,” she added, trying to delicately phrase it without using the term ‘filly foolers’, which some ponies were fine with, whilst others found it offensive.
Twilight simply couldn’t believe it, and it was evident in the way that she was gaping at her parents. Finally, Shining Armour decided to add something to the conversation. “Come on, Twiley, don’t be so surprised. These are the same parents that pretended to forget your sixteenth birthday, and that pretended to be worshippers of Tirek for April Foals Day.”
Night Light shivered at the memory, and reached out for a cookie, only for his hoof to be slapped away by Velvet. “I still say the Royal Guard needs to lighten up a bit, and not take everything so seriously.”
Whilst Twilight was busy blushing and hiding her face from Trixie as she approached her family, the showmare was happily laughing along with Twilight’s parents, not showing any signs of unease in her facial expression. Though inside her mind, she was thinking: ‘So this is where she gets her crazy from. No wonder she was a recluse before moving to Ponyville.’
“Now then, Trixie dear, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?” Velvet asked, levitating a cookie towards Trixie.
Trixie happily accepted the offer. “Well, let’s see… where should Trixie began?” She leaned over to Twilight, and whispered: “Should Trixie tell them the truth?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Of course,” she whispered back, but then considered her answer for a bit. “… Well, just whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Trixie nodded, and, after taking a moment to think, decided to start her stories from her time in Celestia’s School.
“And this is our family trip to Zebrica,” Velvet said as she flipped a page in her photo album, revealing a set of photographs starring herself, her husband, and two much smaller versions of Shining Armour and Twilight Sparkle. Shining Armour still hadn’t gotten his Cutie Mark by that point, and Twilight was still in diapers. “Twilight was probably too young to remember it, but I bet Shining remembers our trip there just fine,” she added in a teasing tone, giving her son a wicked grin.
Shining Armour turned his head away to hide his blush. “I… don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Velvet laughed and leaned closer to Trixie. “Shining met some young zebra filly there, and the two really became close during our stay. You should have seen them when we had to leave. He was practically in tears, and he made such a fuss on the chariot ride back.”
Both mares giggled as they produced the image in their minds, whilst Shining Armour continued to turn his head away so that they couldn’t see his face.
Twilight Sparkle entered the room at that point, having just returned from the bathroom. She noticed Trixie and her mother giggling together like schoolfillies, and Shining Armour refusing to face either of them. “… Did I miss something?” she dared to ask as she sat down next to Trixie.
Trixie pulled Twilight closer, so that she was practically leaning against the showmare. Whilst Trixie didn’t mind it one bit, Twilight wasn’t quite so comfortable being in such a position in front of her parents. Even if they didn’t seem to react to it… in fact, that probably made it even worse, since it meant that she had no idea how they felt about it!
“Your mother was just going over some family photos,” Trixie said, before reaching a hoof out and pointing to one photograph in particular. “Who’s this? The colt that Twilight is hanging off of?”
Twilight also looked over at the photo album, at the picture in question. It was a photograph of herself as a baby, and her brother as a young colt, both hugging a colt just a little older than Shining Armour.
“Aah, that would be Knight Guard,” Velvet answered. “He was their favourite uncle. Isn’t that right?”
Twilight and Shining both nodded silently. “He was only a little bit older than us,” Twilight explained. “So we got along with him better than our other uncles, who were…”
Night Light cut Twilight off with a laugh. “All of their other uncles were about our age,” he continued for his daughter. “And back then, they were both so shy around grown-ups. Even relatives.”
“Is that right?” Trixie asked with a grin. “Well, she’s still pretty shy today, too.”
Twilight playfully nudged Trixie with her hoof, who nudged back in response.
“Hey, you two. No roughhousing indoors,” Night Light said, chuckling as he saw the two mares turn red.
Velvet laughed along too, before flipping over to the next page of the photo album. “Oh, now this is a fun page!” she said, motioning for Trixie to take a look. Trixie complied, and immediately pressed her hooves to her mouth to stifle her laughter.
“What is it?” Twilight asked, trying to look too, but being prevented by Velvet as she moved the album away from her. “Mum? What photos are you showing her?” She was beginning to grow worried now, and tried harder to take a look. “Trixie! Stop laughing and help me out!”
“Trixie is sorry, Twilight,” Trixie said, confusing the purple mare. “Trixie had no idea she was breaking up such a beautiful relationship. Maybe she should just leave.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, as she had a pretty good idea of what Trixie had just seen. She turned to her mother with a look of horror on her face. “… You didn’t…”
“Now, now, Twilight,” Velvet said, turning the photo album around to reveal the page to her daughter. “I thought it was a beautiful wedding.”
Twilight’s fears were confirmed: it was a collection photos from when Twilight was seven years old, and performed a mock wedding with her favourite doll, Smarty Pants. She had even ‘borrowed’ her parents’ wedding rings for the occasion.
“Trixie sure hopes you two are divorced. Bigamy isn’t exactly looked well upon in Equestria.”
Twilight picked up one of the cushions on the couch she was sitting on, and buried her face into it. “I can’t believe you took pictures of that!”
“It’s a mother’s job to capture her child’s embarrassing moments,” Velvet responded. “Speaking of which, I think I have a fair few of Shining’s coming up soon.”
Shining Armour, who had also been laughing along with Trixie, suddenly gasped and rose to his hooves, a serious look on his face. “It’s getting late. I should really be heading back now. What with all of my Royal Guard duties and all.”
“Are you sure, son?” Night Light asked. “You know it’s been a while since we all last got together like this.”
Shining Armour nodded. “I know, but the case I’m working on now is really big. Some joker is spraying anti-Luna graffiti all over Canterlot, and the only witnesses we’ve got so far are rather… exhausting.”
Velvet closed her photo album, and looked over at the grandfather clock behind her husband. “Actually, I think I should probably be making a start of dinner soon, anyway.” She turned to Trixie. “Trixie dear, would you like to lend me a hoof in the kitchen? Twilight tells me you’re a pretty good cook.”
“Trixie wouldn’t mind at all,” Trixie responded.
Night Light got up from his seat, and approached his son. “I’ll see you out,” he said, using his magic to levitate Shining’s coat from a nearby coat rack.
Velvet also got up, and followed her husband and son outside. She asked Trixie if she’d like to accompany her to the kitchen, to which the showmare told her that she would be there in a moment.
Once they were the only two left in the room, Trixie leaned closer to Twilight. “Trixie is confused. Trixie thought that it was rude to ask guests to cook dinner.”
Twilight shrugged. “I think that only applies to asking guests to cook on their own. And the books I have say that this is a great way to get in-laws to bond with your partner.”
“Trixie sees…” Trixie rubbed a hoof against her chin, staring off into space as she thought about something.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.
“Trixie was just thinking… Hypothetically, if you and Trixie were to get married, then your parents would become Trixie’s mother and father-in-law, correct?” Twilight nodded. “… Wouldn’t that make us sisters-in-law?”
The two stared at each other in silence for a bit, before quickly shaking their heads to disperse the idea. “L-Let’s not read too far into that,” Twilight said, her body shivering a little bit.
“Agreed. So, Trixie should just go and assist your mother in the kitchen… and use it as an opportunity to get closer?” Twilight nodded. “Any advice?”
Twilight thought about it for a second. “Hmmm… Oh, don’t tell her that you like Daring Do. Her ‘rival’ wrote those,” she explained, using her hooves to air quote the word ‘rival’. “Also, don’t bring up her romance novels. Otherwise, you’ll be there for hours listening to her pitching new ideas to you.”
“That doesn’t sound so ba-”
“They’re erotic romance novels,” Twilight added, causing Trixie to blush. “And trust me, once she’s in the zone, she has no grasp of how uncomfortable she’s making somepony feel.”
“N-Noted.” With a deep breath, Trixie turned around and prepared herself. “Wish Trixie luck.”
Forty-five minutes later, Twilight Sparkle and Night Light, who had been passing the time catching up with each other, were called into the kitchen by Twilight Velvet. As they entered, Trixie was just finishing up setting the table for everypony.
The dinner looked delicious, and from the reactions it received from Twilight and Night Light, tasted just as good, too.
“Wow, this is great, honey!” Night Light said to his wife, before taking another bite of the potatoes on his plate.
“Don’t forget Trixie, dear,” Velvet said back. “She was a big help.”
Twilight smiled at her marefriend. “So, what did you two talk about while you were in here?”
“Oh, Trixie told me about how the two of you first met, and how you both started dating.”
“How we met?” Twilight gulped.
“Yes. She told me all about the show she performed in Ponyville, and how you and your friends simply adored it.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes at Trixie, who was whistling innocently as she turned her head to the side. “I see… And that’s all you talked about?”
“Oh, heavens no. I also told her some stories about your foalhood.” Twilight suddenly felt uneasy. “She’s a curious one, much like you. She asked so many questions about what you were like as a young filly.”
Trixie turned her attention back to Twilight. “You’ve had a pretty interesting childhood, apparently… Trixie finds it hard to believe that you, of all ponies, could have caused so much trouble in your youth.”
Twilight’s ears flattened against her head. “Mum… what exactly did you tell her?”
Trixie decided to answer in Velvet’s place. “Well, first of all, she told Trixie about how you once ripped your doll’s leg off, and since your mother was in the shower, you went out to the hospital all by yourself to have him ‘treated’.”
Twilight’s face turned red, and she suddenly wanted to hide under the table. “I-I was five.”
“And then she told Trixie about the time you tried to turn yourself in to the Royal Guard for spilling ink into a library book.”
“… I was nine then, I think…”
“And then the time that you had a fever, but refused to get any rest because you wanted to do your homework.”
“Okay, I get it! You two talked, you two bonded!” Twilight picked up her glass of water and took a huge drink. “How about we talk about something else? Like bowling! Dad, how’s your bowling team going?”
“We’re still blowing away the competition, if that’s what you mean,” Night Light answered. “Speaking of bowling, I seem to recall an incident where Twilight was curious as to where the ball and the pins go at the end of the lane, and got scared when the machinery tried to sweep her away.”
Twilight brought both of her forehooves to her face, and peeked through them to see Trixie giving her a sly grin. ‘Why couldn’t they have been the types of parents that are against our relationship?’
“Well, as much as Trixie loves to see Twilight doing her impression of a Red Delicious, perhaps we should talk about something else. Before she buries herself in a fortress of books.”
Velvet almost choked on her water. She calmly set her glass down, and faced Trixie. “She still does that?”
“Hey mum! Trixie was wondering if she could help you with your newest romance novel!” Trixie’s eye widened, and she quickly turned her head to Twilight. Twilight simply gave a victorious grin back. ‘If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me!’
“Why, that would be simply wonderful!” Velvet said, suddenly starting to pick up the pace with her eating. “Then, after dinner, come up to my room and I’ll pitch you my ideas! Oh, this is going to be such a fun evening!”
“Eheh… yeah… great…” Twilight stuck out her tongue at Trixie, and then continued eating at a leisurely pace, whilst Trixie’s eating slowed down a lot.
Later that evening, after Trixie had spent a rather extended session with Twilight Velvet, where she learned things about Twilight’s mother that would continue to haunt her for the rest of her days, the young couple decided that they had better leave, so that they could make it back to Ponyville before sundown.
“So, what did you think?” Twilight asked as the two walked through the streets together. “My family’s pretty… interesting, don’t you think?”
“… Trixie thought that you were ‘interesting’. Your family is just plain crazy,” Trixie responded, a grin spreading across her muzzle. “Well, except for Shining. He’s just hopeless.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask… how exactly do the two of you know each other?”
“A long story, but basically, we met by chance during a drug trafficking case in Las Pegasus.” Trixie sighed as she remembered that first meeting. “At first, Trixie thought that he was rather handsome…”
Twilight noticed the look in Trixie’s eyes, and started to feel uncomfortable. “You don’t mean… that you and he…”
Trixie shook her head. “No, don’t worry. That thought only lasted until Trixie discovered how much of a bumbling buffoon he is. Certainly not a dependable stallion, by any means.” She turned to Twilight and gave her a sultry look. “And he certainly doesn’t carry the same… ‘charm’, that his sister does.”
“I see,” Twilight said, leaning over to rest her head on Trixie’s shoulders. “… I’m glad that you and my family were able to get along so well… Hey, Trixie?”
“Yes, Twilight?”
“… I… You know that ‘gang’ you told me about before?” Trixie stopped, soon followed by Twilight. “You told me before, that you consider them to be like the family you never had.”
“… Well, in a way. They did save me from a life of poverty.”
“Well… do you think, I could meet them?” Trixie didn’t answer, so Twilight continued. “I’d like to meet the ponies that you consider family, and maybe, to become friends with them? It would really mean a lot to me…”
Trixie looked around cautiously, and then took a few moments to think about it. “… Well, Trixie could ask them if that would be alright… but if they say ‘no’-”
“If they do, I’ll understand.”
Trixie nodded. “Then… how about if Trixie goes and asks them right now?” Trixie pointed to a nearby clock in the street. “We have plenty of time to catch the train, and it’s been a while since Trixie has last dropped in on them.”
“Could I come with you?” Twilight asked, but Trixie shook her head in response.
“If they agree to meet you, it would not be at their hideout. After all, they want to keep it a secret to everypony, including you.”
Twilight thought about it, and then nodded. “I understand… Then, I’ll wait for you at the station, and you go pay your ‘family’ a quick visit.”
With a smile, Trixie opened up her saddlebag and pulled out a pouch full of bits. “Here’s the money that Trixie set aside for a ticket back to Ponyville.”
Twilight nodded in understanding as she took the pouch from Trixie. “Got it. I’ll make sure to get your ticket for you.”
With a quick peck on the lips, the two Unicorns went their separate ways, Twilight heading towards the station, and Trixie ducking into an alleyway in the opposite direction.
‘Left here… avoid the broken glass all over the ground… scale this fence here… sneak through here…’ As Trixie ducked through the alleyways of Canterlot, drawing closer and closer to the slums with each and every step, a sense of nostalgia washed over her. She felt like she was a foal again, running through the alleyways in an attempt to shake off pursuers. Only this time, it was simply because she didn’t want to miss her train.
‘Here it is! And with plenty of time, too.’
Trixie cleared her throat, and adjusted her hat. She noticed her reflection in a nearby broken mirror lying on the floor, quickly tidying up her mane a little bit.
“Well, here goes nothing,” she said as she rose a hoof to the rusty door in front of her. She banged on it three times, and waited for a response. However, none came. What was even more surprising to Trixie, was that the door was slightly ajar.
Trixie grew worried at that point, and slowly pressed her hoof to the door. Bracing herself, she pushed the door open carefully, and peered inside…
She gasped at what she saw.
Twilight shuffled her hooves nervously on the train station platform as she looked around for any sign of Trixie. The train was going to be leaving soon, and the blue mare still hadn’t shown up yet.
Twilight was growing more worried by the second, wondering if something bad could have possibly happened to Trixie, or if Trixie had gotten lost, and had no idea where she was.
“… I’m going to go look for her,” Twilight told herself, getting ready to leave the train station, when a familiar blue figure caught her eye. She sighed with relief, and gave Trixie a disapproving frown as she drew closer. “Sheesh, talk about scaring me half to death! What took you so long?”
“Sorry,” Trixie said with a smile. Twilight felt that something was wrong… Something about Trixie’s smile just felt off to her, but before she could question it, Trixie spoke up. “We should get on; the train’s about to leave.”
Twilight gasped when she heard the final call for passengers to board the train, and quickly galloped on to the train, Trixie following her up to a point. But when the blue mare stopped just outside of the train, Twilight was sure now that something was wrong.
“Twilight,” Trixie said first, her smiling disappearing, and instead being replaced by a look of boredom. “This isn’t working out.”
Those four words seemed to make time freeze, and Twilight had to run them through her head multiple times before she could properly grasp them. She tried to leave the train to ask Trixie what she meant, but a purple barrier prevented her from doing so. “T-Trixie?!”
“This is getting boring, Twilight. I think I can do better.” Twilight’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung wide open as she saw Trixie turn her back to her. “I’ll come by later to pick up my stuff, but I want nothing more to do with you… Ciao.”
“Wait! Trixie, what are you saying!?” Twilight began to bang on the barrier, and charged up her magic, ready to tear it down. However, before she could do so, the train doors closed, and the train itself began to move, pulling away from the station. Twilight quickly rushed over to the nearest window, opened it up, and stuck her head out. She could see Trixie in the distance, slowly growing smaller and smaller as the train moved further away from the station.
“TRIXIE! TRIXIIIIIIIE!”
Back at the station, Trixie removed her hat and her cape, and threw them onto the ground. Her eye patch followed, and raised a hoof up to her face to wipe away her tears. ‘Twilight… you’ll be happier this way.’ A spark from Trixie’s horn set the pile of clothing and the eye patch on fire, startling a few of the ponies around her.
As the last remnants of the Great and Powerful Trixie burned away, the former showmare jumped off of the train station platform, and began to follow the tracks out of Canterlot, a hard look of resolve on her face. ‘You and I can never be together. You are the light that is the shining centre of you and your friends… whereas I am the dark that hides the blood I am about to spill.’