It's Not A Big Deal; It's Just My Dissertation

by Apple Bottoms

Dissertation Day

It wasn’t a big deal that they’d forgotten about it; she’d written it on the calendar, but her hoofwriting was neat and small. When Trixie had local shows, she’d usually use a big red marker that took up the whole square. When Starlight had to remember important school dates, she’d add little stars with her purple pen, so they’d stand out. Maud simply wrote in her usual black pen, because why waste ink on large print? The pen lasted longer that way.

Still, she told herself as she packed her satchel, she had hoped to get some last-minute reassurance from her fillyfriends over breakfast, even if she told herself she didn’t need any. She loaded up her wagon full of her favorite specimens, and took off for the market at a brisk trot, her small earth pony frame carrying the hundreds of pounds of rocks effortlessly.

Maud visited the market to buy some apples, in preparation for tomorrow’s breakfast. She knew she was prepared. She’d spent years working on this thesis, doing the research, writing the paper backwards and forwards, edits upon edits done over months with her advisor; this was a topic she knew intimately by now.

And yet, she was nervous as she strode towards the printing shop, where she’d had copies of her thesis notes printed into pamphlets for the audience. This wasn’t a big deal, she told herself; she already had one doctorate under her belt before she even moved to Ponyville.

And yet Maud felt her hooves dragging as she carried the heavy box of papers to the lecture hall. Ponyville didn’t have a university of its own, but her professors had agreed to meet here, since it was closest to her residence and her source of research. She’d have to get up in front of an audience made up of her peers and teachers, and after her long speech, she would be peppered with questions. Her entire degree hinged on this, and years of work could be for nothing if she foundered. Other students would come to ask questions pertinent to their own research - as well as to see a glimpse of their own futures.

She wished she had just one last moment with Trixie to discuss some kind of stage relaxation technique, or some kind of scholarly advice from Starlight; but this time, it looked like Maud Pie would be working on her own.

Maud was alone when she entered the hall, and began steadily working her way up and down the aisles, leaving a folded pamphlet on each seat. The ‘lecture hall’ was something like the local opera house, but today the stage only housed one wooden lectern, and a few wooden tables. After she finished papering the audience, Maud turned her attention to the stage, and began carefully carrying her specimens to the tables. Various rocks and their formations would be the focus of her thesis, and she knew the visual aids would help the - oh, this wasn’t working.

Maud Pie paused in the middle of the stage, took a deep breath, and placed the last rock in place. Wordlessly, she trotted to the back of the theater, and closed herself inside of the green room. The small dressing room was filled with mirrors and lights, but with a quiet click, the room plunged into darkness, and Maud sat on the floor in the very center.

Usually, tedium calmed her; losing herself in the mindless motions of placing pamphlets and minerals should have slowed her racing thoughts, but beneath her typical stoic expression, her heart beat as if it might jump out of her chest. She placed a hoof over her heart, and took another deep breath, trying to slow it. What would Trixie say? ‘Put on enough glitter, and no one will notice the rabbit under the table’? No, that didn’t seem to fit the situation, but Maud was too rattled to think clearly. Starlight would have wrapped her in a hug, and reminded her that no matter what happened, they would still love and support her. That brought her some comfort, and she focused on the memory of Starlight’s warm forelegs wrapped around her for a long time, until she stopped hearing her heart pounding in her ears.

Finally, Maud opened her eyes and rose to her hooves. ‘The show must go on,’ as Trixie would have said.

With another click! the room exploded in light once more, and Maud Pie placed her satchel in front of the mirror. She’d borrowed some of Trixie’s glitter powder, and with a light swirl of her fillyfriend’s brush, her face soon had a light shimmer to it. Nothing too fancy, but something to make her ‘pop’ on stage; Trixie had said that was important. Plus, she liked the way it shimmered; she felt like a particularly shiny rock as she considered her reflection. She offered herself a little smile as she turned her face back and forth, admiring the shimmer in the bright lights. Very rock-like indeed, she decided.

“Ma’am?” Lamplight the stagehand knocked lightly at the door. “The audience is in their seats, should I start the announcements?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Maud replied, and shook off the cold shudder that wanted to wash down her spine. No! She was going to be fine. And if she failed, well, she would still go home to her other doctorate, and two fillyfriends who would love her even without any degrees at all.

But she did still have her degree, for the record.

Maud walked herself to the wings, and looked over her note cards as she half-listened to Lamplight calling out the announcements - no eating, drinking, magic-casting, etc. The audience sounded much louder than she would have expected for a few professors and rock-studies grad students, but perhaps someone had come in hopes of free food afterwards, she supposed.

“Hey! You two! Ssh! Don’t make me separate you.”

That voice sounded familiar! While Lamplight droned on, Maud peeked out from behind the curtain, and was startled to see an audience - a full audience! Full of students! Not just any students, but students from the Friendship school - Starlight’s students! And there was Starlight, right in the middle, quieting down a pair of pegasi who were whispering to each other in the row in front of her. And there was Trixie, right next to her! There were so many hippogriffs there, Starlight must have brought the whole school fair along with her!

Something warm began to glow inside of Maud, like an ember from a fire, and when Lamplight introduced her, she realized she didn’t feel nervous anymore. She stepped on stage to wild applause, and she could hear a blue unicorn faintly shouting to her neighbors, “That’s my fillyfriend! That’s my fillyfriend up there!”

Maud strode confidently to the podium, and surveyed the audience as the applause died down. Every seat was filled, and while the professors sat in the front row, notepads at the ready, every row behind them was filled with students. And right in the middle, in the center of her line of sight, were Starlight Glimmer and Trixie. Her expression remained placid, seemingly impenetrable as always, but when she locked eyes with Starlight and Trixie, the pair waved, and she knew they felt the warm ember burning inside of them, too.

“Good afternoon, esteemed professors and peers.” Maud began, and her voice felt strong, powerful. In that moment, the audience faded away, and she felt as if she spoke only to her fillyfriends, as if it was just another evening practicing at home.

The speech flowed through her, to use an illustration from one of her poems, like a river flowed over a pebble. She felt herself guided, but not forced; the words came easily, grandly, and each time she felt the current fading, she caught Starlight’s knowing gaze, or Trixie would flash her an enthusiastic grin, and she felt herself buoyed by their affection once more.

Finally, her speech came to an end, and she placed her last sample back in its place on its table. “I will take questions now,” Maud said flatly, and considered the audience.

The professors busied themselves with their notebooks; the other graduate students glanced at one another and murmured amongst themselves. Maud was used to this; she had been told that her style of questioning could be called ‘brusque.’ Behind them, a scaled claw shot up into the air.

“Um, Miss Pie, is - is, um - the use of pumice in household spells, would you say is - underutil - under-useful -”

“Underutilized.” A quiet correction from Starlight Glimmer.

“- Underutilized, compared to other minerals?”

Maud Pie’s eyebrows shot up. That was one of her key points in her thesis! One she had hoped to highlight, but it had gotten relegated mostly to sidebars! How would the griffon child have known that? Her eyes drifted to Starlight Glimmer, who was giving the griffon an encouraging nod, and Trixie, who flashed her a grin. Her eyes darted over the aisle, and she saw other students holding notecards, waiting for their turn.

Maud Pie allowed herself the indulgence of a rare, small grin. “I would say that, yes. Pumice is an underutilized stone in household magic, ignored in favor of more flashy minerals like gemstones. Although pumice is often delegated to the less-glamorous task of descaling hard-water deposits, I think you will find that the evidence points to it having a far more powerful role than initially imagined. If you turn to page three of the pamphlet …”

[---]

“Maud, you were wonderful!”

If Maud Pie hadn’t been an earth pony from a rock farm, she might have buckled under the weight of her two fillyfriends launching themselves on her at once. Instead, she simply caught one in each foreleg, and held them close as they fawned over her.

“You were so great! Oh, you were so calm and collected up there, and your research was just impeccably supported, your citations were a thing of beauty, your MareLA formatting was effortless - you were perfect!” Starlight Glimmer gushed, pulling away to press an impetuous kiss against her grey cheek.

“Your performance was flawless! Is that my shimmer powder? Genius!” Trixie beamed, nuzzling against Maud’s other cheek. “I knew you had a show pony in you!”

“Did you see the students with the note cards? My idea!” Starlight Glimmer giggled, kicking her back hooves playfully where Maud held her a few inches off the ground. “I was so excited to help show off your thesis!”

“I made sure to tell the professors what a great speech that was before they left, too!” Trixie added, equally gleeful.

“I assumed you guys forgot about my defense today.” Maud said, in her usual flat tone, and the pair pulled away from their cuddle-session for a moment.

“What? No way!” Trixie gasped.

“Oh no, Maud! I’m sorry! I was in such a rush this morning - I completely forgot to wish you good luck!” Starlight Glimmer frowned, and reached forward to gently nuzzle Maud’s cheek. “I was so wrapped up in the school fair, and trying to coordinate the caterer and the reception, and organizing the students… I’m so sorry you felt forgotten, Em. I would never forget something so important to you, I promise. You two mean the world to me, much more than any school fair.”

“I forgot too!” Trixie gasped, this time guiltily, and she turned her sad gaze towards Maud. “Can you ever forgive Trixie?”

“Well, you didn’t really forget. I just felt a sense of loss at having my important day seemingly forgotten by the two fillies who mean the most to me. A classic case of miscommunication, remedied before any permanent damage was wrought.” Maud paused for a beat to consider the hot hors d'oeuvres table. “This reception is really nice, by the way.”

“Thank you. I wanted it to be the perfect surprise for you - Pinkie helped me find the caterer, and she volunteered to run the dessert table! She’s really proud of you, too.” Starlight beamed, and smoothed her hoof over Maud’s shoulder, admiring her. “We all are.”

“You must be starving by now! A good performance always works up an appetite for Trixie - I’m sure it’s the same for Trixie’s fillyfriend, the rock performer!” Trixie grinned at Maud, and took her hoof in her own. “Let’s go fill up a bunch of those teeny little snack plates, huh?”

“I’ll get us a table.” Starlight Glimmer laughed, and gave Maud a quick peck on her cheek. “Congratulations, Doctor Pie.”

“Thank you, Star.” Maud allowed one of her rare smiles to escape, warmed by the little glowing ember in her chest. “For everything.”

“That’s what your fillyfriends are for.” Starlight Glimmer murmured, and offered her a smile in return. “Will you get me a plate too?”

“No promifeff.” Trixie replied, her mouth already full of cheese danish.

Comments

[Ri2]

MareLA? Really?

[Bicyclette]

thanks so much for the story! looking forward to this one!

[Apple Bottoms]

10975673
I bet she keeps it as a research room! Some people go to coffee shops to study, Maud goes to a cave!

10975676
Really! I would have kept MLA, but then how would people know it stood for Mare?!

10975712
Wow, you found it fast! Thank you!

[Bicyclette]

hello! you should have already been PMed about this, but this comment is just to record that this fic has won Best StarTrixMaud and Second Place in the StarTrixMaud Shipping Contest!

[Bicyclette]

Maud simply wrote in her usual black pen, because why waste ink on large print? The pen lasted longer that way.

i just love these little character touches even if they add up to Maud's sad situation

She wished she had just one last moment with Trixie to discuss some kind of stage relaxation technique, or some kind of scholarly advice from Starlight; but this time, it looked like Maud Pie would be working on her own.

aww! again, little touches and connections, just very nice

That brought her some comfort, and she focused on the memory of Starlight’s warm forelegs wrapped around her for a long time, until she stopped hearing her heart pounding in her ears.

ugh my gay heart. just the little touches of her marefriends throughout, wonderful

But she did still have her degree, for the record.

hehe

Not just any students, but students from the Friendship school - Starlight’s students!

yes! perfect!

The speech flowed through her, to use an illustration from one of her poems, like a river flowed over a pebble.

amazing, i love this

That was one of her key points in her thesis! One she had hoped to highlight, but it had gotten relegated mostly to sidebars!

you have to had been in academia, too! this is too relatable. wow, to be Maud!

MareLA formatting

okay, yeah, definitely

“Well, you didn’t really forget. I just felt a sense of loss at having my important day seemingly forgotten by the two fillies who mean the most to me. A classic case of miscommunication, remedied before any permanent damage was wrought.” Maud paused for a beat to consider the hot hors d'oeuvres table. “This reception is really nice, by the way.”

perfect self-aware meta-encapsulation of the story's plot, followed by a comedic beat. Maud is channeling her sister here

I’m sure it’s the same for Trixie’s fillyfriend, the rock performer!

you're trying to get away with this by putting this in the mouth of Trixie, but i know that it was in fact you who wrote these lines!

“No promifeff.” Trixie replied, her mouth already full of cheese danish.

perfect callback to how Trixie eats breakfast.

---

i can't say enough about how much i adored this fic. i just love how you put together all the little details of their characters in their throuple dynamic, and how organically the classic misunderstanding plot flowed from it. i see this as a beautiful celebration of all three of these characters and why they work so well together in all their combinations. out of all the entries i have read, i would say that this one encapsulates the spirit of this contest the most. it was an absolute joy to read, and i loved every word. thank you so much for writing it!

[Dewdrops on the Grass]

Ah what a lovely little tale, encapsulating a perfect slice of relationships... that being the seemingly forgotten important event. In this case, Maud's dissertation defense.

The story's title and short desc made it seem like there would be more tension, more possible anger, and yet there wasn't. Quite the opposite, there was plenty of love, and just a little disappointment until the ones who ought to have been there showed up.

The relationship dynamic between the three was really nice, the way that all of them were respective of each other's quirks and needs. Starlight showing greater passion with Trixie and softer touch with Maud spoke to me.

I will admit I felt a little confused about the "Em" nickname that Starlight used, until I finally realized she was just saying the first letter of Maud's name, not a shortened version of, say, Emmeline, which would be a believable middle name for Maud. (And isn't; her middle name is Daisy.) It's a really nice touch that, letting Starlight show affection.

Really this was just fun all around. I appreciate that instead of using this for cheap tension and pointless argumentative drama, everything turned out okay.

[Apple Bottoms]

11017150

11006890

Thank you both so much for your wonderful feedback!! It means a lot to me that you both took the time to write such thoughtful replies, so I just wanted to let you know that I saw, read, and appreciated both of them.

[Decaf]

I tend to have a hard time talking about fluff. I understand the appeal, but the conflicts in these kinds of stories tend to be easily resolved misunderstandings. Most fiction is driven by conflict, but that isn't the case for this genre. Normally I'd say that this needs a stronger conflict, but a more serious problem for the characters to overcome would get in the way of the warm fuzzies that it's trying to impart, so that's not actually a helpful thing to say.

The characterizations here were great. We don't get to see Maud give a speech in the show, but it makes sense that she'd be verbose about rocks in the right circumstances. The romance was understated, which I appreciated. Love isn't big gestures, but the little things. That idea came through well here.

I don't know what else to say other than it was heartwarming. Nicely done.

[daOtterGuy]

Howdy, hi!

I loved it. I like the chemistry between the three of them and how you characterize all of them. They are super loving to each other and I adore how they all have their little bits of personality sprinkled in their interactions. All of them feel fleshed out and adorable and I love it.

I like the breakfast scene and the presentation scene and just romantic partners being encouraging to each other and supportive. Also the little ways Maud incorporates Starlight and Trixie's personalities into herself, the glitter dust, the calming exercises, was just super wholesome and wonderful.

I don't know what else to say. Your writing just has this upbeat energy that I really enjoy and always love reading.

Thanks for the read!