Trixie and Maud: Heart of Stone

by TheCrimsonDM

Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen: Dresses for Days

Heart of Stone

Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen: Dresses for Days

Written by TheCrimsonDM

The snowfield lay quiet and empty. A place where no life could possibly survive, the only remnants were a few ruined buildings and a graveyard long since abandoned. Red Velvet stood besides Trixie, her horn cast a pale red light over the snow around them. A brown sack floated next to her.

A hollow feeling filled Trixie’s chest. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

Red Velvet actually gave her a sad smile. “I know, but this is the least we can do for him. He’d be happy knowing that you were the one to do this.”

They walked up to an empty grave, a six foot pit in the ground. It was as empty as Trixie’s soul. Slowly Red lowered the sack into the hole. Trixie leaned over the pit, staring at the sack beneath her.

“Why?” Trixie asked. “Why does he have to stay in the bag?”

“Do you want to stare at a pile of your father’s bones?” Red Velvet asked.

Trixie shook her head. “No… I… I just want… I want him to be alive.”

“I know,” Red Velvet said.

Trixie sat down. “What’s next?”

Red Velvet walked over to the ruined building, she searched through the ruin for a few minutes. This gave Trixie plenty of time to reflect on what she’d just done. She found her father’s body, nothing but bones. He had been betrayed by his one of his best friends, one of Celestia’s Heroes. It turned out that Ash was Morning Veil. The evil cult leader who had driven her mom insane and killed her father had been one of the good guys.

The sense of betrayal was so deep and old that it stung in ways she never thought possible. How could somepony do this to her family, to her? Morning Veil had used her father, and when he was done, he had hurt and destroyed everything that mattered to her. It had taken years to reclaim even a fraction of what was lost, but it was too late. The damage to her soul had already been done.

“Trixie,” Red Velvet said as she approached. She dropped a shovel. “Would you like to say something before we start?”

Trixie stood. “Father, I know you tried to keep us safe. You tried to stop a great evil, and you’ve saved me even after death you have kept me safe.” She would have cried but she just felt so dead inside. Even her tears had dried up. “I’ll honor you’re memory, and keep this sword safe. When I have a family… if I have one, I will do my best to protect them, as you did us. Thanks, dad.”

Before they got to burying him, Trixie looked at red Velvet. “I don’t know if you can, but if it’s at all possible I… I don’t want to remember this. Any of this.”

“I do know a few memory wipe spells, but losing two weeks of memories is… it will leave a heavy toll on your mind,” Red Velvet said. “And it’s not permanent. Eventually the memories will come back, maybe something will trigger them, or maybe time itself. You can’t forget it forever.”

Trixie looked back at the grave. “I’m covered in blood, not all of it is mine… I don’t want to remember all of this. The seekers, Starfire’s death, me murdering Ash, or finding my dad. Please, Red… can’t you help?”

“I’ll expect you to return the favor. This magic is difficult and it will leave me weak.”

Trixie nodded. “I’ll help you save those alicorns.”

Red smiled. “Thank you. Okay, Trixie. I’ll erase your memories, and take you somewhere safe. Somewhere you won’t be bothered until you’re healed. How does this sound?”

“That’s good,” Trixie said tiredly. “Thanks again.” Trixie took the shovel in her telekinetic aura. “Let’s finish this.”

***

A pair of hooves rocked her back and forth, the room was dark, and all she could hear was Maud’s voice. “Trixie, wake up! Please wake up.”

For a second she fumbled with her hooves before she managed to grab Maud’s hooves in her own and to hold them tightly. With a little bit of concentrated will, Trixie summoned forth a small orb of purple light from her horn. Maud was right next to her with wide eyes, Valiant sat at the hoof of the bed with wide worried eyes… as in both eyes. The milky white one and the pink one both focused squarely on her.

“I’m okay,” Trixie said. She rubbed a hoof at her tired eyes. Her cheeks were wet. “Was I crying?”

“You were having a nightmare, and Valiant told me to wake you. She didn’t like the way you looked,” Maud said.

Trixie shook her head. “I’m… I’m okay now.” It was a little difficult to breathe, and aside from the tears she felt sweat covering her body. “I just remembered something. I…”

Memories of Luna’s recent betrayal hit her. “I was used.”

“Lulu,” Maud said quietly. “We talked about this. What happened to you was horrible, but we are both here for you. We will keep you safe.”

Trixie shook her head. It took a moment before she realized what Maud was saying. Trixie looked at her. “No not… not that. It wasn’t Manehattan. I mean I was used today… Luna used me, and my ignorance to further her political agenda. I…” Trixie sniffled and shivered. “I thought that we were friends! How could she do that to me?”

A dangerous look crossed into Maud’s eyes. “Do I need to fix her?”

“No, she… It was my fault. I don’t know anything about politics, or the rules or anything. I thought Twilight was bad at being a princess, I didn’t think that it was possible for me to be even worse,” Trixie said. She fell into Maud’s chest and sobbed. “I thought Luna was my friend!”

Little movements on the bed told her that Valiant was moving up to her, even before she felt the tiny hooves hug her side. The filly opened her mouth slightly, looked thoughtful and closed her mouth again. Then the filly gently kissed Trixie’s foreleg and nuzzled into it.

A helpless smile grew over Trixie’s lips and her heart filled with warmth. “Aw, thank you, Val. Thank you too, Maud. I’m so glad that I have you girls in my life.”

She couldn’t help but to cry for the next half hour until she finally fell asleep again. When she did, a nightmare waited for her. She dreamed of fire, of being caught in a burning building while she was forced to listen to the screams of her family just outside. When a dark alicorn silhouette passed overhead the entire dream shifted into something else entirely.

A large room lined with posters o f the great and powerful Trixie surrounded her. A large set of double doors opened and Screw Loose along with Moonlight Sonata walked through. Valiant walked in-between them, and Maud entered last. Trixie spent the remainder of the dream proudly introducing her wife and child to her father.

By the time she awoke the next morning she was happy. The sun was shining brightly, and a smile was firmly planted over her face. Both Maud and Valiant were just as happy to see her smile as she was to see the morning light.

“Did you sleep well?” Maud asked.

“I had a nightmare at first, but then it turned into such a wonderful dream. I got to introduce you two to my dad, it was a great dream,” Trixie said.

“That’s good, because I have bad news,” Maud said flatly.

That put a damper on Trixie’s smile. “What’s wrong now? It’s not more bills is it?”

“If the three of us are going to the gala than we all need dresses. I still have one that looks good,” Maud said.

“But me and Valiant don’t…” Trixie said lamely. She gave it a second thought and smiled. “Actually I can fix that, I know just the mare to procure dresses from.”

Maud shoved a catalog book into Trixie’s chest. “Take that to Rarity, pick something nice, and come back here.”

“Wow, your being a bossy bear this morning. What’s up?” Trixie asked.

“We have things to do, and your job is very important. We are taking our family out into the Grand Galloping Gala. We can’t look poor,” Maud said flatly.

“Are you actually worried about our looks? I thought you were beyond that,” Trixie said.

“I refuse to let Nightmare Moon look down on us,” Maud said.

There it is; her revenge plot. She knows that she can’t just up and punch Luna at least… though trying to defeat her with fashion seems… like a poor decision. Well if it makes her feel better.

“Alright,” Trixie said. “I’ll get something good enough for a princess and her family.”

“Money is no object,” Maud said.

Trixie nodded. “What are you two going to do while I’m gone?”

“We’re talking to our cousin Applejack, she has something she wants to discuss with me. I’m bringing Val to play with Applebloom,” Maud said.

“Is it important?” Trixie asked.

“Very.”

Trixie let out a sigh. “Okay, as soon as I’ve had coffee and breakfast I’ll be good to go.”

“Don’t forget to use the restroom,” Maud said as she turned to face the table.

Trixie eyed up the pancakes with hungry eyes. They smelled like heaven. “You don’t have to tell me that. I’m an adult.”

Maud took a seat. “You forget sometimes, and get cramps when you hold it in.”

Trixie frowned. “Having a small bladder is no small issue.”

“Exactly,” Maud said.

“That’s not what I… ugh, fine. I’ll do what you say,” Trixie took a seat next to her mare. Nuzzled her a little and said softly, “You take good care of me.”

***

Later that day Trixie made her way to Rarity’s boutique. Just inside she found Rarity working on something behind a curtain wall, when she heard the bell ringing at the front door she stopped and walked around the curtain to face Trixie.

“What do you need darling?” Rarity asked.

“I need a dress… a uh… an expensive one,” Trixie said, the mere thought of what she was asking for had her confidence wavering.

“An expensive dress? Whatever for?” Rarity asked. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Trixie skeptically.

“There’s this… thing I’ve been asked to attend. I’ll need at least two dresses… one for me and one for Valiant Heart,” Trixie lifted the catalog out of her saddlebag. “Actually I was looking through this catalog and… well I found something…”

Rarity’s eyes widened at the sight of the catalog. “Oh my, no. I had those all thrown away, I don’t have a catalog. I also don’t make a practice out of creating the same dress twice in a row.”

“Well I wasn’t thinking of getting the exact one. It’s just that I saw this one,” Trixie opened the catalog up to the page where four distinct and unique dresses could be seen.

Rarity put a hoof over the catalog and pushed it down. There was troubled look in her eye as she said, “If you are asking me to make you a Princess Dress than you are out of luck. I want to vomit every time I see one being worn… that would be Suri’s fault though.”

Trixie shook her head. “I don’t want the Rainy Stainy thing, or whatever Twilight’s dress was called. I just wanted to show you the kind of…”

“First of all, that was not its original name. Secondly the Princess Dress,” She said the name with disgust, “cost nearly eight hundred bits.”

Trixie gulped. Even that much for a dress sounded too pricy back in the day. “Actually I wanted the Romantic Rule dress. Okay not that one exactly, but something that costs… the same.”

Rarity looked down at the catalog, at the dress inspired by Cadence, its lovely red color mixed in with deep lavish purple lace. She shook her head. “That one was canceled before its completion, that image was a failed prototype. It got too expensive to finish. That’s why it costs five thousand bits… it also took a lot of time to make.” In a much smaller voice she added bitterly, “Not to mention the fact that I was told nopony wanted a Cadence dress.”

“I need it in a few days, on top of something just as nice for Valiant. I-I know it’s a lot to ask, but I have this important thing I have to go too soon. If I don’t show up looking just as nice as the other princesses I’ll be the laughing stock of the room, so would Maud, and Valiant,” Trixie said lamely. “I’ll pay double.”

“You want to buy a ten thousand bit dress!” Rarity exclaimed. She stood up, raised a leg to her forehead and fell back dramatically. A sofa appeared just behind her and she landed on it softly.

Trixie stared at the sofa, long and hard. It had not been there a second ago. It was almost as though the sofa fell right out of Rarity’s…

Trixie barely even dared to whisper the next few words. “The magical butt sofa…”

“What was that darling?” Rarity asked, still holding her dramatic pose.

“Um… Is it possible? To get the dress in time for the gala that is,” Trixie asked.

Rarity looked right at Trixie. “You want to buy these dresses for the gala, as in the Grand Galloping Gala?”

Trixie nodded once.

Rarity broke out into a fit of horrific laughter. She snorted and chortled and rolled over off the sofa and onto the floor. She stayed there laughing for another good minute before sitting up and screeching, “SPIKE!”

It was so loud that Trixie had her hooves pressed against her ears in a vain attempt to dimish the pain. Within only a few seconds the purple dragon, running on all fours, appeared from the top of the stairs and slid to a stop. He took a look around, breathing heavily. “What’s wrong?”

“She,” Rarity said trying her best to contain her laughter. With a hoof pointed at Trixie. “She wants, haha, to buy a dress, hehehe, to the gala!” She closed her lips, tried to hold it in, and broke into another fit of laughter.

Spike made his way downstairs while shaking his head slowly. Now Trixie was beginning to feel bad. She wasn’t sure what was so funny about wanting a dress for the gala, but it sure didn’t feel like it was coming from good intentions.

She let out a huff, looked to side and crossed her forelegs. “It’s not that funny!”

Rarity tried to stand, nearly fell and only with the aid of Spike managed to stand all the way up. She trotted over to the curtain and stood proudly in front of it. “Oh darling, but it is that funny. For you see,” She said as she pushed the curtain aside and revealed three marvelous dresses. “I was already making them for you three. I was nearly finished as well.”

The leading dress was purple, with gold stars and blue swirls running through it. The intricate lace and design nearly made her fall face forward. It was magnificent. Next to that one was a sea blue dress that somehow managed to look both modest, but exquisite at the same exact time. Finally the tiny sky blue dress that rested in-between them held a quiet sort of power to it, and would certainly make a princess of any young filly wearing it.

Trixie was taken aback to say the least. “I… but… uh…”

“I’ve known for months that you’re family was likely to get gala tickets, in fact I was ready to protest if you did not receive them. Believe me, having the leading dress designer protest your gala is not a good thing,” Rarity said with a wink. “Luckily Twilight explained that Celestia had wanted to give you the tickets in person.”

Trixie marveled at the dresses. “Rarity… thank you. I’ll um… I can write a check.” She quickly checked her saddlebags. “Oh… right… Maud has the check book. I can come ba-“

“Their free darling. I wouldn’t dare to ask you to pay for a gift,” Rarity said. “It was my pleasure to work on these. In fact, if I were to pursue the princess line of dresses ever again, I’d have a title for them.”

“Oh?” Trixie asked.

“Marital Monarchy,” Rarity said with a grin. “A princess is one thing, a princess family! Now that’s quite another.”

“Thank you, Rarity,” Trixie said. “I’ll pay you back for these somehow.”

“Just enjoy yourself at the party that’s all I ask,” Rarity said.

Trixie took another look at her dress and noted the spaces for wings to fit in. She was going to need Maud’s help getting into the dress. A sudden bout of insight hit her, and she quickly realized that if her bad luck held out, she’d get into some kind of fight while at the party. She didn’t want to ruin the dress; thankfully she had the ability to melt into a shadow. Unless the dress was magic, it would get left behind. So maybe she could save the dress, should the worse occur.

“Is something the matter?” Rarity asked.

“Just pondering my luck. Knowing it, I’ll probably want to bring a sword with me to the gala,” Trixie said. She caught an almost fearful look in Rarity’s eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything harm such an elegant dress.”

Rarity let out a held breath. “Oh thank heavens. I thought you might’ve have become as rough as Rainbow Dash for a moment. She completely ruined the dress I made for her after all.”

Trixie allowed herself a small smile. “She’s certainly unique that way.”

“Unique, she’s a ruffian. I can’t trust her to wear something pretty for half a second before she gets it muddy, or rips it, or, or, or,” Rarity said, she growled. “It’s not fair. Nopony as pretty as her should be allowed to do that to their dresses. It’s a crime against fashion itself!”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “I don’t think she care-“ Remembering what Rainbow Dash looked like the last time she saw her brought a sudden pain to her chest. “H-have you seen her since she was knighted?”

“Not at all. She’s been so busy with training that I don’t believe even Twilight has seen her. In fact she only stayed in town for a few minutes as far as I understand it… why?” Rarity said.

A hard lump formed in her throat. “Maybe you could be a little… nicer to her when you do see her again. Um… tell her how pretty she is or something.”

“What are you-“ Rarity began.

Before she got to finish Trixie spun around and wisely choose to gallop away rather than let it slip that Rainbow Dash’s ear like a wagon wreck, not to mention the scar. She managed shout back, “I’m late for something with Maud. I’ll talk to you later.”

With that Trixie was gone out the door, and free of the danger of saying anything she shouldn’t. Not mentioning what happened to Rainbow Dash was going to be hard. Though to be fair it hadn’t occurred to her that Rainbow Dash might have avoided her friends.

I sure hope that Rainbow’s not avoiding them because she’s self conscious now.

***

By the time Trixie got home she was quite relaxed and actually found herself full of cheer again. She had a pretty dress for her, and family. Things were looking solid. Trixie couldn’t help it as she skipped up the front porch, singing.

“Dark as the night, bright as the sun, I have a new dress for my honey bun. Gala is close, the gala has come, alongside my family I’ll have lots of fun!”

She entered the house.

“At the gala, at the gala, we’ll all look really nice. At the gala, at the gala, we’ll be like sugar and spice.”

She skipped up to Maud, gave her a peck on the cheek and continued passed Applejack. Whistling the gala tune. She jumped into the air and landed on the couch. She giggled.

“Things went well,” Maud said.

Trixie rolled over and stared Maud. She batted her eyes a few times. “Oh, well there were a few dresses that Rarity had already made.” She gave a sly smile. “They were acceptable for Trixie and her family to wear at such an occasion.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Really? Just acceptable.”

Trixie nodded. “Of course, because Trixie’s family should be dressed up in nothing less than diamond threaded silk.”

“There ain’t such a thing,” Applejack replied.

“So are you saying it is impossible to please, Trixie?” Trixie asked.

“If that’s what pleases ya, than yeah,” Applejack said.

“Then Trixie declares that Rarity has done just that. The impossible.” A manic laugh escaped Trixie.

Applejack looked at Maud. “Is she okay?”

Maud walked to the end of the couch and eyed Trixie suspiciously… or maybe she was just staring at her. Sometimes even Trixie had a hard time figuring out what Maud’s expressionless expressions meant. “You’re speaking in third person.”

Trixie relaxed. “I’m doing it on purpose. I’m really happy, and when I’m super happy, I can get a little silly. You know that.”

“The dresses,” Maud said. Trixie wasn’t sure if it was a statement or a question.

“They were B-E-A-UTIFUL! I wish you could have seen them. She had a dress for all three of us, it’s a family set of royal dresses that will make even Princess Luna turn her head and question her sexuality,” Trixie said. She stayed quiet a moment. “Or… uh that is to say that seeing you and me will make her go into heat.”

“Oh,” Maud said with all the enthusiasm of gravel.

Trixie sat up and looked past Maud at Applejack. “You think that’s impressive, do you not?”

Applejack shrugged. “Ah ain’t seen ‘em finished yet. From what Ah saw couple weeks ago, yeah, they’ll turn some heads.”

Trixie looked back at Maud. “You’ll love the little dress that Valiant’s going to wear. She’s going to be so cute!”

“How are we going to goad her into wearing it?” Maud asked.

“Books?” Trixie suggested.

“Books,” Maude agreed.

“Where is she anyway?”

“She’s outside reading a… book about trees,” Maud said flatly.

Trixie looked at Applejack. She was wearing the same huge trench coat as usual, the color matched her cowpony hat. Something about Applejacks face looked off. Her coat was… shiny.

Not fair, she can make the egg diet work for her! I was eating nothing but eggs for a week and my coat didn’t become that shiny.

“Sup?” Trixie asked, borrowing a line from Rainbow Dash.

Applejack smiled but she looked a little tired. She walked, awkwardly to the couch before sitting down. “Ah just wanted to let you two know what was going on first. It occurs to me that mah… secret isn’t going to last much longer.”

“What secret?” Trixie asked.

“Well, Ah already told Maud somethin’ about this. When Pinkie Pie found out, she suggested that Ah speak to her sister and get some advice; still not sure why. Anyhoo, Ah just wanted to let you know that me an’ Soarin got married a couple of weeks back,” Applejack said.

“What? But I was in a coma, you had a ceremony and everything without me?” Trixie asked, feeling a little heartbroken to be left out.

“Nope, no ceremony, no wedding gifts, no nothing. It was… secret. We eloped for a couple of days. Ah saw a doctor, she told us what was going on, and we got married within the hour,” Applejack said.

“That’s hardly romantic,” Trixie said flatly.

“Didn’t have to be, just wanted it to be proper considering we’re gonna have family,” Applejack said.

“A family? Wait… you’re pregnant? That’s wonderful!” Trixie exclaimed. “How far along are you?”

“Eleven months,” Applejack said.

Trixie sat back, and took it in. This meant that Applejack was going to give birth to a winter baby. That was amazing, though odd. “You were in season… in the winter?”

“Ayep, though to be fair it was close to spring. Didn’t realize that mah desire for him wasn’t based on want, but instinct at the time,” Applejack said. “Ah didn’t want anypony else to know because… well Ah wasn’t married when Ah did it.”

“Marriage, smarriadge,” Trixie scoffed. “If you’re in love what does it matter.”

“Trixie, we’re married,” Maud said.

Trixie looked over at Maud and winked. “If you had gotten me pregnant before we got married I would have been just fine with it.”

“That’s… not possible,” Maud said.

“Ah don’t know about that, Ah heard that with magic it was possible,” Applejack added.

Maud raised an eye at Applejack.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Sam’s Antics, honey. I love you, and that’s all that matters. The marriage isn’t what makes me love you. You are.”

Maud grabbed one of Trixie’s hooves and began gently massaging the base of it. “I love you too.”

“See, Applejack. Love isn’t about marriage, it’s about love, and unexpected hoof massages,” Trixie said. Maud hit a particularly sensitive spot and Trixie let out an involuntary gasp of pleasure. Fire raced across her face as she quickly realized what Maud was trying to set up. Applejack may have to excuse them soon.

“Ah know you two are busy, Ah just wanted to let you know, Ah’m going to Rarity’s next,“ Applejack said. She stood up, but she looked a little uneasy and quickly sat back down.

Trixie let out a tiny moan under the tender touch of Maud’s wonderful hooves. “N-no. If you’re not feeling w-well, you should res- ah, ah, Maud what, st-top.”

Maud’s tongue had somehow found its way to licking the base of her hoof. “Would you like to move the massage into the bedroom?”

Trixie felt hot, she felt intense, and she needed Maud. “Get the stuff ready.”

Maud pulled away from the couch and trotted to the bedroom. She stopped just long enough to say, “The massage oil and the hoof massager are already waiting for you on the bed. Did you know that a hoof massager has alternate uses?”

Hot flames engulfed Trixie’s entire body as she sat straight up. Oh sweet Celestia this is going to be fun.

“Um… did ya’ll ferget that Ah’m right here?” Applejack said.

“Sorry cousin, we don’t do threesomes anymore,” Trixie said. “It takes away from my time with Maud.”

Applejack shot a glare at Trixie. “That’s not what Ah meant!”

“Oh… um… there should be earplugs on the table somewhere. If not, I’ll try and keep quiet,” Trixie said with a sheepish smile.

Applejack let out a growl. “You two…”

Trixie didn’t hear the rest of what Applejack was saying because she had already hopped off the couch and was halfway to her bedroom. Only one destination was in mind, that destination; pure and unrestrained bliss.

Comments

[diablo4000]

Heh hope Luna feels bad on what she did, she may of lost a friendship forever, hope you're happy Lulu.
also wonder what going on with Fluttercruel? No that wasn't a type o, I n a fan of Fluttershy in this fic, or Flutter B****.
i really hope her attempted murder got her chewed out by the others.

[FnordBear]

“That’s… not possible,” Maud said.
“Ah don’t know about that, Ah heard that with magic it was possible,” Applejack added.

Predicting Futa.