Trixie wished she could say that this was not how she imaged her day would turn out. Bleeding out on a cold floor with a splitting headache, unknown amounts of freshly inflicted brain damage, and worst of all, a wounded pride. But the truth of it was that this was exactly how she pictured this meeting would end up.
A part of her just wanted to go home. She could get away with that, right? Simply leave, crawl under the covers at home, and let Fluttershy enjoy her spa day with Rarity. It wouldn’t be hard to explain herself once Fluttershy returned to the cottage and found her.
“They’re gone.”
Trixie perked up an ear. That sounded like Rarity. She placed an ear against the door, enabling her to better make out what was said.
“Now, Fluttershy, are you alright?”
“M-me?” Fluttershy sounded confused.
“But of course, I can tell something is wrong, darling. You’ve been acting strange ever since she started living with you.”
“…”
“It’s alright, dear, you can tell me. It won’t leave this room, I promise. I only want to help.”
“…”
“She’s blackmailing you, isn’t she?”
“W-what? No.”
“Come now, it’s practically text book. ‘both of us would rather avoid that trip from happening’ she said! That’s barely one step removed from ‘would be a shame if something were to happen to it.’ Why else would you be so insistent on letting her leech off of you? I know you’d rather not cause any trouble, but this is serious, Fluttershy. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Stop it.”
“That witch is not here now. She won’t find out. Please, just tell me what’s wrong. I can help!”
“Well, uhm, if you really want to know. You are.”
“E-excuse me?”
“You’re what’s wrong. Or who’s wrong. Or, or, doing wrong.” Fluttershy’s voice built up in volume as she went. “What were you thinking? Having some magical hen fight with Trixie when you knew she’s not supposed to! I thought you would be patient with her? What happened to that?”
“She started it.”
“The first thing you said to her was ‘witch’! You are a grown mare, act like it!”
“She groped you!”
“She hugged me!”
“Semantics. You were clearly uncomfortable, so I helped.”
“Aggravating her concussion is not helping! I’m supposed to take care of her and no matter what I do or where I take her some other horrible thing happens to her! I didn’t think you would be one of those things! That’s why I agreed to this in the first place! But you’re every bit as impulsive as Rainbow Dash!”
The conversation, if Trixie could call it that, came to a halt, leaving just the sound of somepony's heavy breathing.
"I realize you are upset, darling, but that is no reason to yell at me like I was some sort of dragon."
“I’m not treating you like a dragon! I’m angry because you are my friend.”
“Just like you were angry at Rainbow Dash, Red Heart, and Twilight?”
“How do you know about that? Wait, no, don’t change the subject!”
“Fluttershy, please.”
“No, you were really rude. I’m sure you were trying to help, but Trixie is not dangerous to anypony but herself.”
Although that was definitely said in her defense, Trixie felt as if she’d been stung. It was a little unfair to make a comment like that just because she had overexerted herself in an impromptu magic duel. Or nearly set the house on fire when she was home alone. Or panicked and ran away from the hospital and into trouble… upon reflection, maybe it wasn’t entirely unfair.
It was quiet for a time, and Trixie could only imagine what was going on in there or what kind of looks were being exchanged.
After a small eternity, Trixie heard Rarity let out a deep sigh before continuing in an apologetic tone. “Fluttershy, I never wanted to fight. I apologize. I’ll admit it was unbecoming of me to antagonize her the way I did; Trixie just got under my skin, but that is no excuse for my actions. I honestly forgot she was still recovering or I never would have been so direct.”
“It’s okay, as long as you understand. But, you don’t have to apologize to me.”
“Yes, I do.” Rarity interrupted. “I realize you want me to talk to Trixie instead and I will, but I betrayed your trust, and I’m sorry for that. However… I worry about you.”
“Me?”
Rarity’s voice softened. “Of course, you’ve been acting strange lately. In the past week and a half you’ve taken it upon yourself to, well, let’s call it ‘voice your opinion’ to a dragon, Rainbow Dash, Red Heart, Twilight, and now myself.” She paused briefly as though to consider how she wanted to broach the topic. “I am delighted to hear you speak out more, I’ve always thought you should be more assertive… But, this seems like an awful lot of change in a very short amount of time… So, I hope you understand if I worry about you?”
“O-oh, uhm, I… I guess that’s true. I-I don’t normally, erm, speak up so much.”
“I thought perhaps that you may have been under a lot of stress over the past few months? After Nightmare Moon we have been given some new responsibilities after all. And let's not forget to mention the ursa attack, or that incident with Gilda, and us dragging you up that mountain... Any pony would be stressed out by now, darling." Rarity paused, apparently getting some sort of nonverbal response from Fluttershy, then added hesitantly "And then there is Trixie.”
Fluttershy must have given her a look, because Rarity quickly backpedaled. “No, no, I don’t mean Trixie is directly responsible. A-although I admit I previously believed she might have been, but if you say she’s not forcing you to do anything, I trust you. However, maybe something related to her arrival. For example, it might just be stressful for you to be around another pony, any pony, for entire days at a time. I mean, it is no coincidence you live as far away from the rest of Ponyville as was feasible.”
"T-that's just cause... uhm... animals..."
"Uhuh, and nothing else?"
"...Maybe a little."
Trixie would have liked to listen in on the rest of the conversation, but the clip-clop of approaching hooves had her quickly jerk away from the door to appear as though she was definitely not up to anything suspicious again.
Aloe had made it back, carrying a mop, some towels, and a fresh bathrobe.
"Miss Trixie? Are you still with us?"
"Sorry to disappoint you." Trixie smirked and took the bathrobe, getting back on her hooves while holding one towel against her muzzle. Another set of hoofsteps announced that Lotus was on her way back as well.
As it turned out, the spa ponies had a lot of practice dealing with fainting related incidents.
Trixie wasn't entirely sure where it had come from, but she found herself comfortably resting on a cushy, water-proof couch. She had to pinch her nose and was told to keep her head tilted forward for ten minutes, but she had a nice, cool icepack to help speed that along. Not only that, but she also had a magazine to pass the time.
It was just too bad that the couch was placed much too far away from the door to eavesdrop.
Rarity ran her hoof along the rim of the bath, quietly considering the new information she had been presented with.
Fluttershy had calmed down, and together they'd discussed some potential causes of her stress. Although Fluttershy was far too nice to outright say it, Rarity felt confident in concluding it was primarily Trixie's presence. Which came as no surprise.
What was surprising however, was the true story of just how Trixie had ended up under Fluttershy's care. It had taken some assurances that anything Fluttershy told her would not leave the room, but finally it made sense why Fluttershy felt so passionately about Trixie's wellbeing.
Oh, Rainbow Dash, you brash feather brain.... Why did you have to go and do a thing like that?
If she hadn't sworn to secrecy, she'd have some choice words for that little wonderbolt wannabe. Given the situation however, she couldn't argue with Fluttershy's desire to keep Trixie where she could see her and away from harm. Which sadly meant she couldn't get the biggest factor of stress out of her friend’s life. Thus, there was only one thing left to do.
"There's no helping it then," Rarity said after her deliberation, "However, I simply must insist you attend our weekly spa meetings again from this point out. You really ought not skimp on them when you've been accumulating so much stress. Even if it means bringing Trixie along." She caught the uncertain look Fluttershy gave her and gently waved it off. "Yes, yes. I'll be nice. I don't have to like her to be civil. If that's what it takes to get you to unwind then I'll gladly invite her too."
"Thank you."
"Anything for you, Fluttershy." Rarity leaned her head back on the edge of the bath, breathing a contented sigh as the status quo was finally restored.
A minute or two passed while Rarity continued to mull over what she had learned. Worse yet, something kept nagging at the back of her head. Something to do with Dash beyond her crazed actions, and also having to do with a source of Fluttershy's stress.
Rarity opened her eyes and gasped. The loud sound drew Fluttershy's attention and caused her wings to shoot up in alarm.
"R-Rarity? A-are you okay?"
"Uh-heh-heh-heh. Yes, darling, I just feared I...I may have left Opal without water while I was away. But no, I clearly remember filling her bowl before coming here."
"O-oh" Fluttershy nodded, relaxing back into the water again. "That makes sense."
Only to you, my dear. Still, how could I forget about something so important and juicy as my best friend dating my other... good friend, as it were. I suppose there is yet another major source of anxiety in Fluttershy's life now than just a blue squatter in her house.
Rarity knew she had to play this delicately. Fluttershy was a sensitive soul and getting the timid mare to willingly talk to her about dating Rainbow was going to take some careful work. Perhaps if she asked about another pony’s romantic life first? But what other pony apart from Rainbow and herself did Fluttershy spend a great deal of time around?
Turns out the witch might be of some use to Rarity after all.
"Forgive the sudden curiosity, darling." She smiled warmly over to Fluttershy, who returned it with equal measure. "But, since she arrived, has Trixie shown any interest in anypony?"
Fluttershy tilted her head to the side curiously. "Interest?"
"You know." Rarity waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Interest."
"Meep!"
Rarity looked on in confusion as Fluttershy's face turned bright red and slowly sunk into the water until just her tightly shut eyes were above the waterline.
"Darling? She hasn't been telling you any vulgar stories on the matter, has she?"
A few seconds later, Fluttershy's face reappeared above the water. "W-what? N-no."
Rarity couldn't hide the disbelief from her voice. "Is that true? You're sure there isn't anything you want to get off your chest? I'm all ears."
Fluttershy was squirming as she tried answering Rarity “W-Well... I could, uhm, use some advice… I m-may have a, erm… a… d-date...”
Rarity's eyebrows rose and she broke out into a happy smile. "Really, darling? That's wonderful! Aaand...a little off subject, but we can go back to talking about that blue witch later."
“Don’t call her that, please.” Fluttershy glared at her.
“Ah, right. Sorry. Sorry. Trixie, of course. I’ll get used to it soon I swear. Anyway, let’s forget about Trixie and talk about your date.”
Fluttershy gulped at that. "A-actually...i-it m-might be-w-with.."
"Yesss?" Rarity struggled to contain her excitement, yet couldn't help but lean in closer. She felt so happy for her friend. Finally, after waiting for so long, Fluttershy felt confident enough to tell her about Rainbow and their relationship.
Fluttershy didn’t respond. Or rather, she didn’t answer the question. She did give Rarity an uncertain look, as though she wasn’t sure if she could survive forming the words to the answer.
Rarity backed off, giving the poor dear a little time to collect herself. “Oh, it’s alright, Fluttershy, you should not feel obligated to tell me. Although… I’ve heard that Rainbow Dash was seen doing something awfully suspicious lately.” Rarity suppressed a smirk as Fluttershy immediately perked up at the mention of the name, she was so endearingly transparent. “Apparently she was seen preparing a picnic for two. The two of you are close right? You wouldn't happen to know the name of this lucky stallion?” Rarity leaned in a little closer to Fluttershy, her lips straining not to curl into a gleeful smile. "Or...mare?"
Fluttershy looked as though she resided in a boiling pot rather than a bubble bath; Still, she nodded.
"Really?" Rarity said, feigning surprise. "Anypony I know?" Of course, she knew about the little tryst between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy already, she had helped Rainbow arrange that picnic after all. Even though Rainbow had managed to avoid naming any names, Rarity couldn’t think of anypony else that fit the bill.
Again there was a nod, though by this point Fluttershy had retreated behind her mane.
"And does this dear, sweet pony that stole the heart of that little prismatic ruffian have a name?" If only she could get Fluttershy to confide in her, then she could finally TALK about it. It had been absolutely dreadful, having to pretend she was ignorant all this time while all she really wanted was to discuss the wedding dresses she had in mind for the two of them.
Perhaps that was just a little hasty, but she'd been struck with inspiration the day before and found just the perfect way to meld the soft yellows and pink with the bright rainbow spectrum in a way that was just to die for.
"W-With..." Fluttershy paused and lowered her gaze down to her shifting hooves, and occasionally glanced at Rarity with a look of uncertainty.
It was a look that Rarity was fairly familiar with, for her it was a warning that she'd have to hurry. If Fluttershy wasn't coaxed to proceed before she stopped making eye contact entirely then Rarity ran the risk of never hearing the answer.
Giving Fluttershy a knowing look, Rarity said, “I imagine the date went well?”
The only real question is whether to have the ceremony at Rainbow Falls or Blossom Valley. The vibrancy of the first would require a different shading, but I'm sure the result would be—
"....I-I heard it went well for them..." Fluttershy replied, but her voice didn’t hold the kind of nervous excitement that Rarity would have expected. Rather, she sounded artificially neutral.
"I....beg your pardon...?" Rarity felt suddenly off balance. It wasn’t unlike Fluttershy to talk about a personal matter by pretending she was talking about a pony she knew, but this almost sounded as though she was serious.
"W-well...they told me a little about it...b-but I-um...d-didn't pay much attention..."
Rarity could feel the blood drain from her face. There was no way she was THIS wrong, was there? "And the 'they' you are referring to would be...?"
Fluttershy sucked in a breath of air through her teeth, and after a moment finally managed to bring herself to answer in the same almost detached fashion. "Rainbow and Trixie…"
Rarity had heard about the pit falling out of somepony's stomach, but never imagined it could happen to her in a luxurious hot tub. She mused at how, despite being in the water, a great deal of her body suddenly felt cold to the point of numbness.
“Uhm, Rarity?” Fluttershy gently poked her foreleg.
The little touch was enough to snap Rarity back to reality, she fixed Fluttershy with an intense look as the news came into sharp focus again. "R-Rainbow Dash WENT OUT WITH THAT WITCH!?"
Fluttershy shrunk back, folding her ears as Rarity screeched. "Y-yes?"
Rarity couldn’t believe what she was hearing. All that time she’d spent advising Rainbow Dash on how to make sure it would be a perfect date for her and Fluttershy! The peaceful stroll through the forest to let her enjoy nature! The solitary picnic to keep her anxiety of crowds at bay! The music! Oh, Celestia, the music! She’d painstakingly picked out the songs that best matched what she knew of Fluttershy’s taste. All this time and effort, wasted!
Now that she thought about it, Rainbow never actually said who her ‘friend’ was dating, she’d merely mentioned that she’d want to stay away from other ponies. Naturally, Rarity had assumed this meant a shy pony, but in hindsight it could apply to a fugitive too. She’d been tricked! Bamboozled! Hoodwinked! "That Cad! That little multi-colored monster! Consorting with that blue-haired demon, why—Wait... why were you asking about dating advice earlier, darling?"
Fluttershy looked as though she’d rather be back in the dragon’s cave than in the room right now. Nervously, she repeatedly pulled the ends of her locks in some transparent effort to give her an excuse not to look Rarity in the face as she mumbled. "O-o-oh… u-uhm… I… k-kind of have a d-date in two days. It’s not, uhm, important, I… and…"
"But...with who...?" Rarity had to put a hoof on the edge of the bath to steady herself. It felt as though her whole world was tilted at an odd angle. If Dash and Fluttershy were not dating, then who could Fluttershy possibly be going out with? She’d always expected those two to end up together, that was why she’d not even bothered to inquire with Rainbow just who she was taking on that date when she’d spoken to her.
The look of nervous resignation on Fluttershy’s face made it clear she must have decided there was no way she was going to get out of this interrogation. She wrapped her hooves up in her mane as she answered, "T-the u-um...b-blue-haired demon?"
Rarity felt an involuntary twitch in her left eye.
“…”
“…”
Rarity stared at Fluttershy. Her jaw so far down that she could taste the strawberry bath foam, which tasted nothing like strawberry. Fluttershy, naturally, had crossed her tangled hooves, and completely hidden her face behind her mane.
Her mind was blank for an eternal minute.
It had to be a joke, but she couldn’t even begin to imagine just what she’d done to deserve to be the victim of such a horrible prank. It had to have been a truly terrible deed if Fluttershy would trick her like this. Perhaps Rainbow put her up to it. It seemed like the kind of thing she might do to get payback for being used as a mannequin. No, even if she had, there was just no way Fluttershy would ever manage to lie like that.
Rarity’s stomach tied itself into a knot. That was right. Fluttershy wouldn’t lie like that. So, either Rainbow Dash had taken extensive acting classes, acquired a lot of pink and yellow hair dye, and some colored contact lenses… or… or…
With a sudden splash, Rarity thrust her head below the surface of the water, causing Fluttershy to flinch back in surprise. Safely encapsulated by the water, Rarity’s frustration was made manifest.
Large pockets of air bubbled to the surface, accompanied by a muffled, surprisingly high-pitched, sound.
After the bubbles stopped, it took another ten seconds before Rarity finally rose above the surface again. With one hoof, she brushed the soaked strands of hair out of her face. “Before you ask, Fluttershy… No, no, I’m not…”
The sound of the door opening almost escaped Rarity’s notice, but she quickly looked over her shoulder with a feeling of inescapable horror. Fortunately, it was only Lotus Blossom, carrying a bucket and mop. Luckily, she was alone. If Trixie had been behind her, Rarity wasn’t sure what she would have done, but she was feeling lightheaded already just thinking about it.
As soon as the door closed, Rarity spoke. “Lotus.” Her voice sounded strained.
Lotus set down the bucket and gave her usual smile, oh so blissfully unaware of the crime against nature that had just been revealed. "Yes, miss Rarity?"
"Be a dear and fetch me the waterproof fainting couch?"
“I’m sorry, miss. Unfortunately, it is in use by miss T—” She cut herself off midsentence as she caught the look in Rarity’s eyes. “Uhm, another customer.”
"Oh… what poor luck. Well then, Fluttershy?" She turned to face her again, the rest of the room seemed to dim around the shaking pegasus. Oh, wait, that was just her vision signing out.
"Y-yes?"
"Could you be a dear and make sure I do not drown?" She’d just managed the words, before the last bit of light faded from the room.
"W-what? O-oh!"
Another splash.
Aloe had cleaned up the blood in the hallway and opted to stay with Trixie while she recovered. Meanwhile, Lotus had wandered off to do something or other; Trixie hadn't cared enough to ask.
Given the circumstances, Trixie had to conclude this was actually pretty nice. Aside from the magazine, she passed the time by chatting with Aloe a little. Primarily about the most interesting topic they had available, Trixie herself.
About halfway through spinning Aloe a story, a scream came from the next room that sounded as though somepony had rolled a piano over the tail of a helium-inflated cat. Curiously, Aloe didn’t seem to react to it. Perhaps she’d imagined the sound? In any case, the show had to go on, and Trixie soon forgot all about it.
"That's how Trixie single-hoovedly defeated three whole packs of timberwolves, through the strategic sacrifice of her magnificent hat!" Trixie might have taken some minor artistic liberties with the story of how she lost her hat in the everfree forest. "Of course Trixie will retrieve it as soon as she's given the timberwolves enough time to lick their wounds."
Aloe had a bemused smile on her face. "It wouldn't be sporting otherwise, right?"
"Exactly! See, Trixie knew you would get it."
“Of course.”
With her story concluded, Trixie’s attention was drawn back to the towel she’d been holding against her muzzle, there wasn’t any fresh blood on it. A quick inspection told her she was officially back in business. “Ah, finally. Trixie knew it was just a minor thing.”
Aloe perked up. “That’s great. Mostly because I couldn’t make out a word of that whole muffled story and it was getting really awkward to be nodding at random.”
Trixie twitched. “It’s a good thing Trixie knows you’re lying, or you’d be in trouble.”
“Ditto.”
“Whatever that means. Look, thanks for making sure Trixie didn’t pass out and all that, but can Trixie go back inside now?”
“Technically, Lotus never said anything about keeping you out here in the hallway. I just assumed you were cooling off after that whole thing with Miss Rarity.”
Trixie supposed that was true. “It was a rhetorical question,” she said while rearing up on her hind legs and resting her forelegs on either of the double doors, ready to push them open.
“Uhuh.” Aloe replied while picking up a basket with a bowl of cucumber slices, some jars of unknown origin, and various shampoo bottles. Trixie recognized Rarity’s cutie mark on several of the containers. They looked awfully expensive compared to everything else in there. “I’ll just drop this off then find Lotus.”
“Give it to Trixie,” she said while wrapping her magic around the basket.
Aloe quickly let go and gave Trixie a hesitant, puzzled look. “Uh, okay? Well, I’ll just go find Lotus and tell her everything is fine then.” Aloe trotted off, sparing just a brief look back before leaving Trixie to her own devices.
This left Trixie a moment to herself to consider how she was going to actually approach this whole thing. Was she just going to walk back in like nothing had happened? Should she even bother going in there? Now that she thought about it, perhaps it was better if she just went home and left it to Aloe to inform Fluttershy of her whereabouts. But then again, she already volunteered to bring the basket inside and she’d look foolish if she gave it back to Aloe. More importantly than any of that, Trixie supposed that leaving would mean letting Rarity win.
That settled it.
With a mighty shove, Trixie swung the doors wide open. The loud bangs of each door hitting the walls reverberated through the room. Trixie grinned smugly as she saw Rarity turn around in the bath, clutching her chest as though it had imploded.
Grinning ear to ear as she trotted closer, Trixie proclaimed. “Fear not! Trixie has returned!”
“Really, Again!? You witch!”
“Oh, don’t look so grouchy, you’ll get more wrinkles. Look—” She lifted one of Rarity’s bottles out of the basket and shook it while she approached. “—Trixie has something for your mane, won’t that be nice?” She smiled.
“If you come anywhere within a hundred hooves of my mane I will end you!” Rarity scowled, then she glanced over at the bottle and her eye’s widened. “Gah! Put that down! It takes a month to import!”
“Alright, alright, geez.” Trixie slid the bottle back into its place and set the basket down on the edge of the bath . Well, so much for that peace offering.
“How did you even get your hooves on this?” Rarity asked while she fussed over the contents of the basket.
Before Trixie could answer, Fluttershy’s adorable head poked out from behind Rarity. She looked a little shook up for some reason. “Are you, uhm, running an errand for Aloe? That’s nice of you. I-isn’t that nice, Rarity?”
Rarity had her muzzle in the basket as she rummaged through it, but a gentle prod had her look up. “Oh. Oh, yes. Yes, of course.” She took a moment to collect herself, apparently reassured that everything that was supposed to be in the basket was still there. “Thank you for bringing this over. Now, how are you feeling?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is exactly as advertised, and you’re welcome.” Trixie wasn’t quite convinced Rarity actually cared. It felt more to her like the prissy unicorn was humoring Fluttershy. However, there was something different about Rarity now that Trixie couldn’t quite place. Where before Rarity had been cold and mostly attempted to ignore Trixie’s existence, now she had a look of almost predatory hunger.
That’s probably not good.
Speaking of hunger, Trixie hadn’t had a bite to eat since breakfast and she was feeling peckish herself. Fancy places like this couldn’t possibly expect their customers to starve all day, could they? There had to be snacks around somewhere.
Oh, right. Trixie did see something to eat.
It didn’t seem like a good idea for Trixie to take her eyes off of Rarity when she was so strangely focused, despite what her stomach wanted.
Luckily for Trixie, Fluttershy gently tapped Rarity's shoulder before starting to whisper into her ear, distracting her enough to let Trixie quietly walk over to the bowl of cucumbers and popped one of the pieces into her mouth.
Trixie was impressed though, the room seemed almost designed to make soft conversation easily heard, but she could barely make out a word as they quietly whispered back and forth, their eyes glancing over to Trixie every so often. Were they talking about her?
Trixie raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t nice to whisper in front of somepony and she hadn’t expected Fluttershy to do so. On the other hoof, Trixie supposed she had probably interrupted whatever private conversation the two were having when she barged in a moment earlier. She could forgive a few last words in private.
Levitating a few of the cucumber slices out of the basket, Trixie trotted over to the far side of the bath, as far away from Rarity as possible, and climbed back into the bath at last. The nice warm feeling of the water was a welcome relief after laying on the cool floor the past few minutes.
“Wi—umm...I mean, Trixie, darling!?”
Glorious. Trixie supposed it was too much to ask to be allowed to enjoy this for long. “For crying out loud, yes! Trixie is, in fact, a hundred hooves away from you! Now let her enjoy the complimentary cucumbers in peace!”
“C-complimentary cu—Trixie! Forget about that! Listen, I regret how this day has gone thus far. Come over here so we can do some mare talk.”
That was a surprising thing to hear. Trixie looked over at Rarity, eyeing the mare suspiciously. “What about the ‘get near my mane again and I will end you!’ thing?”
Rarity’s face briefly showed an uncomfortable look, but she quickly smiled and waved the comment away as if chasing off a fly. "Ah-hahaha! It was just a joke, darling! Water under the bridge! I barely even remember it!"
Now that was definitely a lie. Whatever Rarity was doing, Trixie didn’t trust it. Rarity had been at her throat when she left the room and wasted no time in attempting to poison Fluttershy against her in her absence. This was just too sudden a change. "A minute ago you were all 'I swear I shall never forget this!' and now you want to talk while grinning at Trixie like a school filly. What is this?"
Rarity levitated over some of the cucumber slices that she’d shooed Trixie away from earlier and held one out for Trixie while biting into the other. She didn’t seem to enjoy it much, but she still acted as though she did. "Mhm. Times change darling, harsh words were said, it’s something of minor importance we can discuss another time. Like say after we get to know each other a little better, yes? So! With that out of the way, let’s chat, shall we?"
Hesitantly, Trixie took a bite of the cucumber as she listened to Rarity. She couldn’t exactly find fault with the reasoning. Perhaps it had been a mistake to focus the initial conversation on their disagreement. "W-well, Fluttershy wanted to set this meeting up so we could talk, so—"
"So!" Rarity said, slapping her hooves together loud enough to overbear Trixie's voice. "Are you dating anypony by chance?"
“U-uhm...perhaps...?” Trixie nervously looked over to Fluttershy, who was doing her best impersonation of a drowning pony. Her ears were all that remained above water, but she refused to acknowledge anything happening.
Rarity noticed the look and leaned in closer to Trixie. "Oh that’s just wonderful, what a lucky pony that must be. To get the Great and Powerful Trixie all to herself like that. Why, I’d have been certain you’d be too much to handle for just one pony.”
"Well, of course. Trixie’s more than enough mare for two… " Trixie knew Rarity was playing to her ego, but that didn’t do anything to dissuade the warm fuzzy feeling in her chest at the sound of praise. Or, at least she thought it was praise. “Wait, are you calling Trixie fat?” She pulled away from Rarity and gave her a skeptical look.
“Perish the thought.” Rarity said without breaking eye contact, though Trixie wished she had. “No, darling, but given that you said two… Might you be dating another pony as well as this first one you just mentioned?" There was a certain intensity on Rarity’s face that Trixie had a hard time placing. She felt tense, like a rat trap.
Trixie shifted uncomfortably in the water. She wasn’t sure what Rarity was getting at, but she was being too friendly and much too interested for this to be a line of conversation Trixie wanted to follow. Hopefully she could just give a vague answer and steer the direction of the conversation elsewhere. "Uh. Well… that might be the case, but you—"
"And would these ponies be Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?" Rarity interrupted.
"W-well...T-trixie isn't sure they'd like her to just—"
With a horrified expression, Rarity clapped a hoof over her mouth and looked between Fluttershy's ears (her nose had just made a brief appearance before re-submerging again) and Trixie . "What's this!? A ménage à trois? Between the three of you!? Oh, how scandalous! How primitive and debase of you! And with such an innocent angel like Fluttershy involved with two arrogant show offs!"
Of course, of course she would do something like this. Trixie wasn't sure how or when Rarity had figured it out, but she clearly only asked for confirmation to make a scene. The sudden turnabout momentarily left Trixie speechless, while Rarity rambled on about just how shocking this supposedly was. The fuzzy warm feeling inside had long since corroded into molten fury as Trixie pushed herself up out of the water to tower over Rarity. “Trixie knew you’d do something like this! Well if you think you can stop us then—”
"Stop you?” Rarity blinked, somehow even more appalled at the suggestion of putting an end to the whole thing then she was at finding out about it. “Why, I wouldn’t dream of it! Come! Sit! I simply must know ALL the details of this, Trixie! Don't keep a friend waiting on something this juicy!"
Confusion and anger didn't mix well. Trixie found herself trying to not let the former override the latter, but this damned mare was making no sense. "What? No! You... what? Don't try to confuse Trixie! She knows your game! You just want to tear us apart like before!"
Rarity tilted her head with a confused look on her face. "My game? I'm afraid I don't quite follow you. Why would I want to separate young lovers? I never did such a thing in my—" Rarity froze, and her snow-white face somehow became even paler as she quickly looked back and forth between Trixie and Fluttershy. Finally, she managed to breath out, "Oh, no. I did, didn't I?"
Beginning to feel awkward just standing above the water, not to mention cold, Trixie sunk back into the bath. She observed Rarity for a moment as the mare seemed to realize she had quite literally torn Trixie away from Fluttershy with her telekinesis which led to their little magic duel in the first place.
“I'm so sorry, girls.” Rarity said, with a slight tremor in her voice. “I didn't realize at the time you two were... I mean, who would have thought, right?” She chuckled weakly.
Trixie looked Rarity over. She seemed sincere, but she could just be a good actor. However, if she really didn’t know at the time, that had to mean she found out recently. Trixie shot a look over at Fluttershy, who was still pretending not to be there.
Maybe it’s not Rarity that she’s hiding from after all. She let it slip while Trixie was gone? Does she think Trixie is mad at her for it?
Trixie made a note to talk with Fluttershy later, for now she had Rarity to contend with. “Even if you didn’t, that’s no excuse. You had no reason to react like that.”
“Well… actually,” Rarity lightly tapped the tips of her hooves together sheepishly. “I maaay have been under the mistaken impression that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were together… And perhaps I jumped to a few conclusions. Like, say for example, I may have thought you were trying to get between them… Oh, Celestia, I had no idea how right I actually was.” She fanned her reddening face.
“That’s, well, uh…” Trixie felt her cheeks burn as she pictured the mental image Rarity inadvertently painted. “T-Trixie supposes she understands. You were just trying to look out for your friends, yes? That, that’s fine. Trixie might have done the same then.” She cleared her throat, eager to get the conversation elsewhere. “Sooo, do you suppose Fluttershy needs resuscitation by now? Trixie volunteers.”
Rarity hid the lower half of her face behind her foreleg, but she failed to hide the smirk. “Yes, I’ll bet you do.”
A large air bubble popped on the surface, emitting a faint meeping sound.