Bass Clefs and Sapphires

by Crispn

Illusions

"Gah, this turtleneck is so uncomfortable. Why in the hell is this a top of the line design?" I kept pulling at the collar of it as I walked out of the apartment.

“Darling, you must stop doing that. It will pull the fabric loose and then the entire piece is worthless.” Rarity scolded me, pulling my arm down from around my neck and wrapping her own around it.

“But it’s too tight. I feeling stupidly claustrophobic right now.” I said, taking my free hand and opening the top button on my coat. “Not helping,” I growled under my breath. I felt like I was suffocating underneath all the layers of fabric. When it’s just the coat and the scarf, I feel fine. Add the turtleneck in the mix and I just can’t breathe.

“I know this is not exactly your style, but please try, for me?” She got up underneath my chin, rubbing her body against mine. The aroma from her hair had, once again, intoxicated me more than any amount of alcohol could. I couldn’t help myself.

“Ok...” I answered, properly zombified.

“Excellent. Now let’s be moving, the festival has already started and Pinkie made me promise her that I would accompany her for Karaoke.” she replied, pulling me along behind her towards the town square.

“You know you won’t catch me dead doing that with everyone just yet.” I said, chuckling.

“Yes, I know that it will only ever happen if the end of the world was upon us and even then, it still is a crapshoot.” Rarity said, even matching the tone I had used to a T. I smiled, pulling her back to me.

“So I really have to wear this shirt?”

“It’s either that or singing.”

“Shirt it is.” I quickly replied.

“Now, I thought we had started to move past all of that hiding yourself from your friends.”

“Still working on some things. It’s different with you, just easier I guess.”

After a minute, we finally made it into the town center. Not going to lie, it was amazing. I haven’t seen anything this spectacular in I don’t know how long. Large pine trees, each almost twenty feet high, covered in all manner of twinkling lights and baubles. There were long strands of garland, also dressed as the trees, strung up in between the different buildings. The most spectacular thing was the lane of booths. So many amazing smells wafted from different booths. Pies, pastries, hot ciders, chocolate... Oooh, now I see what she meant. This was going to be much harder than I thought and-

“Oh my damn, they have a petting zoo!” I basically squealed out. Rarity shot me a completely surprised look, but after a couple seconds, started to snicker.

“Never took you for an animal lover. Well, why don’t you start there?” I turned around to face her with a slightly sad look.

“Whaaaat?!” I said, attempting to puppy-dog-eye her as best I could. “I thought we would at least hang out before you have to go off with Pinkie.”

“It really isn’t all that bad, and besides, there is a large amount of quality booths, shows and other things to keep you entertained. I will meet you in an hour at Sugarcube Corner. Don’t be late.” She said, giving me a swift peck on the cheek before disappearing into the crowd.

Well, I now had an hour to kill. I can’t exactly decide whether I should get some food or go see the animals or....they are so soft and fluffy, I must pet all of them now. I made a beeline over to the petting zoo area. I was so distracted by the thought of being surrounded by kittens and puppies that I didn’t even notice I was not getting closer. My legs moved fine, but the animals never got closer. I felt a slight tug on my collar, pulling me back towards the food court area.

“Yer comin’ with me.” Big Mac’s low baritone shook me right down to my core.

“But...petting zoo...” I tried to protest: one that was just met by silence.

Well, crap. Big Mac is probably here to kill me after what happened at the library. My flight response started to kick in, my wings unfurling and beating quickly in an attempt to run from the monster of a man. Should have known that I wouldn’t be able to break his grip, or lift him off the ground. After another couple seconds of struggling, I resigned myself to the fact that my face was either about to be much more purple or a foot away from my neck. We turned a corner and came to the back of one of the booths. Big Mac released his grip on my collar and placed what seemed to be a large crate on the ground.

“Please, don’t kill me.” I said, wrapping my wings around my body in a futile attempt to shield my body.

“Why would Ah kill ya?” Big Mac replied, opening the box to reveal a large amount of bottles. “Ah need some help stockin’ the booth and Ah couldn’t find Apple Bloom, so guess ya’ll have t’do.” He handed me a few bottles from the box and pointed to the booth.

“Oh....Yes, I can totally do this.” I nervously said, trying to assure myself that he was, in fact, not going to kill me.

“We’re premierin’ Apple Bloom’s cider t’night and she ain’t even here t’help me sell it.” he grumbled.

“Thought AJ would be the one doing the selling.”

“She woulda, but she came back from the library all worked up about somethin’. She grabbed her stuff and said she was goin’ back t’school. Needed t’be away from everyone fer a bit.”

“She say why?”

“Nope.” He said, bringing a large armful of bottles into the booth for me to shelf. “So what are yer plans fer t’morrow.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ah mean, what ya get yer gal fer Hearth’s Warmin’?” My eyes shot open, almost dropping the bottle from the sudden realization that hit me. I had completely forgotten to get Rarity a gift. I grabbed a bottle opener from the shelf and quickly drained the bottle.

“Uh... somethin’ wrong?”

“How in the hell did I forget to get her a gift?! I need to go find something. Like Right now.”

“Eeyup. Better get a move on. Only got 5 hours left.” Big Mac said, holding out his palm to me. I looked at it confused for a second, that is, until he nodded over to the bottle I had just drained. Laughing nervously, slightly embarrassed about it, I quickly handed over a couple bits before running out of the booth, determined to find a gift.

My blood was coursing through my body, my heart pumping hard with each quick step I took. I passed what seem like a ton of booths, all of them peddling different wares. Hat shops, jewelry booths, dress tents and all manner of things. I dove into my pocket, counting how much money I had on hand to use. 15 bits. Well, this is going to be the best haggling event of the century. I had to get her something nice, but it also had to mean something or else it was pretty much worthless. I strode in between the different booths, examining different wares. People kept pushing all sorts of trinkets and baubles into my face as I passed by. After fifteen minutes of fruitless searching, I left the “fashion” booths and headed towards another area.

“You seemed to be troubled, young sir.” A slightly older female said as I passed by a large tent.

“Yeah, I’m trying to find my girlfriend a present for tomorrow and I honestly have no idea what to get her.” I said.

“Well, what’s your rush? You look like you need a break.” The lady said, motioning to the tent door.

“No, I really shouldn’t. I kind of put this off accidentally and I would rather not have her think me uncaring.” I said, backing away from the tent.

“Oh, but I insist. It will only be fifteen minutes of your time. And trust me, it will be well worth it.” The lady said, grabbing my wrist in her magic and dragging me back to the tent. She opened the flap, motioning me to go inside. I sighed, knowing I just lost another chunk of time. This had better be worth it.

Walking inside, I found the tent to be much larger than I previously thought. Across the floor were about forty chairs, all seated facing a small raised platform at the other end. One lone mic stand and microphone stood on the stage. Maybe it was a comedian, desperate to get people to watch his act. The room was about half full, so I grabbed a seat near the exit. If it was complete shit, I could just easily slip out.

The room darkened as a few stage lights clicked on. Smoke billowed out from the sides of the tent, a figure slowly appearing in the thick clouds.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” The voice of a young lady pierced through the venue. Something was oddly familiar about it. “Tonight you shall gaze upon wonders and magics that you have never seen before. Come one, come all, and witness the Great and Powerful Trixie!” The smoke cleared revealing a woman with silver hair, purple eyes and a fiendish smile.

“Bullshit.” I whispered.

I can’t believe I just sat there and watched an entire magic show. Probably helped that it was Trixie’s show. Guess I should talk to her, I haven’t seen her since my graduation. Might be nice to catch up and I still had some time to kill. Maybe I could introduce her to Rarity and the rest of the girls.

Around the back of the tent, I found Trixie surrounded by a group of kids, all clamoring to get her autograph on a piece of paper or a picture. I tried to stay near the back, waiting for the others to dissipate.

“Thank you Trixie. I’m your biggest fan.” A small boy said, pulling at her pant leg, buzzing his small wings in excitement. He was holding up a small slip of paper and a camera. “Can I get a picture with you?” He asked, his eyes shiny with tears of joy.

“Of course. The Great and Powerful Trixie is nothing if not loyal to her fans. Who shall I make this out to?” She asked, taking the slip of paper.

“Tuner” He mumbled, his face reddening.

“And what do you like to do, Tuner?”

“I...like to sing.”

“Singing is fun, isn’t it? I have a younger brother that plays piano, but he didn’t find out that he could till he was almost an adult. You’re a lucky guy, aren’t you? Knowing what you want to do with yourself.”

“Yes.” He squeaked. It was weird hearing her mention me just to a complete stranger. She signed the paper and passed it back to Tuner, who in turn held up the camera. Trixie just smiled and turned to face the group.

“Would anyone be willing to take a picture of this small gentleman and me? How about you?” She said, holding out the camera in my direction. I guess staying in the back was hard when you were one of the last ones left.

“Sure.” I said, using my wing to flip the camera from her hands, attempting to stay in the shadows. I have no idea why I was trying so hard to not be seen, but to be honest, it was a lot of fun. Snapping a couple pictures I handed the camera back to the child, who thanked me and ran back off to his parents. The small group had completely left except for me, so I guess no time like the present. Stepping out of the shadows, I strode up behind Trixie, who was now packing a large amount of pyrotechnic equipment into the back of her trailer.

“Need any help with that, Miss?” I asked, leaning over the kneeling girl.

“Yes, as a matter of fact. The Great and Powerful Trixie does require assistance with the packing of her things.”

“When did you start talking in the third person so much? It doesn’t suit you, Trixie.” I said, slightly laughing.

Trixie stopped in her tracks. She set the large box in her hands into the back and sighed heavily.

“I knew you were going to catch up to me eventually.” She said in an almost resigning matter. What was she talking about? She reached a hand into her coat. With a blur of her large cape and a flash of steel, I felt cold metal slash into my cheek. Lurching backwards, I slammed into the ground, completely surprised by the sudden assault. Her eyes shot open, dropping her blade. “Crisp?!” She screamed, dropping to her knees.

“What the hell Trixie? I haven’t seen you in three years and the first thing you do is cut me?” I said, rubbing the small cut along my left cheek, feeling the warm blood slowly ooze.

“Sorry, thought you were someone else. Carnies are a bit weird after all.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well,” she said, grabbing me in a giant hug, “what brings your sorry ass all the way up north. I thought you were spending the holidays at Procient to avoid Mom.” Just hearing the mention of that woman made my blood boil. I quickly subdued that burst of emotion, trying to maintain calm in front of my sister.

“Yeah, well, plans tend to change.” I said, flapping my wings, lifting myself up off the ground. I brushed the dust off of my coat. I could feel the trickle of blood inch closer to the bottom of my chin, the warm liquid desperate to reach a stopping point. Trixie stood up and pulled a cloth she used in the show out from her sleeve, wiping the blood off.

“Again, I really am sorry about that.” She said, tossing the cloth in with the rest of her supplies.
“But you haven’t answered the Great and Powerful Trixie’s question.”

“Well, I was looking for a gift when your barker basically dragged me into the tent-”

“What kind of gift?” Trixie interrupted, almost slamming her body into mine from her excitement.

“A Hearth Warming gift?”

“I figured that, but for who?” My eyes shifted from side to side. I never had an actual girlfriend around Trixie before, just a random drunken fling here and there. I remember the Nightmare Night before I graduate was a complete fiasco, where my plus one came in pretty much nothing but a couple swatches of cloth. I really didn’t want Trixie to think of Rarity the same as the others. She deserved much better than to be clumped with them.

“No one...” I eventually lied.

“Bullshit.” Trixie called out immediately, “What were you thinking of getting her?”

“That’s what I can’t figure out... You know I am really bad at this.” I said, walking back towards the main stretch of road that the festival overtook.

“Yes, yes, I know. Now let the Great and Powerful Trixie assist you in the finding of your gift for your girlfriend.”

“Could you please not talk in the third person anymore.”

“Never, the Great and Powerful Trixie speaks like this forever.” She said, pulling me along, back towards the shops.

“Now, tell me about this girl.

“Well, she’s...well, she’s caring and generous. She made me this coat. Oh, and the scarf. And she likes jewelry and music.”

“Ok, music and jewelry. I know just the place.” Picking me up in her rose pink aura, she lifter me and bolted past the majority of booths and tents. She screeched to a halt in front of a rundown tent with closed flaps and torn walls. “Wait out here. Won’t be more than a moment.”

“Ok.” I said, not really knowing if I had a choice in the matter. It would have been rude to leave now that she knew I was here. Besides, it was nice to actually have a family member that I liked. As I pulled out my cigarettes, Trixie popped her head out of the tent.

“What kind of gem are you thinking of right now?”

“Uh....” I stammered, “Blue?” Trixie smiled as her head once again disappeared into the tent. “Those will kill you, you know.” She said from the other side of the door.

I let out a small snort, dismissing the comment at first, until I opened the box that I had purchased yesterday. I had gone through seventeen cigarettes in less than 24 hours. Crap. I really was going to kill myself. I only gave one away to Scootaloo. Maybe Rarity was right, I should stop. Maybe it would be easier if this was the last pack that I bought... three cigarettes, better make them count.

Trixie popped out of the tent, a small box in hand. She slipped it into my coat pocket as I lit up the first of the cigarettes.

“What is it?” I asked, blowing out a puff of smoke.

“Oh, you will just have to wait and see. Now finish telling me about her. How long have you been dating?”

“Only a couple of months.”

“Really? Well how long did you know her before then?”

“...a week.” I hesitated in answering, knowing the backlash to come.

“A week? You have know this girl for nine weeks? Total?!”

“Well...yeah.”

“Don’t you think it is a little rushed?”

She was the third person in two days to make a similar comment. First it was Big Mac, then AJ and now Trixie. Rushed, Why is she with me? Why does she love me?

“You know, I honestly don’t know, or care for the matter.”

“Well, you should care.”

“And why’s that?” I snapped at her.

“Because you aren’t exactly stable. Your psyche is pretty fragile when it comes to certain things. Doesn’t it seem odd that she would just want to be with you out of the blue? Who is this girl anyway?”

I felt my blood start to rush through my body, my anger rising with it. I whipped out my phone and scrolled through a couple pictures, finding one of me and Rarity on the balcony of the apartment. I passed my phone over to Trixie, who looked at the picture and snorted, barely holding back her laughter.

“Her? This is the girl? Really?” She choked between giggles.

“Yes.” I spat at her. This was really starting to piss me off.

“No no, it’s fine. Just maybe want to consider something before you go any further. There are a lot of things this could be. I just don’t want to see you get hurt by her.”

“And what things could it be?”

“Well, for starters, it could actually be true affection. Unlikely but probable. Then there are countless spells that could be affecting you, but those require a uni of great skill in fire based magics, since that’s the category love spells fall under. She’s not a fire based uni, is she?”

“Uh...no? And how did you know she is a uni?”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie has her ways, my little brother.” She said condescendingly. “The other thing that it most likely is, is a phenomena called the Honeymoon. Basically it is just attraction. Mostly physical. You two haven’t... you know.”

“Sex? No we haven’t had sex, if that’s what you’re asking about.”

“Hmmmmm... then I really don’t know.”

“Well thanks for that doctor.”

“I mean it, be careful. She could just as easily be using you to get back an ex.”

Nope, that was the line. Rarity didn’t want anything to do with Ridger. “That isn’t it. And just drop it. I have a good thing going here and you are just nitpicking like you used to do when we were kids. I’m an adult now, you can’t always protect me.”

Trixie grabbed me in a tight hug, just like she used to. My wings were beating hard from my temper, and my face hot from the blood. This is where I learned it... from Trixie. My wings settled down and folded back onto my back.

“She’s the one that got your wings out, isn’t she?” She asked. I nodded. “Thought so. Look, you might love her, really love her. And she might honestly love you too, I just don’t want to see you get hurt anymore. I saw too much of that at home. I need to go finish packing. Have to leave tonight.” And with that Trixie, released her grip on me and walked back in the direction of her tent.

She had embedded a lot of questions into my mind in her short appearance on my vacation. Questions that were going to plague me the rest of the night. Did Rarity actually love me like she said she did? I couldn’t shake the thought from my mind the entire time I walked to the bar where I had promised to meet up with her.

I found myself standing outside the large window of the karaoke bar. Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Rarity and even Fluttershy, they all seemed to be having the time of their lives. I don’t think I have seen Fluttershy that happy before, or maybe it was the fact that her hair wasn’t completely blocking her smile.

Dammit, Trixie. Now I’m not really sure about this. What if it is all a lie? What if...she really didn’t care about me. I turned my back towards the window, brushing my wings up against the frigid glass. I flapped them a bit, but they felt incredibly heavy and awkward. Even folded on my back they felt strange. I finally pulled them back inside my jacket, where they started to feel normal again.

“Crisp? What are you doing out here in the cold, darling?” the familiar voice asked me from my right. Even looking at her, I don’t know what to do. “You pulled your wings in? Is anything the matter?”

“No,” I quickly lied, “It’s just a bit cold out here, so I pulled them in. Wouldn’t want your handiwork to get ruined?” I awkwardly laughed. Oh god, I can’t even stand my own body. I shoved my hands into my pockets to stop them from moving around so much. My left hand found the small box that Trixie had dropped in there earlier. Pulling it out, I looked down at the small white box.

“What is that?” Rarity asked, sidling up to me and underneath my arm.

“Um...it’s for you. Happy Hearth Warming.” I said, almost completely lackluster.

Rarity slowly took the box from my hands. The touch of her skin sent a small pang of sadness through me, if this really was a lie, it was a cruel one at best. She ripped into the paper and pulled out a small pendant. An eighth note, the note head a small blue gem...a sapphire. Rarity just stared at the small necklace in her hands, saying nothing. Eventually, she pulled my collar and kissed me on the cheek.

“I love it, almost as much as I love you.” She said, slipping the necklace around her neck. I smiled softly. Maybe even if it wasn’t real, it was still nice to feel it...

“I love you too.” I said, feeling my heart slightly twinge. “Oh, there is something I wanted to ask you about unis.”

“What is it darling?” she said, looking up at me with her own sapphires.

“Well, there are certain schools of uni magic right?” She nodded. “What are they?”

“Let’s see now...Fire, water, wind, earth, arcane and shadow.”

“What school do you fall under?”

“Well out of the six schools, I fall mostly under earth magics. Would not be able to find or cut my gems with shadow or fire magic now could I?” She giggled.

“No. No, I guess you couldn’t.” I replied, knowing I had just narrowed the possibilities by one.

Author's Note:

Oh GOOD celestia, this...took...forever

I like the idea of 6 schools of Magic. I will post a blog about where I think certain unicorns lie later.

Trixie was actually hard to write, trying to balance her canon personality with this small change of her wanting to be the big sister and protect her little brother.

Crisp really needs to just start wearing protective gear around every girl in his life.

And poor kid, his thoughts are now turning against him in the one bright thing in his mind.