My Little Pony-Friendship is Magic
The Romancing Quest
By Doctor Scraps
Disclaimer: My Little Pony- Friendship is Magic is property of Hasbro and all affiliated parties involved, and the author claims no rights to any characters, settings, or events. This story was written for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: For this chapter in particular, you had better best be prepared for some heavy Twilight/Trixie shipping. It is also a little more serious in tone than I expected, but I liked where I was going with it.
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Chapter 3
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There was a little coffee shop near the market in Canterlot, a rustic building made of brick and wood in contrast to the cities lavish gold and pearl splendor. It was a call back to the cities youth, before Nightmare Moon was banished more than thousand years ago, still maintained by the Roast family of Ponies. And it was here that Twilight Sparkle found herself, going over the menu with a feeling of fond memories, occasionally glancing over at the blue Unicorn across from her, who was scowling and eyeing Twilight with suspicion.
"What do you think? I used to come here for a little peace and quiet when exams came around. You wouldn't believe how noisy some ponies get when their grades are on the line." Twilight gave a soft laugh. Trixie wasn't quite so amused. "Er…Well, order whatever you like. I'm paying after all."
"The only reason I even fathomed joining you on this outing, Miss Sparkle, was because you offered to feed me." Trixie snatched up a menu and commenced to browsing, more than likely scouring for the priciest item there existed in the establishment. "Until then, I am willing to be civil."
"You mean, 'The Great and Powerful Trixie', right?" Twilight asked. Trixie lowered the menu, raising a brow at Twilight. "I mean…You always add that when you say 'I'."
"A wasted effort when it's just you, Twilight Sparkle." Trixie lowered her gaze back into the menu.
The waiter soon returned, "May I take your order, ladies?"
"Yes, I'll just have a hot tea, please, and a side salad." Twilight said.
"And I shall have the number seven drink special, and a slice of royal velvet carrot cake." Trixie announced. With that, the waiter left, leaving the two to an uncomfortable silence.
"Well…" Twilight scratched the back of her head, feeling the awkwardness start to settle. "Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot…" The statement seem to ignite a sudden fury in Trixie.
"Wrong foot!" Trixie leered at Twilight, pushing herself up with her hooves on the table. "I suppose you could call ruining someone's career getting off on the 'wrong foot'!"
"Shhhhhh!" A collective hush echoed through the café. Trixie wrinkled her nose and sat back down, her fervor still incited as she switched to a more quieter tone. "Because of the shenanigans in that podunk little village, I'm lucky if I can get a gig performing at children's birthday parties. Word of how I got showed up and exposed as a fraud by the legendary Twilight Sparkle," Trixie gestured with a theatrical flare, voice rising once more. "Banisher of the vile Nightmare Moon, spread like wildfire! Fraud is a very VERY powerful and venomous word in the entertainment business, Miss Sparkle!"
"Shhhh!" Another collective hush.
"Oh shush yourselves!" Trixie whinnied.
"Alright, alright…" Twilight raised her hooves for Trixie to be calm. "I would really pass the blame off on Snips and Snails…But if you want to blame me…That's fine…" If Trixie didn't seem so easy to fly off into hysterics, Twilight would have noted that Trixie had dug her own grave, and the two young foals and her own hubris were the shovels that did the digging. But that was not her intention. Her hypothesis still stood and waited to be proven, or disproven.
Trixie snorted as she eased back in her seat, waiting for the waiter to bring their drinks and snacks. Her expression softened from the piqued anger to simply frustrated. "No…I don't blame you, Twilight Sparkle…At least not for the whole Ursa Major thing. Just the fact you made me a fool at the highlight of the whole affair."
"Eh?" Twilight tilted her head as her hot tea with side salad and Trixie's double shot espresso with caramel sprinkles, and a swirl of coconut foam with a slice of...Okay that was not a slice, that was a small monument...cake arrived.
"Why didn't you just come up on stage with the rest of those backwater ponies and show me up before everything went to road apples?" Trixie wasted no time turning a sudden dark appetite on the cake slice, talking heatedly between bites. "I could have played it off then, I could have made it work in my favor and salvaged my career…Maybe we both could have made it work…" The frustration seemed to deepen in Trixies eyes. "How was I supposed to know a true sorceress was in the crowd?" She uttered, wiping the frosting off her face.
Twilights ears flattened against her head as she listened, taking silent sips of her tea. It was bitter. "I…didn't want anyone to think…I was being a braggart…I saw your act, and all the others could think was how showy and flashy you were being. I didn't want them to think the same about me. I was afraid."
Trixie grunted and stuck her nose in her coffee, getting whipped cream all over her snout. "Well, that's fine for you, Twilight Sparkle. You live this…perfectly idyllic life in Ponyville, while I'm stuck renting a hovel and living off snot nosed foals ability to be fooled by flashy lights."
Twilight sighed. "This isn't helping matters at all, is it?"
"No it isn't."
"Okay, look, how can I make it up to you?" Twilight asked.
"Perhaps you might explain why you're so interested in being so buddy-buddy with me all of a sudden. That would be a dovey start." Trixie crossed her arms, not yet making a move to wipe the cream from her snout.
The reason was Twilights hypothesis…If it was possible for friendship and love to exist where originally there existed animosity and dislike. Trixie was perhaps the closest thing Twilight Sparkle had to an enemy, if not at least in Trixie's own eyes. There was also another reason. Perhaps where she had failed with colts, she could succeed with a mare. However...Twilight found herself in a delicate situation. Did she dare express her actual intentions of even coming to Canterlot? Trixie already seemed as though she had been dealt a sore hand since the last time they crossed paths, and the word 'sensitive' didn't quite express it. She took the time to sip her tea while thinking carefully of her approach.
"…Trixie, we only met once…And…I felt like there could have been a connection…You were only the second pony I'd seen in Ponyville that could use magic, so I was intrigued." Twilight found herself saying. She wasn't sure where she was going with this, but she wanted to try and reach Trixie through her ire. She looked up from her cup, "I didn't want there to be hard feelings, but you ran away before I could talk to you…"
Trixie watched Twilight, raising her mug to her face, her expression suddenly lost for words. Her eyes flicked left and right, as though measuring her own response. "Well…I admit…I did run off rather sudden…" She kept her eyes on the brown fluid in her cup, a blush creeping over her cheeks. "B-But don't tell me you came all this way after so long because you've been harboring some sort of silly crush or something!"
Trixies response intrigued Twilight. Soft words seemed to have an effect on her. Twilight pondered. Something inside Twilight clicked. Trixie seemed so vulnerable now, or perhaps she always had been. She reached out a hoof and settled it over Trixies, allowing a soft smile to cross her lips. "Trixie…I want to make things right…Between us…"
Was this what they called 'seduction'? Was this right? Did she really want to make things better? Or perhaps…Did she just want to know whether she could make her one and only self proclaimed rival love her? The emotion was already there. Did Trixie think of Twilight whenever she performed? Did she curse her name? Anger was powerful, so was resentment…But in both of those, there was the element of fascination. Did Trixie dream of Twilight?
Trixie stared at the hoof that rested over hers for what seemed like an eternity, before suddenly drawing back as though the hoof was a viper. "You're having a go at me! Who put you up to this? Was it that apple picker?"
Okay…Maybe not so much.
"Madam, please, if you can't keep it down, we will have to ask you to leave…" The waiter announced calmly as he approached the table. Trixie looked around and noticed everyone was watching them. Her blush grew to furious intensity as she sunk into her seat.
"…I'll walk you home…" Twilight said softly.
…
Trixies street got no sunlight this time of the day, the sun hidden behind the towers and mountains. The shadows made the buildings hugging Trixies flat seem much taller and imposing. The whole walk back, Trixie kept her head down, nary a word spoken. Twice Twilight had tried to spark some conversation, but she felt that the damage was already done. When they got to her step, Trixie trotted up her door, turning to regard Twilight, her gaze questioningly.
"So, which is it, Twilight Sparkle?" She asked.
"Which is what?" Twilight asked in return.
"…Today. Did you really want to make things…b-better between us…or did those other ponies put you up to this to make me look like a fool?"
Twilight shook her head. "Today was just supposed to be about me and you, Trixie. No one else is involved."
"Then are you making a fool of me?"
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
Trixie blushed heavily once more and looked away. "Nothing! Obviously you've wasted your time coming here today, Twilight Sparkle." With that, Trixie turned and trotted into her home, slamming the door behind her.
"Trixie, I—" Twilight sighed as the door cut off her sentence. "I meant what I said, Trixie!" She huffed. "Stubborn mare…"
…
"So what was that?" Spike asked as they rendezvoused at the gates of Canterlot. He had observed from afar as Twilight worked with Trixie. "She looked like she was about to melt under your hoof there. "
"Well…I thought I had my hypothesis proven…But I think I learned something else today." Twilight mused as they walked, watching the sky. "The heart is a delicate thing, and can be manipulated easily. Trixie was being held back by her insecurities and her pride. I think she still feels like she needs to put up a front. Maybe I crossed a line…I'm not sure. I really did want to make things better. But I guess that's up to her now."
"Twilight, can I ask you something?"
"Sure Spike. What's on your mind?"
"Do you…Like girls? Like that, I mean."
Twilight pondered silently as the valley stretched out before them for a few minutes. She smiled and let out a soft laugh. "I don't think I could choose one over another, Spike. I think any Pony is capable of love…Colt or Mare. As a researcher, it wouldn't be fair if I discriminated."
"I can live with that. So what now?" Spike asked.
"Good question. I guess I'll keep trying. Though I think I may need to actually ask Rarity some very specific questions…"
…
Trixie trotted into her bedroom, a museum of scrolls, tomes, and various parlor tricks strewn across the floor, and flopped onto her bed, emotionally exhausted.
"Stupid Twilight and her stupid nosiness and her stupid…stupid…" She grumbled into her pillow. Her cheeks were still hot from before. After a moment, she rolled onto her back, staring up at the star pattern printed on her ceiling. She replayed the last few hours in her mind…
'I want to make things right…between us'
Trixie felt the smile crack across her face, grasping her pillow tightly, and squealing with delight, hooves kicking into the air.
She sat, and turned a smug grin towards the newspaper clipping tacked to her wall, featuring a picture of Twilight, the headline reading 'local researcher thwarts Ursa Minor attack' in bold black letters.
"Challenge accepted, Twilight Sparkle! I, the great and powerful Trixie, Master Enchantress, will make you mine! And then this world will see the combined might of Equestria's greatest magicians!" The once quiet and sullen mood was now filled with laughter.
…
To be continued.