A Stage For Two

by Jhoira

An Act

Trixie took a deep breath, looking down at the place setting in front of her. “The... Salad fork?”

Octavia clicked her tongue in disapproval. Raising a hoof and pointing at the fork next to the plate. “That one is the salad fork.” She pointed to the outside fork. “That one is the fish fork.”

Trixie groaned and rubbed her eyes. “Does it really matter what utensils Trixie uses?”

“What utensil you use.”

Trixie groaned again, louder. For the last hour Octavia had stopped answering her whenever she spoke in third person. “Does it really matter what utensils I use?”

“No.” Octavia shook her head, catching Trixie by surprise. She had been just complaining but the answer was baffling.

“Then why...!?”

Octavia wrinkled her nose at the other mare. “Because you're supposed to know the proper way to do things Trixie!” Octavia paused, taking a deep breath. “My apologies.”

Trixie grumbled but nodded. Octavia was annoyingly demanding that she learn these pointless things. But also was almost always unerringly polite. “You...” Trixie gave a mental headshake to herself. “It was nothing, Octavia.”

Octavia nodded approvingly as she pointed to the knife next to the plate. “What is that knife?”

Trixie frowned in thought for a moment before smiling. She was fairly confident that she remembered this one. “The dinner knife.”

Octavia nodded, seeming to start to move on before Trixie interrupted her. “Can I have a break?”

Octavia sighed but nodded her consent. “Very well.” She was feeling the urgency more than Trixie, as if this fell through it would likely mean that Octavia was stuck moving back to Canterlot, at least for a while. Trixie just went back to her life, albeit one of struggling. Though Octavia did smile slightly as she thought of all the 'just barely' eligible mares she could court to piss off her mother.

Trixie blinked, not having expected to get her way so quickly. “Oh, well...” She got up, smiling and stretching. She had been at memorizing the place setting for an hour. For some reason the forks were still giving her trouble. “I was expecting an argument.”

Octavia rolled her eyes. “I have no intention of looking over you like a schoolmarm. You are a grown mare and I’m sure you know how you learn best.”

Trixie grinned, standing a little straighter. “Well maybe in about ten minutes we could move into another topic? I could use a break from dinnerware.”

Octavia’s eyes sparkled slightly, giving what Trixie was fairly sure was a genuine smile. “How about dancing?”

Trixie grinned and hopped from leg to leg slightly. “Ooh! Yes! Trixie gets to lead.” Octavia cleared her throat quietly. Eliciting an eye roll from Trixie. “I get to lead. Better?”

Octavia smirked slightly but shook her head. “I’m afraid not Trixie.” Octavia cleared her throat, having the grace to look a little embarrassed. “I’m afraid that you’ll be marrying into my family. I’ll be the... ‘Stallion’ for lack of a better term.”

Trixie frowned, opening and closing her mouth a few times. “I... But... But Trixie is great and powerful...” Trixie frowned as she crouched down slightly. “Trixie won’t play second fiddle!”

Octavia frowned, her eyes hardening. “Is there something wrong with being in the mare’s role?” Trixie blinked, hesitantly straitening up, but apparently Octavia wasn’t done. “Simply because you get the secondary role doesn’t mean you are less important!” Trixie’s ears lowered as the tirade continued. “We all have to do things we may not like in this world! Now do you want to do this or not?” Her last sentence was bitten out between clenched teeth as Octavia glared right through Trixie.

Even the normally irrepressible Trixie was cowed by Octavia’s verbal assault. She’d backed up slightly, her head lowered towards Octavia. “Uh... I didn’t mean... I’m sorry Octavia... Yes I do want to do this...”

Octavia continued to glare for a few moments before she closed her eyes. After a long moment she sighed. “I’m... Sorry Trixie I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.” Octavia hesitated a moment before smiling and motioning to the door. “I think that’s enough for today.”

Trixie shifted a bit nervously as she paced slowly towards the door. “Trixie thought we only had a few weeks...”

Octavia smiled, though it was obviously forced. “You’re a fast learner Trixie, you’ll have plenty of time.” Octavia cast around before grinning. “Oh, you know, I should give you some bits. So you can get some food.”

Trixie frowned. “Trixie doesn’t need ch...” Her objection was interrupted by her stomach’s growl. She had food to eat back at her wagon but when you ate sparingly you got hungry if you didn’t eat at exactly the right times.

“It’s not charity, Trixie. I’m looking after my fiancé.”

Hesitating a moment Trixie nodded, still a little uncomfortable with the idea. “Thank you, Octavia. But Trixie has a question.”

Octavia chuckled. “Because when you are expected to know proper things I want you to speak properly. In private you can use third person if you want.”

Trixie blinked, that was... extremely reasonable. “That makes sense. But that wasn’t Trixie’s question.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“You seem... Strangely calm about marrying a stranger.” Trixie knew she wouldn’t consider it except for that she was uncomfortably unstable financially.

Octavia smiled a bit. “I promise this isn’t meant to be condescending. But there’s a saying. ‘Only commoners can afford love.’ I have known my entire life I wouldn’t be dating and marrying someone I loved Trixie.” Octavia let out a harsh laugh. “I’m fortunate really.”

Trixie has been nodding along. It made sense until the end. “You're fortunate?”

Octavia froze like she hadn’t thought she said that last part. “Uh... Yes...” She cleared her throat as she looked to the side. “Many don’t get to choose their mates at all. My family’s allies have no eligible children. And as the scion I will not be married off to join another family. Both of those combine into me getting to, within some strict limits, choosing my own mate.”

Trixie smiled a bit, hoping to defuse some of the underlying tension. “Yes... But short of a princess you couldn’t do better than Trixie Lulamoon!”

Octavia chuckled slightly, giving a small but genuine smile. “Yes, at least I got to pick a very beautiful mare.”

Trixie flushed slightly. “T-Trixie was... Trixie was talking about being great and powerful.”

Octavia chuckled and nodded, though Trixie could tell it was more in a humoring way. “That too, of course.”

Trixie nodded, pacing slowly towards the door. “Well, have a good day Octavia.” Trixie was a good, if not successful showmare. She could read Octavia as easily as she could read a crowd. Underneath the surface amusement something was bothering Octavia, but Trixie didn’t want to pry. It was an odd feeling bit wanting to pry to find out what was bothering her own fiancée.

Octavia smiled and nodded. “Thank you Trixie, you as well.” Trixie started to open the door as Octavia called. “Trixie.” Looking over her shoulder Trixie hesitated for a moment before turning and smiling a little shyly. Lifting the offered bag, obviously full of bits with her magic.

“Thank you, Octavia.” Trixie looked at the bag sideways, bag, biting her lower lip. “Really Octavia, thank you.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow as Octavia straightened up, adopting a somewhat more stern look. “It was nothing, Trixie” Trixie stared a moment before cracking up in small giggles, followed shortly after by Octavia.

Trixie waved a hoof and turned, leaving. She was still uncomfortable about the situation in general. But a full belly and a warm wagon would probably help fix that. And Octavia was actually a nice mare. They might not be in love but they no doubt would learn to get along well.

Octavia sighed and walked over to a wall of pictures. Making a small face as her eyes wandered over the picture of her mother she smiled faintly at her father. He was at core a good stallion, he simply let her mother browbeat him into anything that she wanted, and as such he wasn't of much help in dealing with her proddings about the marriage that Octavia really didn't want to bother with. But it was what it was. She smiled widely as she got to the last picture, though her smile was twinged with sadness at the same time.

"Hey brother, how is it going? Not much to report on the other side? You ever find grandpa and go through with your plan to tell him his daughter's a jerk?" She chuckled and shook her head, looking back at the door that Trixie had left through, heaving a big sigh. "Really, I'm grateful that I didn't end up getting married off, but did you really hate the idea of an arranged marriage soooooo much that you had to go and get sick?" Octavia smiled at her, admittedly, macabre joke. "Well wherever you are, if you can hear me, I just wanted to say that I missed you. Trixie's a pretty mare, she'll make a fine enough wife. So don't blame yourself for this, it's mother's fault. If I really wanted to I could tell her to stuff it and break off contact with her. But it's really not worth the effort. It's not like I had any romantic prospects anyway. And there's still some familial loyalty in me. I don't want our line to end, after all."

Shaking her head, Octavia walked away from the picture. While she had no real idea if her brother could hear her or not, it still made her feel better to talk to him. And since he was buried up in Canterlot his picture was the next best thing. She did visit him regularly. But there were times when you just needed to talk something out, even if you weren't getting any answers from who you were speaking with. She grinned to herself as she walked over to the kitchen.

Octavia supposed she should have invited Trixie to stay. But the mares comment had really set her off. It really hadn't been Trixie's fault, but originally Octavia knew that was her destined part to play in the family hierarchy. Married off to help secure a family alliance. That was until her older brother died, and she became the heir of their family name. She couldn't very well be married off and have her bloodline end there. She huffed a bit, putting on some water the boil. She didn't even know what she was planning on making, but lots of things used water so she wasn't too worried about it. She could always go out.

Octavia licked her lips and tapped her hoof, waiting for the water to boil despite not having anything ready to cook. She was too preoccupied with thinking sour thoughts about her mother. but she sighed eventually as the water started to boil. If her brother hadn't died she very likely would have run away from her responsibilities to the family. She'd still have had her brother's love, and her father's, even if her mother stopped him from talking to her. But there was also the core of responsibility to her family that she couldn't break. If she was simply a second daughter, that was not really too important to the family. They didn't really lose anything if she left. But as the scion of the main branch of the family she had a responsibility. And she couldn't do that to her grandfather or her father. She'd love to spite her mother, but she wouldn't hurt the other's she loved to do so.

Octavia rolled her eyes a bit at her mental complaints. She was busy growsing about her life when Trixie had literally just got enough bits for food for the week. Octavia knew she shouldn't complain too much, and at least she never did it verbally. At least, not verbally where the living could hear.

Comments

[duckmagee]

be interesting to how ponies will react to this marriage

[Nightflight406]

10255346
Twilight and Starlight: YOU'RE DONIG WHAT!!!!!!!!

Good job Jhoira. As always.

[duckmagee]

10255352
viny scratch: fine i get married too with black jacket and hookers and forget the black jack

[Nightflight406]

10255355
Rarity: Darling, are you saying Trixie's related to a unicorn princess of long ago?
Trixie: Yes.
Rarity: *faints*