//------------------------------// // Where We Started // Story: Let Me Dry Your Tears // by SteelyStrings32T //------------------------------// The warmth of the morning sun on her face served as a gentle wake-up call to Trixie. With care, Trixie opened her eyes and gazed out of the window next to her bed. Ponyville was graced with a beautiful early spring morning. A few birds were out singing, and several ponies were setting up their stands in the market for another day of business. Trixie was just content to lie in bed and just look out on the tranquil morning before her. The coolness of the sheets contrasted perfectly with the warmth of the blanket over her creating the ultimate environment of comfort. Eventually, a faint rumbling in her stomach convinced her to finally get out of bed. Sitting up, Trixie raised both of her front hooves to the ceiling and flexed her rear legs to help stretch out all the tired muscles in her body. Hopping out of bed, Trixie strolled over to the room's dresser to fix her tangled mane. While she was brushing, Trixie's mind began to reminisce the events of last night, particularly her dream. Every time Trixie thought about it, she cringed at what she saw last night. It was as if she was feeling the same abuse that her father had given her years ago, but it was coming from a pony that she was putting all of her trust in. But then, Trixie remembered the events immediately following her nightmare: Twilight coming in to comfort her. Thinking about it brought a small smile to Trixie's face. In the dead of night, Twilight had heard her anguished cries and came to her side. Even though she was abruptly woken up from a peaceful sleep, Twilight took it upon herself to make sure that Trixie would be alright. Twilight held Trixie close to her and told her that she would be there for the blue mare no matter what. She even helped her fall back asleep after all was said and done. I woke her up in the middle of the night just because I couldn't control myself. She was probably enjoying a nice, relaxing sleep and then I took it away from her, Trixie mused. Twilight took me into her house, listened to my problems, and even agreed to help me after everything I've done to her. What do I do? I scream at the top of my lungs because I can't keep my emotions under control. The more Trixie thought about it, the more guilty she became. Immediately, Trixie was going over ways that she could make it up to Twilight. Finally, after much though, Trixie decided that she would make breakfast for Twilight. After years of living on the road, Trixie had become a fairly decent cook so she was confident that she could whip up something delicious for the two of them. With care, Trixie opened up her door and listened carefully for any sound of Twilight to see if she was up or not. After a few moments of silence, Trixie quietly made her way downstairs to get breakfast started. The kitchen was situated on the ground floor of the library away from all of the bookshelves. As she walked inside, Trixie noticed that the kitchen still retained that natural, rustic look found throughout the rest of library. As she glanced around the kitchen, something on a shelf caught Trixie's eye. Sitting above the counter were several medium-sized bags of buttermilk pancake mix. Without a second thought, Trixie lit up her horn and levitated one of the bags down to her. These should do just fine, pancakes are easy and delicious, Twilight is sure to love them! As soon as she was done thinking to herself, Trixie started gathering bowls and cooking utensils to begin breakfast. With her magic, Trixie grabbed one of the bags of pancake mix and ripped it open with care and poured the powder into a mixing bowl. With a flick of her horn, Trixie turned on the water faucet and measured out the proper amount of water for the pancakes. Looking through the spice cabinet, Trixie was fortunate enough to find some cinnamon and nutmeg. The finishing touches, she thought. Once the batter was all thick and free of clumps, Trixie was ready to cook. Let's see, does Twilight have a griddle by any chance? I really hope that mare has one, using a frying pan for pancakes is just a pain in the flank, mused Trixie. To her fortune, Trixie eyed a small griddle tucked away between some cooking sheets. Without a second thought, Trixie took the griddle in her hooves greased it up with cooking oil, and set it down by her bowl of pancake mix. As soon as the batter was laid out on the griddle in circles, Trixie turned the heat up and started watching them carefully. Once both sides were golden brown, Trixie telekinetically removed the pancakes and placed three of them on two separate plates on the table. Looking at the current spread, Trixie thought that it looked a little too basic. Hmm, this is missing something, I wonder if she has, AH HA! On the counter there was a bowl filled with pears, all ripened to perfection. Using her magic, Trixie grabbed two of the soft, yellow fruits along with a knife and began preparing a side dish for her and Twilight. As she was working, Trixie heard the faint sounds of hoof steps behind her and a soft voice to accompany them. "Trixie? What is all of this? Why are you up so early?" Turning around, Trixie noticed a tired and confused Twilight standing at the entrance to the kitchen. Her mane was frazzled with several strands sticking out and her eyes had fairly noticeable lines underneath them, all clear signs of interrupted sleep. Seeing Twilight in that state made Trixie feel guilty about waking her up last night. "Oh, good morning Twilight, Trixie woke up before you and decided to make breakfast to surprise you, and, to apologize for last night as well." "What for Trixie?" Asked Twilight with a puzzled look. "Last night you had a nightmare that was horrible enough to jolt you awake. It was only natural that you would cry out for somepony. If it makes you feel any better I would call for my parents whenever I had a bad dream because it made me feel better knowing that there was someone there for me. So please Trixie, don't worry about waking me up" said Twilight as she put her hoof on Trixie's shoulder. The showmare looked up and stared into Twilight's beautiful violet eyes and saw that they reflected honest care and concern for her. For a moment, Trixie lost herself in Twilight's gaze. She's such a sweet mare, looking out for me like this. It feels good to have somepony care for me after so long...I've never noticed how gorgeous her eyes were. I could just lie for hours staring into her rich, purple, wait! WHAT AM I THINKING! Looking away, Trixie set the two bowls containing the sliced pears on the table, hoping that Twilight didn't notice her blush. "W-well anyway, lets eat! Trixie worked hard this morning and she thinks you will enjoy it. With a smile, Twilight took her place at one end of the table and Trixie took her place opposite of her and the two began eating. Twilight was surprised at how well the breakfast was. For something as simple as pancakes, they were surprisingly well done. They were light and fluffy with a hint of something rich and sweet. "Well, looks like somepony enjoy's Trixie's cooking" said the azure unicorn with a bright smile. "Yeah, its really good! How did you learn to make something as common as pancakes so incredible?" Asked Twilight. "When you spend a lot of time on the road like me, you learn a thing or two about cooking for yourself. Pancakes were an easy breakfast while I was traveling between towns, but after a while, they became a bit bland. After passing through a few towns, Trixie picked up a few spices to try and make her meals a little more interesting. With a little nutmeg and a little cinnamon, Trixie was able to cook up those pancakes that you are enjoying now. Trixie is just glad that she has somepony to share it with." Twilight let out a satisfied grunt and continued eating her breakfast as Trixie went back to hers. Eventually the two mares fell into an amicable silence, just the two of them enjoying breakfast on a peaceful morning. After a little, while, Trixie was starting to become anxious to the silence hanging between the two. This has started to become a little bit uncomfortable. Why won't she say anything?! We were talkative last night but now we're having trouble making conversation?! Ugh, guess I'm going to be the one to start talking. Well, here goes... "So Twilight, how about you tell Trixie about yourself? We never had the chance to properly get to know each other, and now seems like a good time as any!" Setting down her fork, Twilight flashed a bright smile at the show mare "Of course, Trixie! What do you want to know?" "Well for starters, what do you do here in PonyVille that allows you to live in a library?" "That's a great question! Well, not to sound all high and mighty or anything, but I'm actually Princess Celestia's star student and she sent me here to learn about the wonders of friendship. The library is just-" "Whoa whoa whoa! Sorry for interrupting Twilight, but you're going to have to go in depth here! You don't just casually move on after dropping a huge bomb like that! Please, tell Trixie more." "Alright then" chuckled Twilight. "Well, back when I was a foal growing up in Canterlot, I was obsessed with learning about magic. Like you, Trixie, I read dozens of books to learn how to tap into my abilities. Eventually, I was able to perform basic spells that were advanced for my age. As a result, my parents decided to enroll me in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. You should have seen how excited I was! To know that I would be going to one of the most prestigious schools in Equestria was almost too good to be true! But as it turned out there was one minor...detail." "What do you mean Twilight?" "Apparently, any potential student had to pass an entrance exam" said Twilight with a sour look on her face. "When we got to the exam room, I began to panic. To pass the exam, I had to hatch a baby dragon while under the watchful eyes of the judges! Sure my parents were there for moral support, but I just kept feeling the pressure. I tried my best to try and hatch the egg, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't do it. I saw the judges writing down the results in their clipboards and I knew that it was all over. Just when I thought all hope was lost, a huge sonic rainboom exploded across the sky! When I heard it, I just don't know what came over me. I was able to summon magical energy that was not only strong enough to hatch the egg, but it also levitated the judges and turned my parents into plants! The light from the energy was so intense that Celestia was able to see it while she was walking around the school grounds in broad daylight. She came into the exam room and calmed me down, which helped stop the power coursing through me. Once my parents were reverted back and the judges were released, Celestia saw my potential and offered me a position as her faithful student." "Wow, just, wow. Trixie is at a loss for words!" "Yeah, it was a crazy experience. Although, I did get into the school and get my cutie mark at the same time so everything turned out for the best" said Twilight with a bright smile on her face. "Well, Trixie would like to tell you about herself, but she feels like it won't be as grand of a story as yours" said Trixie looking mildly downtrodden. "It's okay Trixie, this isn't a contest. I really want to know more about" said Twilight with a sweet, reassuring smile. "Alright then, well, after I left Fillydelphia, I began putting on magic shows in towns all over Equestria. It was pretty fun to be finally out and doing what I wanted to do with my life. In the towns that I performed at, the ponies there would adore my performances, save for the occasional heckler, but I was always able to deal with them. Even though I was living the dream, life on the road did start to feel...lonely" said Trixie who was starting to look a little sad. "I met hundreds of ponies on my travels, but they would always fade into memory whenever I left towns. I wouldn't dwell on the thought for long since I would be practicing tricks for upcoming shows. But no matter how much I tried to ignore it, the feeling of loneliness would be dredged up from time to time and it would make me feel empty." Feeling sympathetic once again, Twilight decided to help put Trixie's mind at ease. "I understand how feel, Trixie. I went through the same thing myself. When I was studying in Canterlot, I too began to feel lonesome. Sure Spike was around to keep me company when I was there, but I was so focused on my studies that I detached myself from the other students at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Like you, I was empty and I used my studies to hide from the fact. As I said, I know how you feel Trixie, and if it makes you feel any better, you're not alone anymore, I'm here for you." For a moment, Trixie was once again lost in the assurance in Twilight's eyes and the warmth in her smile. All Trixie could do was smile back at her and say "Thank you so much Twilight, you are the best pony I have ever known." "You are very welcome Trixie. Anyway, last night, I came up with an idea on how to begin your redemption in PonyVille, and I think it will be fairly simple" said Twilight with a hint of confidence. "We are going to do some shopping at the market today!"