Chapter 16: Settling Down and Stepping Up
Now…if you've been paying attention so far, you would know about a certain something I had planned for this story that I wanted to do. I’m actually a little surprised that I haven’t been bugged about it ever since I mentioned it. Regardless, that ‘something’ is waiting for you at the end of this chapter. However, before we get to that, please take a moment to enjoy this next chapter.
Chapter Sixteen: Settling Down and Stepping Up
One month…
To most ponies, that time would have passed by without so much as a passing thought. The only indication was the rising and setting of the sun and the moon. They lived their lives by either going to school or to the profession that they were in. Some would celebrate birthdays in that months, others the day they found their special somepony, and then there are those who would silently morn at the lost of somepony that was important to them.
At lot could happen in a month’s time; something that Trixie has learned while she was resting on her cushions. It was still morning, but at that time in the morning where everypony is getting ready to open shop and the fillies would be almost done getting ready for the school day. Yet, to the purple librarian, it might as well have been the dead of night.
It wasn't her fault really. She had been up late at night working on something that caused the show mare’s brain to short-circuit. She would have been concerned about her but she had been told by her dragon assistant earlier that this was considered normal behavior for her and the best thing to do was to let her have her space and not to wake her up in the morning unless you want to end up going through a wall. Of course the blue unicorn didn't believe the part about the whole going through a wall, but that almost maniac look in Twilight’s eyes did give the dragon’s statement have some merit.
Still…this month might end up becoming one of the most memorable months in Ponyville due to the main gossip being the house arrest of Rainbow Dash. Trixie remembered the looks on the ponies’ faces when they all gathered at town hall and learned about what had happened to her, and what that meant for the town considering that Rainbow Dash was in charge of the weather in the Ponyville airspace. It turns out that her position was to be filled temporary by one of the pegasus guards, which was something that was different to Ponyville. Trixie noticed how the town itself seemed to change whenever something happened that breaks the normal flow of events, and during that mouth she could see it in their eyes. It wasn't much but there was a slight distracting look like they were waiting to see that familiar rainbow trail.
Of course Rainbow Dash’s friends, at least the ones who didn't already know, reacted in about what Trixie had suspected of them. Trixie was worried that they might start to mistrust her, again but Twilight and Applejack were able to straighten things out. Besides, it wasn't like they were forbidden to go and see their friend up in her cloud house, though they did have to go through a bit of paper work. Twilight had offered on several occasions to join her in checking up on the pegasus flier, but she respectfully declined on all accounts. I was still scared of seeing her again, especially considering what happened and she didn't want to repeat it. She knew Twilight understood but the look she gave her made her feel as if she was letting Twilight down.
It was then that Trixie ‘felt’ a slight change in the library. She didn't really know how to explain it, but overtime she seemed to know the moment that Twilight was awake. It might have been due to the fact that she had been staying here for about a month or if it was even the residual magic that sort of sparks the moment that she awakes. Never the less, she dragged myself out of the comfort of her cushions and prepared herself for whatever Twilight had planned for today.
Twilight had now finished rousing herself from the comfort of sleep, and made her way to receive her mail. Inside, she found the usual letters, but the one thing that was different was the inclusion of a scroll. That in of itself wasn't what was strange, but rather the fact that Twilight had been so used to receiving scrolls from her dragon rather than getting them from the mail. The scroll was held with a wax seal that had the letter ‘O’ on it, though Twilight was slightly unsure as to what the letter stood for. Never the less, she made her way back inside and opened the scroll and read what was on it.
Dear Twilight,
This scroll is to inform you that the time of servitude for one Trixie Lulamoon has now ended. You shall receive a chest when you finish reading this scroll and that is where you will place the saddle. I do not believe that I need to remind you the consequences for any sort of inaction on your part, but I trust you shall complete this in a timely matter.
Overseer
The moment that Twilight had finished, she heard a sudden banging noise coming from behind her. She turned around and saw a plain looking chest had appeared in the center of the library floor. Twilight knew that this was the chest that the saddle was supposed to go in. Not wanting to cause any more problems, Twilight said in a loud tone “Trixie! I need to see you in the main room.”
Twilight heard the rushing sounds of hooves on wood before the door to the basement door opened to reveal a slight disheveled Trixie. It looked like she was in the middle of getting her mane back in order…well, to the best that she could. She also appeared to be slightly out of breath.
The first thing that Trixie noticed was the chest that was on the floor. She recognized it as the same chest that Luna had brought which contained the Saddle. The second thing was the fact that Twilight was holding a scroll in her field of magic. It didn't take Trixie long to realize what was on that scroll and she felt her heart start to swell up with joy. That joy must have noticeable to Twilight because she now had a big but gentle smile on her face and said, “Yes Trixie, your time in that saddle is over.”
No words were said as Twilight made her way towards the showmare and began removing the tact and reins. It was a slow process considering that all of the equipment had to be removed by hooves, but that didn't matter to either of the two unicorns. As the reins were removed, their eyes locked onto each other, and they found themselves lost in each other’s gaze. It was something that neither of them had experienced before, and it was both scary and strange. Eventually, Twilight was able to break eye contact and return to removing the rest of the saddle. However, both unicorns felt a sudden rise in temperature, and were unable to figure out where it came from.
The second thing to remove was the magic suppressor, which went off without too much of a hitch. The moment that the ring was no longer touching her horn, Trixie felt a sudden surge of magic rushing through her before leveling out. She couldn't help but let of a gasp of surprise and she was lucky that it managed to go unnoticed to the purple unicorn. The last piece was the saddle itself, and that was part that was going to be the most difficult and…awkward to remove due to the reason being that some of the straps were located in places that were considered rather personal areas. Of course Twilight could have removed the saddle with magic, but she didn't want to trigger the alarms that were magically built into the saddle, which was the main reason why the saddle had to be removed by hoof.
When the last strap was removed, the saddle collapsed onto the ground, freeing the mare that it had bound for a month. The freedom was felt both physically and mentally and Trixie basked in the inner glow that she was feeling. She didn't even watch as Twilight placed the saddle into the chest and closed it. The moment that the chest was sealed, it flashed with a bright white light causing the two unicorns to be temporary dazed. When their eyesight was returned, they saw that the chest was no longer there and there was nothing left showing that it had even been there in the first place.
With the chest and the saddle gone, the air around the two mares started to rise in tension as they tried to avoid meeting each other gaze. Twilight was still embarrassed by that small peck of a kiss she gave to Trixie a few weeks ago, and Trixie was dealing with the uncertainty of what had happened. She had thought that she would have figured out what Twilight had thought of her during her time in the saddle, but as hard as she observed, she was no closer to an answer. She was now questioning Luna’s judgment in even having her wear the saddle in the first place. Sure, she got into Ponyville without the inhabitants giving her problems, and she did get to spend a lot of time with Twilight, but she didn't learn what she had hoped to learn.
Twilight, eager to try and break some of the tension, said, “What will you do now Trixie? I mean you are a free mare now…and…well you can return to your travels…I mean…if you want to.” Her voice fractured a bit, making her sound like she was doing a bad impression of Fluttershy, but she needed to know what Trixie was thinking. She needed to know if she was going to leave or stay.
Trixie was somewhat surprised to hear the question that Twilight had asked of her. She had known the mare to be more confident in herself when talking to others. So why was she stuttering like this unless…Trixie’s eyes widened as the subtle implications were dawning upon her. She realized that Twilight was actually scared to hear her answer and she wondered if that fear was born from that fact that she didn't want to deal with Trixie everyday or if she actually had feelings for the blue unicorn. Trixie then remembered that moment one month ago when Twilight kissed her on the cheek; when she felt the sudden rise of heat rushing through her body as if the purple unicorn had given her some magic. She wouldn't tell Twilight, but she felt a strange longing for that rush to happen again, as well as a curiosity to see what other task that would appear normal would cause such a reaction.
It was then that the true implications of Luna’s plan were realized to Trixie. The saddle wasn't meant to punish Trixie for what happened the last time she was in Ponyville. The saddle was merely a way for Trixie to have this moment. To be able to face the pony that had been causing such a mixture of emotions in a place where they were both free to talk. She knew that the moment was now and she wasn't planning on loosing it.
The one problem was that she was unsure as to what she wanted to do now. Even at that moment, Trixie was still confused as to what she should be feeling towards Twilight, and her head was hurting trying to come up with an answer. Eventually, she came to the realization that she had no answer. She was still unsure as to what Twilight thought of her and how she thought of the purple unicorn. She needed a way to be able to find out the truth. There has to be some way for her and Twilight to be able to meet in a comfortable, predetermined area where they could relax and be able to talk in order to find something common between them besides being skilled in magic.
“Something like a date?” Trixie thought and her eyes widen in shock. Dating Twilight Sparkle?! Was that even possible? Her mind quickly raced with scenarios after scenarios and her body was seizing up with actual fear and uncertainty. Her voice was lost and her mind was set on automatic as the emotions raged inside of her.
Twilight waited for the blue mare to say something only to be met with silence. As the minutes dragged on, she found her hopes slipping away. She knew she was acting like such a little filly right now and Trixie must have thought of her like that. What hope did she have of convincing Trixie to stay anyway? She knew her place was up on a stage, not settling down with a socially-awkward nerd. Trixie probably wasn't even into mares anyway. With a defeated sigh, Twilight said “Never mind Trixie, you probably want to get on the road soon anyway. It was foolish of me to think you would want to stay here.” Twilight then started to make her way towards her bed in hopes of letting the tears that threaten to fall from her eyes flow without anypony knowing.
Twilight’s words seemed to have an impact on Trixie as it caused all of the conflicting emotions and rushing thoughts to stop dead. In that moment of clarity, she realized the truth in that the only way she was going to know how she felt about Twilight and how Twilight felt about her was by dating. Trixie had always believed herself to be more attracted towards stallions, but she did admit to herself that she always had a curiosity towards the fairer sex, and Twilight wasn't exactly a bad looker in her opinion. Besides, if the worst happened; then she could be finally rid of these emotions and move on with her life.
Before Twilight had gotten too far, Trixie said “Twilight wait.” The purple unicorn stopped where she was at and turned to look at Trixie. She could see the small pools of water forming under her eyes and her lips were slightly quivering. She actually looked really adorable at that moment, but Trixie couldn't be distracted by that right now. She was riding on momentum and she couldn't lose it now. Taking a breath to calm herself, she said “I think that it might be best if I settled down here in Ponyville…at least until I can get enough bits to afford a new stage trailer.” She added that last part almost immediately afterwards as a way to keep the unicorn from realizing her real reason.
Not that it mattered to Twilight, at that moment, as she felt a sudden rush of relief and happiness flowing through her. Before Trixie was able to react, she found herself on the receiving end of a hug from the purple unicorn. Trixie was shocked at first, but she was able to get over that after a few seconds and moved to return it. Like the kiss on the cheek, Trixie was experiencing the sheer presence that was Twilight Sparkle. She was aware of how warm her body was against her and the subtle hint of shampoo and perfume that the librarian was wearing. It wasn't as powerful as the feel of her lips on her coat but the effects were longer which made it seem more real. Trixie wasn't the only pony experiencing this warm feeling as Twilight tried her best to get even closer to the blue unicorn. She didn't realized this until now that she was positively additive to the feel of Trixie’s coat pressing against her or her hooves as they slowly rubbed her back in a pattern that was both relaxing and calming. She tried to return the favor to the blue unicorn but her inexperienced hooves were moving in very random patterns that only caused the purple mare to feel somewhat embarrassed.
It was then that the two unicorns separated enough to be able to see each other’s faces. Their eyes locked onto each other and it was as if the world had stopped moving just for them. Trixie saw some kind of longing that was buried underneath a mixture of embarrassment and comfort in Twilight’s eyes. Twilight saw the surprise in her blue counterpart, but she was vaguely aware that there was something under that as well. However, she was unable to focus on that as a new sensation started to surface within her. She started to feel some kind of…desire growing within her; a desire that she had never once felt before, but was now the only thing that she was capable of thinking about. Her rational thought process was pushed aside amidst the warmth of Trixie’s body and the relief that she was feeling.
She wanted to know what it felt like to kiss the mare that had somehow captured her in a web of powerful but confusing sensations. She could feel her heart starting to beat faster as waves of emotions and energy were rushing through her body like never before. She wanted to feel those hooves holding onto her cheeks as she closed that even decreasing gap between wonder and completion. Trixie saw the purple unicorn’s eyes drop until they were half open, making her seem even more attractive and adorable then she had thought possible. She saw her mouth moving forward towards her own and she started to feel a sense of panic. Trixie had thought that this hug was just a gesture of gratitude and relief, but she was now seeing a side of Twilight that was actually causing her to get nervous. She could feel her pride rebelling against her while her love wanted her to make that dive. Trixie knew that she didn't want this to happen, at least until she was sure of her own feelings for the purple unicorn. As best as she could, Trixie tried to remove herself from the grasp that Twilight had her in as well as trying to further the distance between her own mouth and that of Twilight’s. However, Twilight’s grip was unwavering and the distance was still closing despite her best efforts. Trixie closed her eyes and wished that there was some way that she could get out of this awkward situation.
“It was then that a loud giggling voice said “Silly ponies, you can’t make any kissy faces until the author says so. Besides, you haven’t even gotten to third base yet.” The voice broke the moment that Twilight was in, causing her rational mind to take over and make her realize what she was doing. Her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, but she was unable to discover the source before the entire library went completely black despite it still being midmorning. The darkness lasted for a moment before the library was suddenly blasted with light before the two unicorns almost went deaf with a large group of voices shouting “SURPRISE!!”
The two unicorns looked around and saw to their surprise that almost the entire town of Ponyville had assembled around them. They could see the similar smirks on their faces that took them a while to realize that they were still in each other’s arms. They quickly separated causing a couple ponies in the crowd to let out a slight giggle of amusement. Trixie was still dazed by what was going on when her vision was consumed by a pony that was of every hue of pink and jumping around as if she was on a sugar rush.
Trixie had seen this pink pony before, during her last visit here, but she didn't realize that she was so…hyper. Words were flowing out of her mouth like a rushing waterfall and Trixie was just barely able to understand what she was talking about. Applejack saw the confused look on her face and went over to say “Don’t mind Pinkie here. She always gets this excited whenever she throws one of her famous ‘Welcome to Ponyville Party’.”
Trixie was a little surprised that Applejack was talking to her but she was thankful that she gave her the condense version. She now watched as the random pink pony was hopping around lost in her own world.
The party was nothing like she had expected. The ponies who were attending were treating her as if she was one of them. She didn't realize that being under the Saddle of Servitude for about a month plus having Pinkie throw you a party on this scale was enough to gain their trust, or at least acceptance. She knew that she still had a few bumps left to smooth out, but that could be done at a later time.
However, it would seem that fate decided against that notion as everypony heard the sound of the library doors opening. Trixie heard the gasp of surprise coming from multiple mouths and turned her attention to find that the crowd had parted to give her a perfect view of the one pony she was most afraid of facing.
Rainbow Dash was looking at her with an expression that was hard for Trixie to be able to decipher. She briefly wonder why she was here when she was on house arrest before realizing that the house arrest was only a month long and that she must have just gotten released. Trixie also notice another pony behind Dash, a yellow pony who was trying to hide behind her long pink mane.
The room became tense as Rainbow Dash made her way towards Trixie with a confident stride. Even Pinkie hyperactivity was subdued by the appearance of her friend. At first Trixie wasn't too concern for her safety until her mind decided to remind her that she was no longer wearing the Saddle. Without that saddle, she had lost all protection of retribution. She had her magic of course, but the expression that Rainbow Dash had was causing her mind to freeze up and her body to become as still as a statue.
It was then that the pegasus crossed the last distance separating the two ponies. The room was silent as Trixie waited for the inevitable strike. However, she was surprise to hear a clinging sound followed by a slight pressure on her chest. She heard Rainbow Dash say “Here” before daring to open her eyes that had fallen shut and see what it was.
Pressed on her chest was a brown bag that didn't have anything interesting about it in terms of design or appearance. The bag was bulging a bit and she was aware of the quieter clinging sounds that were being caused when the bag shifted under Rainbow Dash’s hoof. With trepidation, Trixie reached for the bag with her magic and lifted out of Rainbow Dash’s grip. The moment that the bag was in her grip, she heard Dash say “Thanks for the save…I guess.” She looked up and saw the cyan pegasus walking towards the doors before taking off into the sky.
Trixie looked at the bag and opened it to find to her surprise that it was a rather decent size bag of bits. She knew that Dash needed to pay her with two months of her salary but Trixie never realized that she made that much. Of course it wasn't enough to afford to own house or a new stage trailer, but it was a good start. She looked back at the doors that were now blocked by the mass of ponies and she couldn't help but ask “Is she always like that?”
Applejack gave a slight chuckle and replied “That’s just Dash’s way of saying thanks. Don’t worry too much about it; she’ll come around.” Trixie nodded her head in thanks and pushed the thought of Rainbow Dash behind her for now. She knew she was going to have to deal with it soon but she had a party to get back to.
The party continued past lunch and ended around the afternoon. During that time, Trixie met with the last of Twilight’s friends; the shy yellow pegasus she saw earlier named Fluttershy. She wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow the two mares really connected and quickly became fast friends. Trixie asked if Fluttershy had an extra room she could stay in until she got enough her own place. Twilight of course was slightly opposed to the idea but backed off when Trixie made the comment about needing a chance of scenery. Of course, Trixie just needed someplace that wasn't close to Twilight so she could be able to collect her thoughts and decide on her next plan.
When Fluttershy decided it was time to return to her cottage, Trixie went with her. Since Trixie didn't have any personal belongings with her, the two mares were able to reach the cottage in decent time. Trixie managed to get settled into the guest room located on the main floor. It was a new addition that Fluttershy had added after having to sleep on the couch while foal-sitting. The room was decent enough with enough furniture to be hospitable, while still allowing those staying here to give it a sense of personality.
Trixie placed the bag of bits on the nightstand before lying down on the bed. She looked up at the ceiling and started thinking about her plan. Thanks to Rainbow Dash, she now had the bits to be able to afford the dates and Fluttershy gave her a place to recover a recollect her thoughts. However, before she could even think about dating, she needed to get a few items and find a job she can do in order to establish an income. Once all those were in place, she could move forward with asking Twilight out. She could get a few of the items she needed right now but the series of events that happened today had managed to tire her out. Shuffling around her bed and pulling the covers up, she closed her eyes for a well-deserved rest, with dreams of dates flowing through her mind.
It is time. I’m going to try and explain this as best as I can, but if you are confused about anything, then let me know in the comments or send me a P.M. Basically, if you didn't know, I have a story on my Fanfiction account in which I got to this part of the story and decided to try something a little different. The results were quite positive from what I could tell so now I want to do something similar here.
“What is it?” You might ask. Well…it actually quite simple. Basically, Trixie (and Twilight) are starting to date and YOU as the reader get to decided what their dates are. You might be thinking that this is some kind of contest, but it’s not because I will be using ALL ideas and suggestions that are get. I do have the approval of a moderator to do this and I will copy the e-mail for anyone who doesn't believe me. The reason I’m doing this is to give this story a sort of interesting spin on things and so I can practice writing under various prompts.
There are a few rules of course. The first rule is that the date has to be T-rated and it also has to fit in with the context of the story (I.e. a date that is ‘third base’ material while the story is still at ‘first base’). Next, the location of the date has to be local; by which I mean it’s either in Ponyville or Canterlot. Lastly, OC are allowed; however, they have to fit into context with cannon Equestria and are not the child of Twilight, Trixie, or both. OC that are children of other cannon characters are allowed but they would not have that background in this story. OC who are children of background characters or other OC are allowed. OC that are dating cannon or background characters might be allowed but I can’t promise anything. Finally, OC that are dating other OC are accepted. Of course all rights to your OC are still yours and you can reserve the right to remove your OC at any point. If you decided that you want your OC to make an appearance, simply include your OC in your idea submission with either the word “passive” or “active”. ‘Passive’ means that your OC will be mentioned and noted during the story. They may say a few lines to a character that helps them or perform some kind of action that has an effect on the story. ‘Active’ means that your OC will be described and have their name mentioned. Their role will be tied to the date in question and will have more speaking roles though only in terms of advancing the story along
So…here is how I plan on doing this. Starting Sunday, I will be posting a blog on my profile page. The blog will contain the basic information that I’m looking for in addition to any changes from the norm. Once done, you have until around the end of Friday till early Saturday to comment on the blog with you idea. Comments that are made ONLY on the blog will be counted. The reason being is that I want the comments made to the story to remain with only feedback and constructive feedback. Any ideas I find on there will be removed and not counted. On Saturday, I will post a comment on the blog marking the end of submissions. Any comment made after that will not be used. I will then look over the list and organize them in the order that I want to write them and then I will start. The order is based on my own opinion. I will then write up the dates, get them edited, and submitted as effective as I can. Once I’m finished with the list, I’ll start the next one. Since I’m unsure as to how successful this will be, I may change the process. If it comes to that, I will edit the current ‘date submission’ with that info.
We are almost done here; just need to go over a few more details before I end of this chapter. First of all, when your idea is used in the chapter, your name (as it appears on your Fimfiction profile) will appear in both the chapter selection and at the end of the chapter. Ideas that I find similar will be fused together into one chapter; however both names will appear. If there is a large selection of ideas, I may decide to put multiple different dates in one chapter. Once again, all those who came up with the idea will be mentioned. Now we get to the part that I think is going to make this interesting. As you might have guessed, I’m structuring this part of the story around the concept of ‘bases’. For those who don’t know, a common ‘slang’ term when asking a person who is dating another person is if they are on ‘first base’, ‘second base’, or ‘third base’. Now, of those who submitted an idea, I will randomly select three people. I will then send a P.M to those three people asking for one more idea. Those ideas will be brought together and used in the ‘Base Change Chapter’. These chapters aren't as different compared to the others minus the fact that I will spend a longer time on them and make them as detailed as I can. The ideas still have to follow rules or they won’t be counted and if I don’t hear from you by the deadline (which will also be in the P.M.) then you will lose your chance and I will pick another. Also, the number of submissions will NOT improve your chances of being picked. Lastly, I will select a random idea and have that chapter become a ‘Lunar Chapter’ in which your chapter will show what is going on with Luna.
I believe that I've covered everything that I needed to cover. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions of if you think that this is a bad idea in which case I will drop it and write as before. I just think that it is a good way for those who have ideas for this story and would like to see them happen. Thank you for reading and enjoying the story.
P.S: The first blog post will be up the day this chapter is submitted.
Stats
Page generated in 0.027 seconds
Total duration
1,052 users online
1,987,004 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Don't let the word count fool you. A good one-fourth of it is my rambling in the author notes
.
1454093
...which should've been in a comment or separate blog-post.
Er... there seems to be half a sentence in this chapter where you switch to first-person narration.
And then later you used the word "myself". Are you trying to imply this is all actually Trixie's POV or something?
Hmmm. Now I want to write out the idea I got myself, which is not what you want I suppose :)
So the Saddle is off. Now they can try to sort things out. I am a little worried about the 'Choose Your Path' approach of the unicorns' relationship, but I'll wait and see.
1455450
What are you concerned about, if I may ask?
1463669
There are many things that on people minds. There is no tell what suggest may come. You may take an idea one way, though it was intended another. Also, there is a chance of quarrels and grudges due to usage (or non-usage) of someone's idea. However, it is all your decision.
1463827
You do bring up a valid point and I am glad for that. However, I did state that I would use all the ideas that are submitted to the blog, wither in one form or another. It's not really a choose your adventure as I feel it is more along the lines of what types of dates viewers might want to see and as a way for me to practice my own writing skills by creating chapters under conditions. There of course is the chance that there will be a submission that I'm unsure of but I can always ask for clarification if I need to. I really do enjoy your feedback and hope that I was able to clear things up a bit for you.
afaik 3rd base is oral sex. Please tell me if that's different where you're from.
Loved the chapter, even if they didn't kiss...
Also... PINKAMENA DIANE PIE!!! YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE, MISSY!!
encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSgCVIVXf3P4pS3jeITNME7Pw_HiYX-oBFdoP0e_zub9NJxhpjS