“Eyes On You”
Chapter six: In Good Hooves
Trixie took a deep breath through her nose and let it out in a sigh. Ponyville Park was a lovely place, perhaps one of the nicest parks Trixie had visited. It was calm, quiet and had a deliciously subtle air about it. What was more, Twilight Sparkle was even making for not-unpleasant company, as unlikely as that sounded.
It would've been so much better, though, if not for the irritating cast around Trixie's leg...
“Are you alright?” asked Twilight, as Trixie bent down to bite at the offending woolly thing.
“Fine,” grunted Trixie. “This thing is just getting itchy...”
Twilight frowned at her. “Maybe we should sit down,” she said. Trixie stopped gnawing at the cast to offer her a warning glare. “Or not!” said Twilight, waving a hoof defensively. “But we have been walking for quite a while, it wouldn't hurt to take a little rest.”
Trixie rolled her eyes and drew up to her full height. “If you are tired, Twilight Sparkle, Trixie supposes that we can stop for a minute.”
Twilight giggled quietly. “I am. And thank you.” She glanced around them, smiling as her eyes settled on the outdoor parlour across the street. “How about over there?”
Trixie followed her eyes and nodded, and together they started towards it. Silently, Trixie had to admit that she was a little tired – walking on three legs wasn't nearly as easy as it sounded.
The place was empty except for a couple of earth ponies having lunch, so it was easy enough for them to find a table. Trixie let out a content sigh as she settled herself upon one of the small hay stools, whilst Twilight stood smiling at her.
“I'm going to get a sandwich,” said Twilight, nodding towards the building behind her. “Would you like something?”
Trixie's stomach offered its opinion with a quiet rumble. “Trixie will have one as well,” she said, returning Twilight's smile. With a nod, Twilight trotted off to get their lunch. Trixie watched until the tip of Twilight's tail had vanished through the door before turning to smile thoughtfully at the table.
'Maybe this won't be as hard as I thought,' she mused. After glancing around to make sure that nopony was looking, she conjured the same brown paper envelope as before and stared at her name on the front. 'If she's this eager to help me, then...' It was only another moment before her smile fell into a frown. 'But it's not really the same, is it?'
Slowly, she drew the letter out from within the envelope and held it in front of her nose, running her hoof down the page just to check if it was still real – a silly notion which she quickly shook from her head. The horn-writing on the letter was just as she remembered it...
Dearest Trixie,
I know that it's been a while since we last spoke, so I hope that this letter doesn't come as too great a surprise...
“Nothing surprises Trixie,” she muttered quietly.
...I didn't know where to find you – I never do – so I hired this courier to track you down. I trust that he made good time delivering this to you, and that it hasn't arrived too late.
I've enclosed something that I think you'll find quite interesting...
Trixie grunted, remembering the first time she'd read the letter. 'He always did have a way with understatement...' she thought with a smile.
“What's that?” asked Twilight, startling Trixie as she appeared beside her, hovering a pair of sandwiches on plates. Trixie hurriedly vanished her letter and envelope whilst Twilight took her seat.
“I-It's nothing,” said Trixie. “Just a letter.”
Twilight smiled at her curiously. “From whom? A friend?” she asked, passing Trixie's sandwich across the table.
Trixie averted her eyes. “...Something like that. Does it matter?”
“No, sorry. I was just being nosy,” chuckled Twilight. She gestured to the sandwiches. “I hope you like daffodil and daisy – they didn't have anything else.”
Trixie gave a nod and a faint smile, magically lifting her sandwich and taking a generous bite. Twilight did the same, and the two of them sat and chewed in silence for a while, content to enjoy the food in peace. When Trixie swallowed her first mouthful, she met Twilight's eye.
“Thank you,” said Trixie honestly.
Twilight almost choked on her sandwich. “P-Pardon?” she coughed.
“Trixie isn't going to say it again,” she said, turning her nose up. “That was for everything you've done for Trixie up until now. Don't expect any more.”
Twilight managed to compose herself and swallowed her mouthful without too much more fuss. She looked up at Trixie with a pleasant smile. “So you believe that I'm not doing this for my own benefit?”
Trixie smirked and waved a hoof dismissively. “Trixie still thinks you're up to something,” she said slyly. “But, even if you are... Trixie is grateful for--” She cut off and glanced away, unable to say it. “...Trixie is grateful,” she finished.
Twilight cocked her head and gave a wonky smile. “I feel like I've missed an episode,” she said.
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Forget Trixie said anything, you irritating unicorn.”
“That's more like it,” said Twilight, smiling wider. She giggled a little, and Trixie couldn't help but feel a little warm for hearing it. It was a strange feeling – as if Twilight's laughter was somehow infectious. Determined to keep her cool, Trixie raised the sandwich and took another bite, restricting herself to do no more than smile.
Trixie knew that it didn't add up – the Great and Powerful Trixie, sharing lunch and playing with Twilight Sparkle? Unimaginable! But, at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to care. Somehow, even with her wounded leg and the looming worries that the letter brought with it, she felt better than she had done in a long time. And that couldn't possibly be a bad thing, could it?
“Twilight? Trixie?” came a voice from behind. Snapping away from her thoughts, Trixie looked up to see Nurse Redheart, trotting over to them with a curious look on her face.
“Nurse Redheart!” said Twilight, scrambling to her hooves. “I didn't expect to see you here. Is everything alright?”
“I was just passing and thought I heard your voices,” said the Nurse as she came to a stop beside the table. Trixie followed suit and rose from her seat, at which the Nurse's eyes went wide. “My goodness! I wasn't expecting to see you up and about so soon!”
Trixie grunted and flicked back her mane. “Clearly, you've never met a unicorn as Great and Powerful as Trixie before.”
Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile whilst the Nurse put a hoof to her chin and leaned in for a closer look at Trixie's leg. “Clearly...” she muttered thoughtfully. “How are you feeling?” She reached out to start prodding at Trixie experimentally.
“J-Just fine, thank you!” snapped Trixie, recoiling from the touch. “Stop touching Trixi-eeek! Hey! Watch where you're putting those hooves!”
“Hmm,” grunted the Nurse, drawing back with a creased brow. “Trixie, have you been able to move your leg at all?”
“Move it?” repeated Trixie. “How exactly do you expect Trixie to do that? You put it in a cast – which is incredibly irritating, by the way.”
“Really? Oh, I wish I'd brought my clipboard,” muttered the Nurse with a frown. “Here, let me try something. Now, you tell me if this hurts, alright?”
Before Trixie could object, the Nurse leant forwards and bit down on the upper part of Trixie's cast. She glanced up at Trixie experimentally, before pulling back – undoing the knot that tied it to Trixie's chest. Trixie stifled a surprised gasp as the cast fell to the ground and her leg's weight returned to her. Twilight and the Nurse watched with differing looks of anxiety as Trixie flexed her newly restored foreleg gently.
“I... I can move it,” Trixie muttered. “But you said--”
“Trixie, wait!” called the Nurse.
Trixie gave a pained yelp as she touched her hoof to the ground, biting her lip as a tear came to her eye.
“Ohmygosh, are you alright?!” cried Twilight, hopping forwards and laying a hoof on Trixie's back.
Trixie quickly shook her head to compose herself and shrugged Twilight's hoof off. When she opened her eyes, she saw Twilight but a few inches from her face, looking more worried than she'd ever seen her. Trixie's mouth fell open a little as an unfamiliar, dark feeling swept over her.
“Y-Yes,” Trixie muttered, unable to tear her eyes away from Twilight's. “I'm fine.”
Twilight's expression receded only a little as she cocked her head to the side – as if scanning for some trace of a lie. Trixie found herself too confused to speak... For a moment, she just stared at Twilight, before finally shaking her head and looking over at the Nurse, who was also frowning.
“I'm very sorry, Trixie,” she said. “I should've warned you. In cases like this, simply moving the leg is the easy part – but as soon as you put weight on it--”
“Yes, Trixie figured that much out for herself,” she snapped with a trouncing glare. Nurse Redheart looked away.
“But, that's a good sign, isn't it?” said Twilight hopefully, glancing between the two of them.
The Nurse turned to meet her eyes. “Yes. You’re right, it is,” she said, brightening up a little. “I admit that I don't have a lot of experience with injuries from the Everfree Forest, but I had expected it to be at least a week before we could take the cast off...”
Twilight offered Trixie a relieved smile. “I guess you got lucky,” she chirped.
Trixie, still feeling the after-aches in her foreleg, grunted. “That's not the word Trixie would have used.”
“If this keeps up, you'll be fully recovered in no time at all!” said the Nurse, turning to offer Trixie a smile. “For now though, you'll have to take things slowly... And I'll need you to put the cast back on-- Just for a few more days!” she added firmly, countering Trixie's glare. “After that, we should be ready to start the next stage of your treatment.”
“The next stage?” said Trixie, furrowing her brow. “What do you mean?”
The Nurse shook her head. “Don't you worry about that now – I'll explain later.” She bent down and picked up the cast, lifting it towards Trixie's leg. Trixie considered pushing her away – she wasn't eager to have the itchy cast back. Twilight, as though sensing Trixie's objection, threw her an empathetic look. After a moment of staring, Trixie huffed and let the Nurse go about her work.
When the cast was firmly reattached around her leg, Nurse Redheart stepped back. Trixie tried to move her leg, but found it completely pinned. She glared at the Nurse. “Could you make it a little tighter? Trixie thinks she still has some circulation--”
“Trixie!” Twilight hissed, though there was a definite hint of a smile on her face. She turned to the Nurse. “Thank you, Nurse Redheart. When should we come and see you?”
“How does Friday morning sound?” said the Nurse.
Trixie rolled her eyes and groaned.
“--Alright, Thursday then,” the Nurse conceded. “But no earlier! These things can't be rushed.”
Twilight gave Trixie a searching look. “Fine,” said Trixie. “Thursday. Trixie can't wait to get back on her own four hooves.”
The Nurse flashed her a smile before turning to Twilight again. “Twilight, could I have a word with you?” She gestured to one side meaningfully, and Twilight nodded. The two of them strode over to the other side of the parlour, leaving Trixie alone at the table. With a huff, she turned to her sandwich.
'Well, I have nothing better to do,' she mused, magically lifting it up and taking another bite.
She heard only snippets of the conversation as she sat there – both Twilight and the Nurse were speaking in hushed voices. As far as Trixie was concerned, it was incredibly rude of them to exclude her, so it was only fair that she turn her head to listen in properly.
“--You're sure you won't need any more sedative?” asked the Nurse.
“I think we'll be fine,” chuckled Twilight. “And I still don't think that was very nice of you, by the way!”
“I was just doing my job, Twilight Sparkle. But I think you're right – you will be fine. For two ponies who 'don't see eye to eye', you certainly seem to be getting along well.”
Trixie quickly turned back to her sandwich as Twilight looked in her direction. “...Sometimes, ponies can surprise you,” said Twilight thoughtfully.
The Nurse chuckled. “That they can...” When Trixie chanced another look towards them, she saw that Nurse Redheart had a hoof on Twilight's back. “Keep doing whatever you're doing, Twilight Sparkle,” she said with a warm smile. “Trixie is in good hooves.”
“Thank you,” said Twilight, returning the smile. As the two of them shared a quick hug, Trixie went back to finishing up her sandwich – chewing slowly as she mulled over what she'd heard.
* * *
“Spike, we're home!”
Trixie followed Twilight Sparkle over the threshold and magically closed the door behind her. Twilight gave a content sigh as she breathed in the scent of the library whilst Trixie stood awkwardly just inside the door, wondering what she was going to do now.
Twilight turned to smile at her. “So, what did you think?”
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “About what?”
“About Ponyville,” said Twilight, as if it was obvious. “It's a pretty nice place, isn't it?”
Trixie rolled her eyes and glanced towards the window. “Trixie supposes so,” she said dismissively. Twilight frowned at her, clearly expecting a more enthusiastic answer. Trixie huffed and fixed her with a condescending smile. “Trixie enjoyed our walk, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head at Trixie's demeanour. “Glad to hear I'm such a good host...”
“Trixie wouldn't go that far,” said Trixie with a smirk.
Twilight chuckled. “Alright, Miss 'Big-time Showmare' – how about you cook dinner tonight?” she countered.
Trixie pretended a huff as she walked over to the nearest table and took a seat. “Fine... Trixie supposes that you are a 'good' host, Twilight Sparkle.”
“That's better,” Twilight chirped, trotting over towards a bookshelf and idly rearranging some titles with her magic. She cast a glance over at Trixie. “So, good news, huh?”
“Yes,” said Trixie, finding a proud smile. “Trixie will be back on her hooves soon. And then she can--” She broke off.
“Yes?” Twilight prompted, her eyes still focused on her books.
“Nothing,” said Trixie quickly. When Twilight gave her a questioning look, Trixie simply shook her head and tried to change the subject. “Did the Nurse say anything to you about this 'next stage of treatment'?”
“No,” said Twilight. “I'm sure it's nothing we need to worry about though – Nurse Redheart is very good at her job.”
“Trixie... supposes so,” she conceded. With a smile, Twilight went back to sorting her bookshelf, whilst Trixie frowned down at the table in thought.
The news that her recovery was going more quickly than expected was of course good to hear, but it also brought with it something of a time constraint – as soon as Trixie was fully healed, she would have no excuse to stay in Ponyville. She'd already told Twilight that she was just passing through, and going back on that word would just bring about more awkward questions.
'It'll be fine,' she assured herself. 'I'll talk to her. Soon...'
Trixie looked up to find Twilight staring at her expectantly. “Did you say something?” Trixie asked.
“I said 'would you like me to get you something to read?' Unless you'd rather do something else?” said Twilight.
“Oh. No – Trixie will manage.”
Twilight smiled. “Okay – well, if you do need anything, just shout. I'll be upstairs – I need to write a report to the Princess,” she said quite calmly.
Trixie furrowed her brow as Twilight headed over towards the stairs. “The Princess?” Trixie repeated.
Twilight stopped in her tracks and looked back at Trixie with a sheepish grin. “Oops,” she muttered. “Um, it's kind of a long story... And it's not really that interesting--”
“Trixie wants to hear it,” Trixie interrupted firmly.
“Hmm,” grunted Twilight, looking down in thought. She took a moment before meeting Trixie's eyes again. “Well... okay, I guess. Why don't I tell you over dinner tonight?”
Trixie found herself smiling, and she gave a quick nod. “Trixie... would like that.”
* * *
Argh! So short But I just felt like the chapter had to end there (AKA - same excuse as last chapter )
Anyway, the next chapter should be normal length or a bit longer, so stay tuned! Thank you all for reading! There's nothing in particular I need feedback on this time, so just let me know if something catches your eye (in a good or bad way)!
Looks like Trixie has to make a decision... and soon.
Short but sweet; nothing wrong with that. Looking forward to more!
1561568 Thank you.
Shorter then I like, but longer than many writer's I have seen do. Good story so far and I'm quite interested in the eventual discovery of just why Trixie came to Ponyville. : )
They're growing "closer" and it seems Twilight knows it more than Trixie
Nice! You've been doing a great job of writing a romance without making me want to commit seppuku. Huzzah!
What awkward questions could there be if Trixie wants to stay? Twilight should be grateful to bask in her presence and serve her
Blast it Twilight, we almost got to see the whole letter! I am SO CURIOUS!
Like I always say, it's not the length, but the quality I care about. As for this story, I wonder what Trixie's reaction will be to finding out about Twilight's link to the princess. And I'm still dying to know what is in that letter, that made Trixie come back in the first place.
Ooooh so Trixie still doesn't know who Twilight is, this will be an interesting dinner conversation.
UPDATE!
It's better to have short chapters that feel right, than to make them long and drag them out. I'm liking where this is going.
I like what you did with her chewing on the cast, very amusing. Looking forward to the next chapter
1561568
Er. A "love dodecahedron" for the record just refers to a story that's basically a comedy based on having an extremely complicated system of romantic approach/approach conflicts. It COULD be one character having twelve love interests but it could also be "1 loves 2 but 2 loves 3 and 3 loves 1, meanwhile 4, 5, and 6 are fighting over 2, but 5 also loves 6 and 4 is probably in love with 7, who loves 1..."
1561701 Thank you! Writing is going a lot faster now that I'm moving the story onwards. I might even manage to get the next chapter out early this time around!
1561771 Me too! I'm sure whatever happens in Season 3 will be awesome though, and with some canon character development for Trixie, there will be more ammunition for future Twixie fics (which I'll definitely be writing). Thanks!
1562017 I'm looking forward to writing the chapter where that finally comes to light, and the chapters following it. Right now I'm just trying to hurry to that part, without rushing things too much (kind of difficult ) Shouldn't be too much longer though. Thanks for the comment!
1562220 Oops Hehe, I've read that chapter through about twenty times and I never picked up on that! Oh well, I'll put it down to Pinkie being notoriously unpredictable
1563262 Yeah! It's getting more fun to write as they get closer and closer, I can't wait for some of the later chapters when I can get some romantic stuff on the go.
1563521 Glad to hear it That's what I like about Twixie, you don't really have to force it beyond putting them together for a while - it just <i>works</i>. At least that's what I think. Thank you!
1563576 I know I would! Twilight would probably be cool with it, but then again, she doesn't know what's in the letter! Dun dun dun! Thankyou for the comment!
1563791 Oh yeah, sorry for the tease... pfft, no I'm not! Don't worry though, I probably might maybe get around to revealing it sometime in the sort of near future. It depends. Hehe, thanks for the comment!
1563910 Thank you very much! Well, Trixie's reaction will be coming next chapter, so stay tuned!
1564023 Hmm, well I was actually going to time-lapse the conversation because I thought it would be a little dull... but if you think it might be interesting then I'll have a go at writing it. Thanks!
1564082 Soon, my friend, soon!
1564251 Thank you! Yes, you're right - I really don't like dragging things out too much. I originally tried to add another scene to this chapter to fill the word gap but it just didn't work. I'm glad I didn't though, ending it there has made the next chapter go very smoothly.
1565398 Thanks! It just seemed like a very 'pony' thing to do I'm looking forward to it as well!
1568262 Oh! Sorry, I thought you were being funny. Love dodecahedron, eh? I'll remember that in future. Thanks!
1583200
You're darn right I think it'd be interesting! Trixie thinks herself great and powerful and acts superior to others because of it, she's about to find out that twilight is not only more powerful but also the personal student of the princess, making her more great as well, yet Twilight still acts so kind to others despite what most would consider to be major credit to Twilight's superiority. I want to see how Trixie take that.
1561566
You could've added a small timeskip and given us the story?
And I think the walls are tumbling down...
I most certainly agree. Things are turning around fast now it seems... I must read on! I must! I must!
They're sisters, aren't they?
They're totally sisters.
Ponies must not get injured very often if they don't even realise that there's sometimes rehab after a limb is broken and takes its time to heal.
And Trixie still hasn't realised Twilight was Princess Celestia's personal student until the upcoming dinner conversation? Dis gonna be good.
Ugh physical therapy can be a pain in the toosh
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