Show Business

by Natedogg2006

Manehatten Tour: Curtain Call

Beatrix Lulamoon lay on her back on the most luxurious bed she'd ever been on. Her breathing was slow and deep, her entire body glistened with a thin layer of sweat just barely dampening her fur, and her eyes were gently closed as a feeling of contentment settled over her. A smile came to her face as a hoof was placed ever so gently over her chest and she felt the side of her marefriends face nuzzle into the crook of her neck. Twilight also breathed deeply and glistened in the gentle light of the room from the proof of their time together.

"Worth the wait," Beatrix heard herself say, but she couldn't even tell herself whether she was asking her or telling her. It hardly mattered as Twilight's only response was to tilt her head in ever so slightly and dot her marefriends neck in soft kisses.

Neither seemed to want to move as they basked in the after glow of their activities. It was Twilight who finally broke the silence as she ceased her nuzzling and separated her face just enough to speak. "I'm sorry I almost ruined it just because I was worried about how my friends would react."

With a low grumble and without opening her eyes Beatrix adjusted her shoulder to nudge Twilight's face further up to her. She planted a kiss onto her temple before responding, "you didn't ruin anything like that. The only way you're going to ruin anything is if you keep thinking I'm upset by that. So relax and just enjoy the moment. Got it."

A very low, "uh huh", was Twilight's only response, this prompted Beatrix to finally open her eyes and adjust herself to look down at her marefriend.

"Got it?" She once again shifted her shoulder to make Twilight look up at her. Twilight looking up to see the playful attempt at seriousness couldn't help but smile and nod her head vigorously in a much more convincing affirmation to the mare she was pressed up against.

Satisfied, Beatrix let her head relax back into the pillow below her. She adjusted slightly so she could pull her foreleg out from under Twilight and wrap it around her instead. "Besides, it's not like dealing with your friends was really all that bad. It was actually kind of fun, I like them. This whole thing actually made me kind of look forward to meeting the rest of them. You've got cool friends."

Twilight nuzzled back into her marefriend, nodding against the fur of her neck as she did. They once again just laid there together enjoying the moment until Twilight spoke, her words muffled through Beatrix's shoulder. "There is no way Rarity is going to be able to resist gossiping this to the rest of the girls." She finished by huffing out some air, the action sending a tingle up Beatrix's neck.

"I've met her a total of two, maybe two and a half times. From that much that I know of her I'd have to say,... yeah, yeah I could definitely see that being the case." They both snickered lightly.

"I guess I wouldn't blame her if she does, I mean she still has to collect on her bet." More snickering between both mares, and more tingling being sent up Beatrix's neck.

"Hey, I'm all for it. Let her try to explain it to the rest of your friends. I won't be there to bail you out next time." Beatrix snickered some more, but stopped when she realized Twilight hadn't joined in with her. "Is everything ok?"

Twilight responded by nodding into her neck again. "It's fine, it's just... You have two more shows, with a day between them. So we get four more days together, two whole days without shows. And it's great, it's the most time we've ever had together, but then it's going to be a while before I can see you again." Beatrix felt Twilight start to frown into her shoulder, and her own expression started to match. "And I'm fine with that. I knew when this started that I'd have to be ok with that if I wanted it. And I do, I really do." Beatrix felt Twilight smile again and once again her expression matched.

"Just because our relationship is weird doesn't mean anything is wrong with it."

"And I don't think there's anything wrong with it, it's just... We've already skipped a lot of important relationship steps..."

"You mean that we basically work together, the passionate sex, and the fact that we've managed to keep a long distance relationship together longer then most well established couples could, and we still haven't had a first date."

Twilight's smile grew more against her marefriends shoulder. "Yeah all that." She planted a few more kisses on her neck, but she still hesitated again as the kisses stopped. "It's just that I think I want to tell you something, but I don't want to skip any more of being a couple. I'm pretty sure you won't be upset but it just seems like I might freak you out or something."

"Twilight, our relationship is weird, and I like weird. You gotta like weird if your gonna be in show business. If you want to mess up the order a little more then hit me with your best shot." She pulled away to lay even with Twilight and flash her a confident smile.

"I think... No actually more then that, I know," she took a deep breath and started again. "Beatrix.. I love you."

For her part Beatrix did not freak out, the problem was that she did nothing at all. Twilight wasn't sure the pony in front of her was even breathing as she stared into her slowly widening eyes. Twilight started pulling away slightly as panic and embarrassment started overtaking her confidence. "It's ok, you don't have to say.." she felt hooves grab her and hold her, but they did not pull her closer.

"Twilight stop. You don't just run after saying something like that." Beatrix felt her breaths now coming quick and panicked. "Just give me a minute." Twilight was held firmly in place. If she tried she was sure she could break free but the trembling in the hooves that held her seemed to speak a wanting their owner could not.

"Take all the time you need," the words came out barely a whisper. She gathered her courage and managed to lift her eyes up to her marefriends face. If Twilight had ever seen fear in Beatrix's eyes then she was sure it wasn't fear like this. Color seemed to have drained from her face just a little and there was a look on her face as if she was a filly lost in the woods. Twilight had no idea how to react, but she knew she had to do something. With all her strength, she managed to smile. A small timid smile, but a smile she hoped would give the mare staring at her strength.

It seemed to help.

"Twilight... Before I say anything I want you to understand something." She waited until a slight nod from the other mare told her to continue. "Absolutely nopony has ever said those words to me in my entire life."

Twilight instantly felt tears start to coat her eyes. While she had figured it would be a struggle to get any further away from the grip Beatrix had on her she found it was incredibly easy to get closer. Breaking the grip she dove forward and wrapped the other mare in the tightest hug she'd ever given another pony.

"It's ok Twilight. There have been a few.. a couple ponies I've ever been close to, but it's just been the way my life has gone that anypony I meet has had to keep some kind of distance. So I'm sorry I can't say those words back with certainty, but I honestly don't know what love feels like." The threatened tears were now flowing freely onto Beatrix's neck, and she herself was losing quite a few onto the top of Twilight's head. "I do know one thing though." She paused to give Twilight a minute to compose herself. With some effort Twilight pulled away and, after rubbing a foreleg across her eyes, looked back into the eyes of the mare she loved. "I've.. I've never been as happy as I am since I've been with you." The tears welled up in both their eyes again, but this time smiles accompanied them. "If.. if this isn't love, then.. I'm really worried love would be disappointing. Either that, or I wouldn't even be able to handle something that great." She stopped and took three deep, slow breaths. She held the last one and when she let it out it was slightly choppy and ragad. "Twilight..., .. I think I'm in love with you". Twilight's response was to lean forward, wrap her forehooves around the back of the frightened mares head, and pull her forward until their lips met. The kiss went on for a few moments, and then a few more. When Twilight finally had to relent for need of oxygen, Beatrix found herself panting for a different reason. "Yeah, I definitely love you."

Their lips met again, this kiss filled with even more passion. As it broke Beatrix found she barely had the time to take a breath before another meeting of their lips. And another. And another. The kisses drifted off her lips and started tracing a line down to her chin and then up her jaw line. She let out a slight involuntary noise of pleasure. "Really Twilight? Round four?"

A nip at her ear was the response she got. "I have literally never been this happy. Now shut up and kiss me."

"I am such a bad influence on you."

Three shows over five nights was over before Beatrix could even believe it. Every one of them got bumped up to a prime time show. And it all culminated in a finale where the stars of the show ended up being invited to a glamorous after party that Twilight was sure Rarity would be jealous to hear she didn't stay long enough to be invited to.

It had been a very good thing that Beatrix had an extra day alloted to make it to her next show, because her and her marefriend did not decide to brave the light of day for most of the next morning. Begrudgingly they did manage to make it down for Twilight to check out of the hotel and accompany her marefriend back to the theater to help her pack up.

Moonlight was levitating and following the last of the show mares newly purchased road provisions into her cart while said show mare was accepting another generous bonus from the owner of the theater. She liked that ever since rumors about her preferences had spread, and were now confirmed, the random creeps hitting on her had dramatically dropped. The unicorn stallion known as Velvet seemed almost oddly polite as he thanked Trixie one last time before disappearing back into his establishment.

"Oh Trixie," Moonlight sing songed as she poked her head from the cart.

Smiling, she turned and threw off her hat and cape with a flourish. "No Trixie, not for at least the next six days."

Twilight levitated the now offered costume into the cart along with her own mask. As she was stepping out a glow enveloped her to cancel her transformation and before the showmare was her marefriend in all her glory once again. "Well in that case, would Beatrix like to come give her marefriend a good bye kiss?" Beatrix was all too happy to comply as she quickly trotted over and dove deeply into the offered lips. Twilight tried to pull away only to have the lips pressed against hers again. "Don't start something you can't finish. You gotta get on the road at some point I believe," she finally gasped out when she managed to pull away.

"I'm still trying to make up for missing a months worth, and I need extra for the road ahead of me don't I?" She gave a devilish smirk before darting forward and stealing one more.

Smiling at the attention Twilight gave one back before responding. "I suppose your right, but if you don't get on the road you won't get to see the surprises I left for you."

"Surprises? Come on Twilight, I already told you you don't need to get me anything." She stepped towards the still open door of her cart, only for a now familiar magical aura to suddenly surround and close it. The door locked itself and the key floated itself right next to Twilight and just out of range of Beatrix's reaching hoof. "Twilight, I told you I don't have room for you to buy me stuff. You already got me that new bed roll that I'm going to have to move stuff to use."

"Don't worry, it's a surprise but I didn't spend anything on it. But you need to promise to be good and not peek until you stop for the night." She floated the key just a little closer as her marefriend reached for it in earnest. Pulling it just out of reach again she repeated, "promise?"

Pursing her lips and giving a glare Beatrix attempted to stare down her marefriend. "Only if I get another kiss."

"Deal."

"Then promise." They came together in another kiss, this one drawn out by Twilight as she held the key longer against Beatrix's attempts to take it. She finally relented as their lips finally parted. "I'm going to miss you."

"Just think of me when you lay down on your new super soft bed tonight." She planted one more kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, so so much." It had still been a little awkward for her to use those words over the first few days. Now both hearing and saying them gave her a feeling in her chest that she knew would keep her warm during the long nights on the road.

With a lingering nuzzle the two finally separated as Beatrix walked to the front of her cart and hitched herself in. She realized she was doing something she never did when she was starting a trip across Equestria, she was smiling. She took her first few steps before thinking of something and stopping again. "Oh, and tell Rarity and Rainbow I said hey."

"For sure. Be safe." With that they officially parted ways. Twilight couldn't help but feel a little sad as the sound of a squeeking wheel on the cart started to fade from her hearing.

Beatrix could always tell when it was about time to hunker down for the night. She had long since gotten to the point where no amount of pulling the cart would really exhaust her so it had nothing to do with that. The trigger was when she actually started to notice the squeeking wheel on her cart and it eventually started to annoy.

With machine like muscle memory she unhitched herself and unleashed one swift kick to drop the parking blocks into place. Almost without noticing she retrieved her key as she walked around to the door of the cart. In the back of her mind she remembered she had a surprise waiting for her just inside. She opened the door and stepped in. Being that the sun had already set and the moon was on the opposite side from the door there was not enough light to see much of anything, but she really didn't need it. She took three long steps across her cart and reached out for her lantern where she knew it was. Her hoof hit nothing but air and the momentum of leaning forward caused her to fall forward. She fully expected to hit her head against the side of a shelf that should be there but as she braced for it she only hit the floor of the cart with a small thud. Thoroughly confused she finally decided it would be a good idea to light her horn.

A gasp escaped her as she looked around. She got back up and hurried to the door and began poking her head in and out repeatedly as she attempted to compare the distance to the side of her cart from the inside to the outside. Bringing herself back in she looked around. She suddenly became aware of a slight pleasant feeling in the back of her horn. It was a feeling she had only felt a few times in her life, a feeling of being surrounded by magic.

"Space compression magic.... Twilight you are amazing!!!!!" She squeed in delight as she danced in a little circle in a space she would normally just have enough room to lay down in. With all her stuff still in its place just pushed back she would actually have room to fully lay out on her new bed roll and still be able to sprawl more. And that's just what she did. The new roll was set up so one pull of a string sent it rolling across the floor of the cart and she dove in like an excited filly. Rolling around happily she noticed something else. Over on one of her cabinets was a note. It read simply, "one more thing".

Standing back up she walked over to where she kept her paperwork. The only thing she ever really used from this cabinet was her schedule, which she noticed right away was thicker then it should be. Looking over the normal pages she noticed several dates marked for her shows were also marked with a plus mark and a heart.

Getting through those she came to pages that bared telltale signs of being magically copied. They started with a letter head reading, "From the desk of Twilight Sparkle" and seemed to be the mares own extensive and detailed schedule, though it was clear that some changes had been recently made. Several events were added in different colored ink then others, and others still were scratched out and changed. Newer events were all labled simply "Beatrix" and circled with a heart, and they all corresponded with the changed events in the showmares tour schedule.

Realizing she'd been staring in awe for some time the mare finally slid the papers back into their place. With barely contained excitement she grabbed an empty scroll, her ink pot, a quill, and her special candle. She didn't think she had enough words or parchment to tell Twilight just how much she loved her, but she was certainly going to try.

Author's Note:

Did most of this during a con where I was having a great time, so it might be even more sweet then I had intended. This is the end of the Manehatten tour, but there is still more to come. Not sure if the title of the next story line, but it will be different. The next few stories will have characters I've never written for and something I never thought I'd do, an original character. Look forward to seeing if I can avoid screwing it up.
As always I love hearing your feedback, so bring it on, good or bad.

Comments

[Vaguely Demented]

Very sweet. Anyone want to bet on how bad Applejack’s reaction will be?

[dragstormer]

Dude that scene between them was adorable. Also I can relate, very much with twilight here. I think the worse is the silence. But great halter all around.

[Natedogg2006]

8822688
Bad enough that as of now it will be left to happen off screen. But it will be addressed at very least.

[Vaguely Demented]

8823288
Kinda figured.

[Natedogg2006]

Just FYI everyone, I know it's been a little while since my last update but I am still writing. I absolutely promise this story will not die and there are still a few chapters before it finishes.