Great

by Broadway

Magic and Pinecones

Trixie's eyes flew wide open. Night had come and gone. A few rays of golden sunlight managed to pierce through the thick canopy of trees above. It was actually a pretty sight, but she paid it no mind. "Coal?" He stirred a bit but remained asleep. "Coal."

Coal peeled open his weary eyes, blinking heavily. He yawned. "Hnh. . . what?"

"What happened last night?"

Puzzled, Coal sat up. Trixie was staring straight ahead, her eyes fixated on some unknown point. Her voice had been serious, and her body was rigid. "What do you mean? A lot happened last night."

"After the dragon threw me to the ground, what happened? How did we escape?"

Coal looked her over to see if she was kidding. "Um, you used some kind of freaky unicorn magic to get that rock off of me and-"

Trixie didn't let him finish. "I did it!!!" She jumped into the air and began to bounce around, screeching with laughter.

Coal got up and ran over to the hysteric pony. "Whoa, there. Calm down, Trix. You did what?"

Trixie looked down at him, the biggest smile Equestria had ever seen splayed across her entire face. "Magic!" she exclaimed, jumping with such a force that Coal was sent sprawling to the grassy ground below. Trixie didn't seem to take any notice for she was too busy running in circles and giggling hysterically. "I did it! I used magic!"

Coal rubbed his sore bum. "And?"

Trixie's smile deflated somewhat. "Huh?"

"Your point? You are a unicorn after all."

Trixie's face flushed with pink as she looked down at the ground. "Well, um, you see, I've never been able to use magic before."

"Never?"

She shook her head.

"And you're how old?"

"Eight," was her mumbled response. Her smile was completely gone now.

Coal paused. "Well, better late than never."

Trixie looked up at him, stunned. She had been so sure that he would laugh at her. But he hadn't. His face bore a kind smile, his blue eyes friendly.

Slowly, a grin spread upon her face once more before she let out a squeal of delight and hurled herself at him. Trixie looked down at the wide-eyed form of Coal underneath her and giggled. "And it's all thanks to you!" she cried, wrapping her forelegs around him in a tight embrace. "Thank you."

Coal, startled, hugged her back. "My pleasure," he managed to choke out, his lungs being squeezed tight by the pony on top of him.

However, when his arms applied pressure to the Trixie's back, she winced and let out the faintest of whimpers. It did not go unnoticed. Coal pulled back to look at her. "Hey, are you okay?"

Trixie looked away and nodded. "Mhm, I'm fine," she lied. She hated lying.

Coal didn't buy it. "Let me have a look."

Instantly, she leaped off of him and took several steps back. "No, that's okay. You really don't have to."

"I know I don't have to, but I'm going to anyway," he replied, standing up. But when he went to take a step in her direction, Trixie took another step backwards.

Coal frowned and sighed. "Are you really gonna make this difficult?"

She said nothing.

"All I want to do is take a look, okay? Just a look. I'm not going to hurt you, promise."

Hesitantly, Trixie lowered her head to the ground. Coal took this as a signal that it was alright to proceed, and so he did. He walked around to her side. "Can you take off your cape, please?"

Trixie had nearly forgotten she was still wearing her costume. Slowly, she unfastened the jewel holding the cloak in place and gently removed it with her teeth, setting it carefully on the ground.

There was a sharp, angry intake of air from behind her, causing Trixie to flinch. "How did this happen?"

Trixie turned her head to look back and instantly regretted it.

Across her entire backside were large swollen bruises from the day before in addition to a series of newer ones along with several scratches from her cave escapade.

Trixie shrugged half-heartedly in response. "I dunno. Probably from last night with that dragon. He threw me pretty hard."

Coal looked at her hard. "Yes, and I'm sure some of these are from that. But what about the rest?"

Trixie looked away, squeezing her eyes shut to prevent any tears from escaping.

"Trix?"

Her bottom lip quivered.

Coal's eyes lost their frustration. He racked his brain for something to help the sad pony when an idea struck him. "Stay right here, okay? I'll be right back, I promise." Without another word he took off into the thick tangle of trees, leaving Trixie alone.

She sat down, her legs still aching from the previous night.

The woods, now in the light of day, didn't seem as ominous as they had at night. Trixie wondered why she had ever been afraid of this place.

A few moments passed by before Coal made his return. In his left claw were several bright blue berries, and in the other was a pink and black flower that Trixie had never seen before.

He walked up to her. "Here, eat this," he said, offering the flower.

Trixie merely looked down at it, her expression blank.

"It's a Chenow flower," Coal explained. "They only grow out here in the forest, not in pony villages. Eating them helps relieve stress."

Trixie made no motion to eat it.

Coal made a face. "It's not poisonous or anything, really. And I'm sure you're hungry."

That Trixie was. Gingerly, she took the flower into her mouth and chewed it. It was actually quite good.

Coal moved around to her backside, causing the Trixie to look at him, her mouth still full. His eyes softened. "Relax. These are. . . well, I actually don't know what these berries are called. No one ever told me. But they have healing properties." Trixie watched as he crushed the berries and rubbed them against her back. She let out a gasp of pain when his claw made contact with her bruised fur. Coal grimaced. "Sorry," he apologized, continuing with the task at hand only taking care to be more gentle. At first the berries burned, but after the initial shock, it transformed into a cool, soothing sensation.

Coal stepped away. "Feel better?"

Trixie nodded, though she still said nothing.

"Now are you going to tell me how you got these?"

Trixie looked away.

Coal thought for a moment. "Hey, Trix? Are you up to playing a game with me?" No response. "It's called. . . well, it doesn't have a name, but that's not important. What you do is you ask a friend a question, any question under Celestia's sun, and they must give a completely honest answer. Then, if applicable, the one who initially asked answers the same question. Then it repeats, except the roles are reversed. I'd like to play it with you. You can go first if you want."

With a sniffle, Trixie looked back at him. ". . . What's your favorite color?"

A faint grin appeared on Coal's face. "Green. It's the color of the trees, the grass, my home. I like it. And you?"

"Lavender," replied Trixie. "I don't know why. I just like it."

"What do you want your cutie mark to be? Or what do you think it might be?"

Trixie blinked. Definitely not the question she had been anticipating. After a moment of thinking, she shrugged and replied, "I don't really know. I've never really thought about it much. I mean, I don't really have any talents. That I know of, at least."

"Maybe you'll get your cutie mark for being a professional dragon-rescuer," came Coal with a dorky grin.

Trixie rolled her eyes with a smile. "Yeah, yeah. Alright, so it's my turn again, right? Um, what's your favorite kind of food?"

Coal perked up at this. "Opals," he replied instantly.

"Really? Why? What do they taste like?"

"They're really sweet with just a hint of spiciness." Coal stared off dreamily. "They're really good. I could go for some right now. Shoot, I could go for them anytime."

Trixie looked at him awkwardly. "So, you've never had a sudden urge to eat. . . you know. . ."

It took him a second to realize what she was getting at. He sighed. "No, okay? The idea of that disgusts me. I will never eat anything that has a face. I know there are some dragons out there that do that, but not me. Got it?"

Trixie nodded, a wave of embarrassment and relief flooding over her.

He relaxed a bit. "What about you? What's your favorite kind of food?"

Trixie blushed and looked down sheepishly.

"What?"

"You're gonna laugh."

Coal crossed his arms. "Try me."

"Pinecones."

Coal blinked, not even attempting to hide his surprise. "What?"

Trixie giggled, her face flushed. "See? I told you."

"No, you were wrong. You said I would laugh, which in fact, I have not done," declared Coal, a look of triumph on his face. Trixie giggled again. "But seriously, why in Equestria would you even attempt to eat a pinecone?"

She smiled. "Well, let's just say when I was younger, my sister and I made a bet, I lost, and I had to eat a pinecone. And. . . I liked it."

Coal cocked an imaginary eyebrow. "No elaborations?"

"Nope." Trixie beamed. "That wasn't part of the rules. I gave a completely honest response. Nothing more, nothing less."

He shrugged, a faint smile on his face. "Fair enough. Hm. . ."

"What?"

"I'm trying to think of a question."

"Well hurry up. You're so slow!"

Coal grinned. "What about that costume you're wearing? What's up with that?"

Trixie's smile faded, and Coal knew he'd asked a sensitive question. "You don't have to answer it if you don't want-"

She raised a hoof to silence him. "No, no. It's okay." Trixie regarded the cape lying on the grass next to her. "My mother made it for me. It's. . . all I have left of her."

Coal tried to think of some way to comfort her, but, after finding none, redirected his attention to the cape. "It's lovely," he remarked honestly.

Trixie nodded but said nothing.

"Your mother, was she pretty?"

"She was beautiful," replied Trixie as she gazed downwards. "But even more beautiful were the paintings she made. What I wouldn't give to see one of those again."

"Hey, maybe you'll get a cutie mark in painting," supplied Coal in an effort to cheer her up. "Maybe that's your special talent."

She nodded half-heartedly. "Maybe."

Trixie's head suddenly whipped up as she sent a glare in Coal's direction. "Hey, you cheated!"

"What?"

"You asked two questions!"

Coal thought back through the conversation before nodding in agreement. "You're right, I did. My bad."

"That means I get two questions too," stated Trixie, frowning heavily.

Coal smirked. "Fair enough. Shoot."

Trixie pondered for a moment. She looked at him shyly. "Um, Coal?"

"Yeah?"

"Was I. . . am I what you expected a pony to be like? Because, I know you seemed pretty shocked in the cave and all last night. . ."

Coal took a minute to seriously consider the question. "Yes. . . and no," he replied at last.

"How so?"

"Well, you look just like I imagined a pony would based off of my mother's stories. Except I thought they would be, you know, bigger."

Trixie snorted. "I am still a filly, you know."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But, besides that, I suppose you're pretty different than what I expected. Unless. . . you don't want to rob me, do you?"

She made a face, taken aback. "Rob you? Why would I do that?"

The dragon shrugged again. "I dunno. My mom's stories usually talked about ponies coming and robbing dragons of loot from their hoard. But I don't think I should be too worried about that, seeing as I'm currently broke at the moment."

"You and me both," replied Trixie, smiling.

Coal smiled as well. "And. . . you're a lot more," he thought for a moment, ". . . fragile than I expected."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "You're so tiny, so delicate."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not necessarily." Trixie smiled. "So what about you? Am I what you imagined a dragon would be like?"

Trixie shook her head. "Not at all."

"Oh really now? Care to elaborate this time?"

She blushed.

Coal pointed a claw at her. "That's another thing."

"What?"

"Blushing. Dragons can manage a little bit of coloration in their cheeks, but you? Whole new level. I didn't think ponies were capable of that. Or maybe it's just you." He perked up. "Maybe blushing is your special talent! But what would your cutie mark look like? Would it be of a pony blushing? Or something that makes you blush?"

"Do you want me to elaborate or not?" snapped Trixie, her entire face a vibrant shade of pink.

Coal snickered. "Sorry. Go ahead."

Trixie took a moment to regain her composure. "No, you're definitely not what I expected a dragon to be like. You're a lot more annoying."

Coal looked at her aghast. "Who-wha? ME? ANNOYING? Oh Trix, looks like somepony's had a little too much salt."

Trixie smirked. ". . . You're a lot nicer than I imagined. And I never thought a dragon would save my life. I mean, you've been nothing but kind to me since I met you, and that's definitely not how my father said a dragon would act. Thank you."

Coal smiled. "My pleasure. So, what will be your second question, miss?"

Trixie looked at him. She almost didn't want to ask. "So. . . um. . . what're you gonna do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, where are you gonna go?"

Coal's aquamarine eyes scanned her face for a moment. "I don't know. You tell me."

"Huh?"

"I can't go back home. And there is no way I'm leaving a delicate thing like you all alone in these woods with all of the nasty monsters that lurk around here. Hate to break it to you, but they're not all as nice as yours truly. There's timber wolves, Ursa Majors, the odd cockatrice, not to mention that pony-eating brute. No, it looks like you're stuck with me."

Trixie looked at him with wide eyes, wearing a look of complete disbelief. "R-really?"

Coal grinned a toothy grin. "Really really."

In a flash he found himself on his back with Trixie on top of him once more, her forelegs wrapped tightly around him. "This again?"

"Get over it."

With a roll of his eyes, he hugged her back, a smile of satisfaction appearing when she did not flinch in pain.

For better or worse, the odd pair were now bound together, their paths forever entwined.

Comments

[EmuZSNES]

Feedback, eh? Found some. :P
(spelling/grammar stuff)

"Coal grimaced. "Sorry," he appologized," "Apologized" is misspelled.
"There's timber wolves, ursa majors, the odd cockatrice," Capitalize "Ursa Major".

;D
(i sound like a dick)
- EmuZSNES

[Broadway]

303994 Dang it. . .

Actually, I was regarding feedback plotwise, but pointing out spelling mistakes is definitely appreciated. Like, misspelling drives me crazy. Don't worry, you don't sound like a dick at all. Then again, I really don't know what a dick sounds like. I didn't even know dicks made sounds. Learn something new every day, huh?

[EmuZSNES]

304047 Haha, as a former newsletter editor, I am a bit used to noticing those awkward spelling mistakes... as for plotwise things... I'm not good at that stuff.

As for what a dick sounds like...
I think it's better for the world not to know. x]

[Broadway]

304066 Well, I definitely appreciate pointing out my bonehead mistakes. And you're probably right. . . . Now you've got me wondering, though. What would a dick sound like? You know what? Just to keep my mind clean, I'm going to imagine that dinging noise that happens in cartoons when a guy gets an implied boner. XP

[EmuZSNES]

304109
archive.no-ip.org/images/co/thumb/0260/93/1305898513029s.jpg

[Broadway]

304147 Oh wow. . . glad I never have to worry about that. . . That seems pretty creepy though.

[kittyinequestria]

Good luck getting into EqD! I hope you do well, and I'm pretty sure you could. I like shipping just fine, but the stories that delve into the characters of background or shallow characters are really interesting. You have done wonderfully!

[Broadway]

308078 Wow, thank you! I hope you continue to feel that way!

[Tome]

Great story, I'm digging this Coal character.

[Broadway]

309970 Well, if that's the case, then you're in luck, because you'll be seeing him just about throughout the rest of the story.

And I'm glad to hear you like him! He's definitely one of my favorite (if not my favorite) OC's that appear in this story (my other faves are yet to come). It's funny though, because his original role in the plot was a lot different than it is now. In the original version, I was going to have Trixie find his egg abandoned in the cave and hatch him using magic and have him go on to be Trixie's "Spike", per se. Then I got the idea for what his role is now, fell in love with it instantly, scrapped everything I had previously come up with and practically reworked the entire story around him. Like, I'm not even kidding.

So yeah. Blah. I'm glad you like him!

[Tome]

Trixie having a spike? I never thought of that
Well awesome story I shall wait for more.

[Broadway]

317391
See? The things us writers come up with. Crazy, huh?
Anyways, I'm glad to see you're like the story thus far!