Trixie pushed her empty plate away from her with a satisfied sigh. Working all day had left her hungry as a horse, and she’d eaten three times as much as usual to compensate. The only one at the table that rivaled her on this was Rainbow Dash, though she tended to eat a lot anyway.
Fluttershy, on the other hoof, barely ate anything. Which Trixie could only attribute to her not feeling all that well yet.
All in all it had been a pretty peaceful, quiet dinner. Though Trixie was aware that was in part because if Rainbow Dash tried to talk about her day, she’d give Trixie away. Meanwhile she caught more than a few looks from Rainbow Dash of increasing urgency. Trixie knew exactly what that was about, it meant she was waiting for Trixie to fess up to Fluttershy, and losing patience.
Meanwhile, Trixie tried to stall. This was one of the best days she’d ever had, and she wanted to put off ruining it for as long as possible. She shifted nervously while she tried to think of something, anything, to talk about that was not related to anything that could lead to a conversation that did not touch on how their day had been. “Sooo, Fluttershy, Dash was about to tell Trixie what she had in mind. You wanted to know too right?”
Fluttershy, perked her ears up. “Oh, you really haven’t discussed it yet?” She looked surprised, but pleased while she nodded. “Yes, uhm, if you don’t mind?” She looked over at Rainbow Dash.
Briefly giving Trixie a glare with narrowed eyes, Rainbow Dash turned her attention to Fluttershy, smiling. “Oh, so Trixie was right? Uhm, well it’s kinda… cheesy, I guess… but if you really want.” She got up from the table and gathered the plates. “It can wait though. Fluttershy, I’ll handle the dishes on my own. You girls can just talk about your day, till I’m back, then I’ll talk about mine.” She stared directly at Trixie as she emphasized those words, then carried the dishes into the kitchen, closing the door behind her.
Fluttershy gave Dash a confused look. “Oh, thank you, Rainbow Dash… But, uhm, don’t you want to hear—Oh, she’s gone.” She stared at the closed door for a moment, then turned her attention back to Trixie, looking thoroughly puzzled. “I… I guess I was, uhm, sleeping so I don’t have much to tell… you two were t-together all day… so, uh, she already knows it all? But then what does she want to tell about hers?”
Trixie swallowed, nervously. There could be no doubt about it, this was Dash’s ultimatum, and she knew it. Either Trixie told Fluttershy right now, or Dash would. It’s not that bad right? Trixie only did it for her. Y-yeah… Not even her internal monologue sounded convinced of that, much to Trixie’s dismay. “U-uhm… Fluttershy? There’s something that, uh… about today…. Trixie thinks you should know…”
Perhaps that was not the wisest choice of words, because Fluttershy’s musing look stiffened into an uncomfortable, scared stare. “W-what do you mean? Did s-something happen?” Her eyes teared up while she visibly tried her best to stay steady. “Oh no, i-it’s the duck family isn’t it? I told Daisy that ducks weren’t supposed to make nests in trees! To come inside for the storm, but she wouldn’t listen! Oh, if only I’d asked her more nicely—”
“No! Wait, wait!” Trixie waved her hooves franticly. “Daisy is fine! She got down and joined the geese in the hollow stump, like you asked. All Trixie had to do was put the nest back in the tree. The animals are fine, really!”
The panic faded from Fluttershy’s face, and she breathed a sigh of relief, allowing her naturally serene look to return. “Oh, thank goodness.” Her gaze lingered on the window facing the forest for a moment, before she snapped out of it, blushing with embarrassment. “Ah, I’m sorry, Trixie. You were trying to tell me something?”
“Uhm, yes… Like Trixie said, she put the nest back in the tree, but she also gave Daisy food…” Becoming more hesitant to continue, she looked at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy waited patiently for Trixie to finish her story. A soft smile was on her face, but Trixie could tell she was still a little on edge, as though she still expected to hear something she was not going to like.
“…And Trixie gave food to the others too…”As Trixie thought about it, the way she went about telling Fluttershy was pretty terrible. By making such a big deal out of it she’d freaked Fluttershy out once already, and right now there were probably a thousand different things she was worrying about. The whole point was so that she wouldn’t worry…
Trixie closed her eyes for a moment, maybe if she didn’t look it wouldn’t be so bad. It didn’t help. She needed a different approach. Opening her eyes again she gave a big smile. “Ah, sorry. Trixie is making it sound like it’s a bad thing! Actually, what Trixie meant to say was. Trixie had such a great day, she feels fantastic!” She flexed comedically to accentuate her point.
Taken by complete surprise, Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. “Oh, well it’s good you are so energetic, Trixie. Just try not to overdo it, okay?” She contemplated for a moment, then gave Trixie a knowing smile. “Oh, I understand now. You cheated a little didn’t you? That’s why you were nervous?”
“A little?” Waving her hoof dismissively, Trixie puffed up her chest. “You’ve caught Trixie. she did your chores, and she did so perfectly, of course.”
Fluttershy laughed softly, and picked up her mug, bringing it to her lips. “Was there ever any doubt?” She asked with a playful tone, causing Trixie to giggle, then took a sip of her tea. “Ah, so that’s what Rainbow Dash meant when she said she’d been rough on you.” Fluttershy looked much happier with the realization. “She let you help. No wonder you were a mess! Oh, sorry, uhm, I didn’t mean it like, err, It’s just you had the mud, and, uh.”
Trixie waved the apology away with a grin. “It’s fine, you should have seen Trixie before she rinsed most of it off. You’d never know it was Trixie.” This was her chance, Fluttershy had already figured out most of it, and apparently she was delighted by it. “But, erm... well... Rainbow Dash kinda wasn't there... she had to deal with the clouds and stuff... But Trixie did everything fine, promise!”
Perking up her ears, Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, so you weren’t together all day?” Fluttershy paused as she said it, then set down her cup with a look that Trixie could only describe as pure disbelief. “S-she left you alone?” Fluttershy got up from the table, and stepped towards towards the kitchen door. From her angle, Trixie could barely see it, but it was with a stare that Trixie was half sure would burn the door down. It was scary to witness even the faintest hint of it.
It occurred to Trixie she better hurry and clear Rainbow Dash of blame. Quickly, she followed after Fluttershy. “No, no. It’s not like that. Dash was already gone when Trixie came to see you this morning. Trixie knew Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be back until tonight, but you needed rest.”
Fluttershy froze, and panned back towards Trixie, making her flinch briefly. Fortunately any trace of the anger from before was already gone. The disbelief was still there though, yet comprehension was shining through. “W-what? So… you lied about Rainbow Dash being here?”
Trixie nodded slowly. “Trixie lied…” Averting her gaze, she tried to avoid having to look at Fluttershy.
“Oh, Trixie… I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy whispered.
Confused, Trixie looked up, and found Fluttershy tearfully staring at her. “What? No, why? Trixie is the one who should be sorry! But…” She took a deep breath and stood up straight. “But, Trixie would do it again.”
Fluttershy shook her head urgently, and stepped closer. “N-no, don’t you understand? That was really dangerous! I know you feel really well, but that’s the most treacherous part. Head injuries make you very vulnerable, and heal slowly, but you will feel better before you actually are better.”
Trixie felt her bravado drain out of her, Fluttershy looked genuinely terrified.
“Nopony knew where you were. We both thought you were with the other. What if something had happened to you? What if you had tripped, or hit your head? Do you know what could have happened if you had a seizure, or overexerted yourself and passed out!? Neither of us would know to even begin looking for you, until Rainbow Dash returned in the evening!”
“B-but Trixie is fine, see?” Trixie offered, weakly. She couldn’t help but think what would have happened if she would have fallen out of the tree while returning Daisy’s nest that morning. Would Trixie still be laying there?
Fluttershy closed in another step, and wrapped her hooves around Trixie, pulling her close. Her voice was shaky. “Thank goodness you are, but, please, Trixie, please never do that again. I-I know it’s m-my fault… for making you feel like it was your only option, but I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt because of me again. I-I’m supposed to help you get better, not worse.”
Trixie winced as Fluttershy showed a surprising amount of strength in her forelegs, but her attention was firmly on what she’d said. It was starting to make sense now why Fluttershy babied her to such an infuriating extent, never allowing her to do anything.
Other than boredom, Trixie had never made any comments on her condition. For fear of being ‘detained’ even longer, she even downplayed it. Which meant all Fluttershy had to go on were a few simple tests, and Trixie’s word that she was okay.
The last time Fluttershy had given Trixie any leeway, Trixie had asked to visit the castle of the two sisters, within the Everfree Forest. Trixie barely had gotten the okay to do a chore or two back then, and she had quickly seized that inch to take a mile.
Fluttershy had trusted Trixie, even if she had stressed that Trixie had to be careful. Trixie had been too excited with the prospect of spending the day with Fluttershy, to actually follow that advice. In hindsight, the whole thing was a terrible idea from the outset.
It had not occurred to Trixie until now, but Fluttershy took a big risk, based solely on how much she trusted Trixie at the time.
A chill ran over Trixie’s back as she recalled the event. Everything had been going, relatively, fine until they met the timberwolves.
Mere wooden golems, yet they had been far more terrifying than real wolves. With Fluttershy’s help, Trixie had succeeded in taking out one of them, yet she had no choice but to force herself to use her magic for the other three.
Just remembering the act made Trixie’s head pound. It was not even a complicated spell, but she collapsed straight after using it. Even after she woke up, she was unable to move, and had to watch in terror while Fluttershy tried to distract the reassembled timberwolf alpha. The mere memory was so painful and frightening it served as a deterrent to ever using her magic again.
If not for Rainbow Dash, Trixie shuddered to think what might have happened. So much took place so rapidly, that Trixie had not truly spent time thinking on all of it. Only the major events had stood out to Trixie at the time, but now it occurred to her that afterward, Fluttershy had asked her how she felt.
For the second time, Trixie claimed she was just fine, and again Fluttershy took her word for it. Just how much has Trixie lied to Fluttershy so far? Trixie felt a heavy sensation in her stomach as she pondered the question. Even before Rainbow Dash, as far as Trixie knew, beat her up, Trixie had already been quivering on her last legs from just the stress alone. The hospital visit left little doubt as to how much damage forcing magic had done.
Then there was Trixie’s brilliant decision to break out of the hospital, straight after aggravating her condition in the worst possible ways, and take a stroll through the town. Thinking back on it, Trixie had to wonder just what the hay was wrong with her. It’s no wonder Fluttershy treats Trixie like a foal now…
Unwittingly, Trixie had proved to Fluttershy that she could not be trusted to know her own limit, at all. Of course she doesn’t listen when Trixie says she can do something… She was scared this whole time that something would happen to Trixie again.
It felt so wrong to have Fluttershy be the one apologizing, when Trixie was the one who’d been in the wrong. She wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy, enjoying the soft feeling of her coat against her own.
Shaking her head to regain her focus, Trixie spoke in a hushed tone. “This isn’t fair, Fluttershy. Trixie is the one who lied, why do you always make it about you? Let Trixie take the blame for once.” She let out a soft chuckle. “Trixie can’t promise she won’t worry you again, but she can promise she’ll be honest, okay?”
Trixie felt Fluttershy’s grip tighten, she didn’t even think that was possible. Fluttershy shook her head gently. “N-no, you don’t understand. If I hadn’t told you I was sick, then you wouldn’t have needed to lie.”
It was sometimes hard for Trixie to get a good read on Fluttershy, but this time her logic made absolutely no sense to her. “Uhm, Fluttershy? Trixie is happy you told her. It’s not your fault you caught a cold. Besides, uh, she kind of knew right away, remember?” tentatively, Trixie ran a hoof along Fluttershy’s back in an attempt to soothe her. It took a few tries to get used to the wings, each time she felt the feathers instead of fur, she had to steer away from them.
Fluttershy tensed up as Trixie spoke. “R-right… A cold… Sure…” She mumbled softly. Though Fluttershy stayed quiet after that for a while, she noticeably relaxed under the careful strokes. Finally she spoke up again. “I’m sorry…”
Feeling Fluttershy return to her soft self, Trixie felt a warmth inside her chest, celebrating her small victory. At least there is something Trixie can do right.
Gently, Trixie pushed away from Fluttershy, and showed her a warm smile, trying to coax out Fluttershy’s own. “Heh, it’s kind of funny actually… Rainbow Dash just got through bragging pegasi never get cold. Can you believe she tried to tell Trixie that right after she came home half frozen?” Giggling, Trixie shook her head with the notion.
Fluttershy gave back a weak smile. “W-well… she exaggerates a little, sometimes… I thought you knew.”
Smirking, Trixie looked at Fluttershy while she tilted her head curiously. “Heh, what’s this now, Fluttershy? Are you trying to set a record for the understatement of the century? Because that had to be a contender by Trixie’s count!”
Finally, a sweet sound that Trixie had been waiting for emanated from the kind mare before her, though whether her joke was that good or that cheesy Trixie didn’t know, nor did she care.
Trixie closed her eyes for a moment, recollecting some importance into her voice. “But, seriously… Fluttershy, Trixie promises she will try to be more honest with you, about how Trixie feels. She knows just where to start too, but it would be easier if Rainbow Dash was here for it so…” Trixie looked toward the kitchen door and called out. “Rainbow Dash! The Great and All-Knowing Trixie knows you are right behind the door, eavesdropping! Get in here.”
A startled yelp came from the other side of the door, followed by what sounded like hooves being smacked against a muzzle. A few seconds passed, before the door swung open to reveal Rainbow Dash, doing her best impression of casual. “Oh hey, you called?”
Grinning, Trixie rolled her eyes. “It does not take that long to do dishes, unless Trixie is doing them. The supposed fastest in Equestria has no excuse.”
“Pff, says you. Maybe I did them so fast I decided to take a nap while you girls were talking about boring stuff.” Rainbow Dash let her eyes trail down briefly to the hooves wrapped around the pair, then brought them back up with a teasing smirk. “Well, good to see you’ve kissed and made up.”
Perking up her ears, Trixie flashed a devilish smile at Fluttershy. She turned her attention to Rainbow Dash, and lifted one hoof up to tenderly stroke over Fluttershy’s cheek while she held eye contact with Dash. "Not yet, Dashie, we were waiting for you to join us before any kissing happened."
Oh the look on Dash’s face, Trixie would remember it for years. Her jaw practically hit the floor, staring wide-eyed at her friends. It clearly was going to take Dash more than a few minutes to piece enough of her mind back together for a retort.
Admittedly, Trixie’s bluff was quickly exposed due to Fluttershy’s reaction. She had gasped under the caress, and, like a traffic light, the mare’s face colored from yellow to beet-red within seconds. Fluttershy stared up at Trixie, clearly too shocked to break the hug they were sharing. With a few false starts though, Fluttershy managed to stammer at a barely audible level. "L-let's save k-kissing for another time, a-alright?"
Trixie had been ready for a lot of things, most of them involved Fluttershy hidding behind her mane and mumbling something far too quietly, but this took her by complete surprise. Did, Did Fluttershy just tease too? It actually made Trixie drop the ball for a moment as she just stared at Fluttershy in sheer astonishment. It was only when Trixie took notice of Fluttershy's rapidly alternative gaze that she remembered there was another target in the room. Following Fluttershy's stare, Trixie found Rainbow Dash, with the same look of amazement in her eyes, and ready for takeoff. Trixie smirked.
Upon catching Trixie’s gaze, Rainbow Dash flew up in the air and swooped towards them. She appeared to have caught on by this point, as her surprised gawk had turned to a smirking mug. “I hate you both, so much. Jokes should have punchlines you know, and me hitting you does not count.”
Trixie grinned up at her marefriend. “Oh, good, so that means you won’t be killing Trixie for this?”
“Hah, considering you got Fluttershy to join on a prank, I guess I’ll let you live. You might be a good influence on her yet, but I better get what you promised later.” Rainbow Dash chuckled, landing besides them. She wrapped a hoof around Fluttershy. “Way to go, Fluttershy! But remember, next time, poker face.”
Though she smiled with the praise, Fluttershy was still as red as could be. Rainbow Dash’s last comment was met with a uncomprehending tilt of her head, and a contemplative look soon after.
As far as Trixie could tell, Fluttershy appeared to be in deep thought on Dash’s advice. Perhaps she would take some time later to explain the concept to her. The idea of giving Fluttershy some acting classes actually was fairly appealing, it would make for something fun to do together.
For the moment though, Trixie had more important things to talk about. “Alright, enough of that. Trixie wanted to talk with you two about something. How about we head for the living room?”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, sure. Is something wrong, Trixie?” She jumped up, spreading out her wings to fly toward the door.
“W-wait, please. I don’t understand…” Fluttershy mumbled, embarrassed. She shrank under their gazes as they both turned to look at her.
Quick as ever, Rainbow Dash spoke first. “What’s up, Fluttershy?” Though Trixie suspected they both knew what it was that Fluttershy was unclear on.
It was a little bit disappointing that Rainbow Dash got the first crack at explaining the whole thing to Fluttershy, but Trixie was fairly sure it would be pretty entertaining to see Rainbow Dash struggle with explaining a concept of deception to the naïve sweet mare.
Mhm, no wait. It’s not really fair to think she’s that clueless. It’s not as if she’s not been around Rainbow Dash most of her life, she’s bound to know plen—
“Uhm, well, it’s just… why would I poke her face?”
Trixie lost it.