Eyes On You

by UnlicensedBrony

Interlude - Reflection

Trixie nudged open the door to the bedroom proper, just enough to poke her nose inside. She felt a little hypocritical for not knocking first, but she really didn't want to wake Twilight if she was actually asleep.

A quick glance around the room told that the bookish unicorn was missing. Curious, Trixie pushed inside and cast her eyes about for some sign of her partner. Twilight's pair of saddlebags still rested at the hoof of the bed, and her stack of books still sat atop her bedside table, so she hadn't gone far.

Across the room, the curtains that hung across the balcony door fluttered in a gentle breeze. The door seemed to have been left open a crack. Trixie crept over and peered out through the glass. It was dark out, but the pale moonlight was enough to illuminate the crouched, lavender figure on the balcony.

Pushing open the door with her snout, Trixie stepped outside, where she found her partner, knelt down and facing out towards the city. To Trixie's surprise, Twilight didn't have her nose in a book for once. In fact, she was looking up into the night sky – heedless of Trixie's approach – and nodding occasionally, as if counting.

“Twilight?” Trixie called out gently.

Twilight gave a start and turned her head. “Trixie! What're you doing out here?”

The showmare smirked at having caught her off guard. “I was coming to tell you to stop studying and get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, after all.” She paused and curled her lip in thought as she stepped up to Twilight's side. “But you're obviously not reading... what are you doing?”

Twilight opened her mouth, but stopped herself short of speaking. After a short pause, she shook her head with a smile and looked out to the sky again. “Nothing, really. I'm just thinking about tomorrow.”

“Care to elaborate?” said Trixie, now standing over the cryptic unicorn.

“Oh, you know. About meeting the other competitors, finding out about the first event, meeting the Princess--” Twilight's casual tone died, and she tried to mask it with a cough.

Despite her efforts, Trixie saw right through her. “Are you still nervous?” she asked, trying to sound sympathetic, even if she was a little miffed.

Twilight flashed a goofy smile towards the horizon. “Of course not. I mean, after you poured your soul into that confession yesterday, it'd be pretty rude of me, wouldn't it?”

Trixie drew back from the sudden jab. “O-oh! You're making fun of the Great and Powerful Trixie?” she said, flicking back her mane and turning her nose up exaggeratedly. “Hmph! Maybe I shouldn't have said anything in the first place.”

Twilight giggled, which brought a smile to Trixie's lips. “If you hadn't, I'd probably still be worrying,” said the bookish mare. She proceeded to nuzzle Trixie's leg affectionately before going back to looking at the stars.

The little gesture sent a warm feeling coursing through the showmare's fetlock, and she was almost disappointed that it lasted for only a split second. Twilight's cuddles weren't exactly much of a rarity anymore, but that didn't mean that Trixie enjoyed them any less.

She reminded herself of the reason she'd come out here in the first place – to tell Twilight to get some rest. It didn't seem like a few more minutes could do any harm though...

With her mouth set in a defiant line, Trixie knelt down beside Twilight and followed her gaze to the sky. The lavender mare cast her a sidelong glance, and simply smiled when Trixie pretended not to notice.

A few more minutes passed in companionable silence. And then a few more. And probably a few more after that. Twilight couldn't express how grateful she was to have Trixie sitting there beside her. She hadn't even realised it until the azure unicorn stepped out onto the balcony, but she really didn't want to be alone tonight.

Maybe she was still a little tense from leaving Ponyville, and her tiredness was just making that seem worse. If that was the case, then sleep would probably do her some good, just as Trixie had suggested. But she wasn't ready to sleep yet.

If she went to sleep, she would wake up with it being tomorrow. And tomorrow, everything was going to happen all at once. She would never dream of putting it off altogether of course – not with how much it meant to Trixie – but putting it off for just another hour or so couldn't hurt.

The azure mare at her side seemed to stir, as if she was considering something. As curious as Twilight was, she forced herself to keep silent and stare straight ahead, not wanting to put Trixie off.

When at last Trixie spoke, it was with an unusual quietness to her voice. “Twilight, there's something I want to talk to you about--” They both turned at the same time, and their eyes met. “--Before we get caught up in the Display.”

Her tone made Twilight shiver a little. All the same, she did her best to smile encouragingly. “Okay.”

“I've been doing a little 'reflecting' of my own, after our little conversation earlier,” Trixie continued, glancing down at the balcony as she spoke. “Thinking back on how we ended up here.”

Unsure where Trixie was going with this, Twilight simply tilted her head and waited.

“When I first woke up in that hospital tent, after you... found me,” she added awkwardly. “I was confused, and a little disoriented... but that's no excuse for the way I treated you--” She gulped and forced herself to meet Twilight's eyes again, though it obviously wasn't easy. “--Like you were taking advantage of me or something. And it was the same again when you brought me into your home.”

Twilight, admittedly a little awestruck, managed a shake of the head. “It's okay, Trixie. Ponies can do silly things when they're scared, it's not your fault--”

“I wasn't scared,” said Trixie firmly. “I don't have any excuse.”

Twilight's objections died on her tongue.

“But, even with the way I treated you,” Trixie continued. “You never stopped trying to help me. No matter how hard I pushed you away, you just kept being so... so annoyingly kind and understanding.”

The volume of Trixie's voice made Twilight a little uneasy, and she gulped on reflex. “Are you mad at me for that?” the purple mare asked, not quite as casually as she intended.

Trixie licked her lips and turned her gaze out towards the city of Manehattan. “At the time, I might've been. But not anymore. If you hadn't put up with me, hadn't kept trying to help me, then neither of us would be here now. Not on this balcony. Not about to compete in the Display. Not friends.”

“Oh,” said Twilight. It was more of a rasp, really – her mouth had gone completely dry. Must've been the cold, night air.

“I'm... glad--” Trixie began, breaking off almost immediately and curling her lip. “I mean, I'm happy--” She worked her jaw for a moment longer before letting out a sigh and stretching a fetlock to lay in front of her. There was a short pause before she muttered a quiet “Thanks.”

She was clearly disappointed with how it came out, but Twilight was just the opposite. It wasn't often that she got a 'Thanks' from Trixie, especially not one so profound.

On a warm impulse, Twilight stretched out her own fetlock and crossed hooves with Trixie. The touch sent a tingle through her body – familiar and welcome – and she knew that Trixie felt it too. The azure unicorn turned her head to offer a questioning look, but she made no effort to pull away.

Twilight couldn't contain her smile as she stared into those lilac eyes and finished the sentiment that she thought, and hoped, her partner had been trying to get across...

“I'm glad I met you, Trixie.”

The split-second look of surprise that spread across Trixie's face before she melted into a smile was almost enough to make Twilight giggle with glee. The showmare didn't have to say anything for Twilight to know that she felt it too.

In that moment, hoof crossed and eyes locked with Trixie's under the gentle embrace of the moonlight, the bookish mare from Ponyville library was struck by a ridiculously wonderful urge. The warmth of Trixie's coat, the scent of her breath, the glistening of her eyes... Twilight didn't even think, she just felt as if she were being magically drawn forwards...

BANG!

All at once, Twilight pulled her hoof away, shot upright and jumped backwards. What she may or may not have been about to do was stricken from her mind as she cast about for the source of the noise. It wasn't hard to find the near-blinding light of fireworks in the not-so-far distance.

“The opening ceremony,” Trixie breathed, getting to her hooves a lot more casually than Twilight. Apparently, she'd been unfazed by the sudden noise. “How long have we been out here?”

Twilight had to work her mouth for a little before it would make any sound. “L-Longer than I thought,” she muttered. “It must be past midnight.”

Trixie huffed and turned to throw Twilight a mock glare. “If I wake up grumpy, I'm blaming you for keeping me up so late.”

“Me?” said Twilight, creasing her brow. It took a moment for her to actually notice the playful tone, being startled as she was, but then she offered a nervous chuckle. “O-oh, right! Well, then I guess we'd better get to bed.”

With a little smile, Trixie nodded and led the way inside.

Trixie closed the door behind herself and Twilight, just in time to muffle the next wave of firework explosions. This part of the opening ceremony, which was really more of a simple celebration, would supposedly go on throughout the night, pausing in the morning, shortly before the competitors arrived at the stadium. Luckily for the two of them, that still left a half decent amount of time for sleep before the big day.

As Trixie crossed the length of the room – veering away from Twilight, who headed straight for her own bed – she found herself adopting an excited smile. It all began tomorrow, only forty winks away, as it were. She pushed open the door that led out of the bedroom with nary a second thought--

“Trixie,” Twilight called out suddenly.

An eerie sense of deja vu washed over Trixie, but she tried to shake it off as she turned to her partner. The mare in question had her forehooves perched atop the soft bedspread, and she was smiling thoughtfully as she kept her eyes locked on Trixie.

“Do you want to share the bed?” said Twilight bluntly.

Trixie's hooves locked up. “...What?”

Twilight's smile didn't so much as falter. “Well, it's got to be a lot more comfortable than the couch, and it's plenty big enough for both of us, now that I think about it--” Her voice softened a little. “--Not to mention... I'd kind of like the company.”

Try as she might, Trixie couldn't will herself to come up with a quick quip or smart comment to counter that. It was a perfectly normal-for-Twilight thing to ask, and Trixie wasn't surprised or flushed in the slightest. The room had just gotten unnaturally warm all of a sudden, that was all.

Trixie felt her bottom lip quivering a little, and she bit down on it to make it stop. It wasn't as if she didn't want to sleep on the wonderfully comfortable bed, but there was a part of her which fought against the idea. Sharing a room with Twilight was something she'd been looking forward to since she first heard they were staying in a hotel. Sharing a bed was something she hadn't even considered. It would be... close. Intimate, even...

'Why am I even considering this?' Trixie asked herself, as the room grew hotter by the second. She shook her head and offered Twilight a pained smile.

“T-Trixie will sleep on the couch,” said the not-so-casual showmare. It might've been less awkward to just say 'No, thank you', but she didn't want there to be any confusion.

Twilight opened her mouth, as if to argue, but then closed it again and shook her head with a nervous grin. “Right, of course. It was just an offer.” She hopped up onto the bed and sank gracefully into the mattress. “Goodnight then, Trixie.”

“Goodnight, Twilight,” Trixie managed. She wasted no time in turning for the door again and pushing it open, only to stop half-way over the threshold. Now that the initial discomfort of Twilight's offer had passed, Trixie began to register her words properly.

'...I'd kind of like the company,' she'd said...

A glance back at Twilight told that the purple unicorn was arranging the pillows on her bed with a half-hearted smile on her face. Trixie curled her lip. Now that she thought about it, Twilight had seemed a little 'off' all evening. It wasn't so bad that she looked as if she needed another hug, but still...

An idea struck Trixie. With an 'I'm brilliant' kind of smile, she hurried out of the bedroom...

Twilight watched Trixie's tail vanish through the door with a solemn frown. She scolded herself for letting her mouth speak before her head again, and wondered whether she'd upset her partner. Sharing a bed might be perfectly normal for Twilight and her friends back in Ponyville, but her relationship with Trixie was different. Everypony seemed to know that by now...

'You can't just go mouthing off without thinking, Twilight,' she told herself, striking a pillow with unnecessary force. 'What if she--'

She jumped in fright as something bashed against her door. A moment later, it swung inwards to reveal something that looked very much like...

“Is that the couch?” she wondered aloud, hopping down from her bed to get a better look.

Sure enough, she found that it was indeed the couch that was lodged part way through her door frame, with a certain azure unicorn on the other side, trying to ram it across the threshold.

“Trixie, what're you doing?” said Twilight, brow creased in disbelief and wonderment.

“What does it... look like?” Trixie grunted between pushes. “If we're going to be room mates... we should at least... sleep in the same room, don't you think?” She stopped pushing, probably realising that she was only making it worse, and threw Twilight a look. “Would you mind?”

Twilight blinked dumbly at her a couple of times, before breaking into a smile. Without thinking to say anything, she lit up her horn, magically reached out to touch Trixie and the couch, and teleported them both into the bedroom.

The showmare hit the floor with a yelp, only for Twilight to pick her up a second later and pull her into a quick hug. Saying 'thank you' would probably be silly, not to mention a little embarrassing, but Twilight was silently grateful all the same.

As the lavender unicorn snuggled into her bed that night, she flashed a smile across the room. Trixie, whose head was resting atop a couch pillow and whose eyes were already half-lidded, returned it sleepily. Twilight would've liked to watch the adorable showmare drift off to sleep, but already her own eyes were drooping, and she knew she'd never make it.

Resigning, she flicked a shroud over the firefly lamp at her bedside and buried her nose into her sheets, comfortable in the knowledge that she wasn't alone.