A Star Without a Stage

Chapters

The Fallen Star's Old Friend
Letters Part 1
Cleanliness and a Fresh Start
Breakfast

The Fallen Star's Old Friend

Chapter 1: The Fallen Star's Old Friend.

Cold, something that the mare hated. She also hated the wind and being outdoors in autumn. Most of all though, what the mare hated was herself or at least what she once was. As she gazed down at the reflection in the partially frozen pond, she couldn't help but see it. In the violet eyes of her very own reflection she saw what once was. She was once a showmare, a star, something she could be proud of, yet, here she sat, with nothing left to her name except her cape and hat, which were set aside while she gazed into the frozen water. It was painful to think about as she recalled everything, every last detail of her life as a showmare.

At first, it had been a wonderful feeling performing for a crowd, showing off her magical abilities, even using them to upstage a few other ponies. Most of it had been in good fun in the beginning, but where had it gotten her now? Now, she sat, gazing into the eyes of her own reflection. The mare before her was in shambles, her pale blue mane and azure coat covered with dirt, leaves and burrs. It was dreadful to look at if you took notice of her. What was worse though, was the fact that she was growing increasingly thin, visibly you could even make out a few extra ribs, indicating that she hadn't eaten much recently.

This was due in part to the fact that autumn was upon the land, causing it to whither and fade. It made everything nearly inedible to her, she knew, because she had tried. Apparently her stomach didn't really agree with what she had chosen, thus resulting in her loosing what little contents she had left in it. This was especially hard on her, without food, her magic became more and more limited, to the point where she could barely perform even a basic telekinesis spell. With little magic, her chances of survival had dwindled. You know the worst part in this mare's dilemma? The worst part was, she was actually in a park, with a marketplace just a short walk away.

While she gazed at the reflection, a tear slid down her cheek as muddled thoughts raged through her mind. With an empty stomach and her ever-growing hunger, these thoughts became even more muddled, a decision on what to do soon became out of reach and while she would deny it to herself, she needed help. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to do as such as she lowered her head closer to the pond to take a drink. The water was a soothing relief to her as it flowed down her throat. It provided a cooling sensation to her frazzled mind and body, not only rehydrating her, but giving her the feeling of at least having something in her stomach.

It didn't help the painful emptiness inside though. Where the emptiness came from she had no idea. Whether it was from her stomach or from her heart, she couldn't figure, at least in this state. She felt hopeless. What was worse though, was, this was where her career had been crushed. Staying in the town hurt her even more as she recalled everything that had happened, all the trouble she had caused. It was a surprise she was even alive after what she had done!

That last spark of thought brought something to mind that she hadn't thought of before. It was curious indeed, why wasn't she in prison? Why hadn't she been apprehended by the authorities? To some degree she could be seen as a fugitive after her second visit, yet...there hadn't been a single wanted poster of her, at least to what she could've seen. It was unusual, very unusual, especially considering what she had done with the Alicorn Amulet. Had it not been for her hunger, she might've been able to figure this out, but, with the scent of freshly baked bread flowing around her and her stomach growling even louder than before, she couldn't focus her mind at all.

'Wait a second...' she thought, taking another whiff of her surroundings. It was then she truly took notice of the smell, thus causing her to shift her head in the direction of where the smell was. Hunger was gnawing at her stomach, the primal instinct of survival quickly took over as her gaze shifted. Sitting right behind her, was a simple whicker basket, with several loaves of bread neatly placed inside it, all of which were freshly baked and still warm thanks to a small blanket placed over them.

Who had left it? Why was it sitting right behind her? Who knew she was in the park? These were all questions she asked herself as she carefully stepped toward it. With the caution of a wild animal, she inched in closer, as she did, she took notice of something that sat atop it, pinned to the blanket itself. It was a note, a short one, but still a note none the less. As she picked it up and glanced it over, it became apparent just how bad she had it.

The letters were fairly blurry as she glanced over them, making it even more difficult to read. However, it wasn't the writing that was hard to read, it was her own eyes that were having trouble processing what was on the page. It reached the point where she was forced to squint to be able to even see the words, but once she was able to, she sighed in relief.

A gift for someone in need.

This left her questioning everything even more. Why would somepony help her? Why would they sacrifice their food for her? It wasn't important now though, because now she had food before her and her stomach was begging for it to be eaten.

Without another thought, she lifted up the blanket to reveal the freshly baked bread, her mouth watering. At first she wanted to eat it rather quickly, but that's when a thought occurred to her, she needed to take it slowly. Given she had gone without food for at least a week, her body needed time to adjust to it. So, carefully, she brought up the first loaf, taking a small bite of it. It had to be the most satisfying feeling she had in a long time. With each bite she took, the pit in her stomach gradually began to fill and by the time she had finished the first loaf, she was already full, with at least three more loaves left to eat.

'Perfect!' she thought, 'This should at least get me through the next couple of days.'

Not only had the bread renewed her strength, but it had also renewed her hope. At least now, she could begin to think a little more clearly on what she needed to do. With that in mind, her horn lit up for the first time in a long time, taking ahold of the basket as well as her hat and cape, tucking all three things away behind a small tree before making her way out from behind the brush she had hidden behind. What she had found as she stumbled out though proved to be a surprise for her, especially given that she hadn't expected anyone waiting on the other side of the bushes for her. As she tripped into him, having fallen out from the bushes, there was a bit of a struggle, both of them rolled around briefly before coming to a quick halt with the mare sitting atop the stallion.

“Well...this is embarrassing,” he spoke up, “Glad no one's around to see this.” The mare's cheeks flushed as she moved off of him, at the same time she couldn't help but giggle softly at the situation. Once the stallion had gotten to his hooves though, it became an entirely different story for the mare.

Panic quickly set in as she saw his face, but the unicorn was quickly subdued by the stallion with a single hoof. Why had she begun to panic about this stallion? It wasn't because he was significantly larger than her and much healthier, no. It was something far worse to her, to the point where it became a fight or flight response in the back of her mind. It was what he was wearing, it was something she had seen countless times and for her it meant potential trouble. She wanted to get away, yet, something about him actually told her to stay in place.

It was his uniform that terrified her, the fact it was a Royal Guard's uniform, not just that though, but an officer's. It made her nervous to the point where she was even choking on nothing. At the same time though, he seemed gentle, almost like he stood before her for another reason and this reason was conveyed through just his gentle blue eyes.

Before she even thought about running, she found her own eyes locked with his and it was lucky this had happened too, otherwise she might've created a scene. His eyes were like the ocean and sky, peaceful, yet ever-changing. While his eyes never changed visibly, the emotion behind them did, and in them presently she could feel a degree of security and trust. Unlike other royal guards she had seen, his eyes weren't lifeless. On top of that, she found herself fascinated with his appearance. His mane in particular was a eye popper in direct sunlight, as it was as white as freshly fallen snow and very tough to look at, as he seemed to be standing directly in the sunlight.

One thing she was glad for on the other hand, was the fact his coat worked in contrast to his mane, virtually matching the uniform he wore, it was only here where she took note of another fact. If he was a Royal Guard, why was he in Ponyville? Not only that though, but he wasn't wearing his armor. Was he off-duty? No, it wasn't likely, because he was still in a uniform. It was truly a conundrum for the azure mare as she gazed up at the stallion.

The stallion in question sighed in relief, appreciative of how quickly she had calmed down. He didn't care much for how she calmed down, but just simply glad of the fact. It was only after he had exhaled his held breath did he take a good look at her. To his shock, he was surprised at what he saw too. At first he hadn't recognized the mare, but, as he took a closer look, he began to take note of everything. Before making any assumptions however, he leaned back slightly, taking a brief glance at her cutie mark.

'No...it couldn't be...' he thought, but lo and behold, it was indeed the cutie mark that had been described. A blue crescent moon with a wand. His heart broke immediately when he saw it too, realizing just who the mare was, but what came as a shock to him most was her physical state. “Trixie...?” his voice called out.

Now, how in all of Equestria did this stallion know her name? Had it been due to the trouble she had caused a couple weeks ago? Was it possible she was still wanted? At first, this is what she thought, but when she narrowed her eyes at the stallion, before finally leaning back to take a brief look at his cutie mark and everything clicked.

A few tears began to form in her eyes as she flopped back onto her rump, shocked to see this pony, out of all of them. “S-Shield Breaker?” she was able to squeak out. The tears finally beginning to fall. “I-I thought...”

He merely shook his head in response to her, while he was indeed Shield Breaker, he could figure what she was about to say. “Doesn't the uniform give you a clue? But that's not important now...I believe the important thing is that, you're alive!” he pointed out. “Last thing I hear about you is, you're on the wanted list for causing such a ruckus in Ponyville.” Trixie gulped when she heard this, it was no question that she was indeed a criminal now. Given he was also a Royal Guard, it would only be a matter of time, she assumed, before he would take her away. Yet, here she stood, before him...and nothing bad was happening.

“A-about that...I-I can explain.” Trixie struggled to say.

“No need, Trixie....just walk with me...” he said, before taking a step to his left. “Oh and bring your cape, hat and the basket of bread with us...you'll need it.”

Trixie didn't argue with him, instead, she just followed his request. After collecting everything, they began to trot down the path through the park rather silently too. The entire time on their walk they ran into no trouble, passing absolutely no ponies along the path, to Trixie's relief.

“So...um...where are we going?” she asked hesitantly, doing her best to keep up with his pace. Even though on occasion he'd pause to let her catch up.

“I should be the one asking questions, Trixie,” Shield Breaker snapped, this stung a little bit, having him angry at her. Even knowing that she probably deserved it. “So...why are you still in Ponyville? I thought you left it after the last incident.” His words stung even more, reminding her of what had happened not more than two weeks ago.

“W-well...I'm here to speak with somepony,” replied Trixie, causing him to turn in her direction briefly, “But...I don't know how to approach her.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie?” he laughed, “Not knowing how to approach someone? Now that's a laugh!” The laughter was more like a quiet chuckle, but it was enough, resulting in him being smacked straight across the face by Trixie's hoof. “Hey!” he cried out, rubbing his cheek while glaring at her.

“I'm serious, Shield. I just don't know how to approach her,” His curiosity was piqued, he could even detect the seriousness in her voice before once again stopping in his tracks.

“Might I ask...who she is?”

Trixie froze the instant he asked this, her eyes shifted in his direction. Should she tell him who she was having issues with? Should she bring her old friend into this? A part of her mind wanted to be grateful and actually tell him, considering he was helping her more than he needed to right now. Not only that, but he had also given her food, which was something she had desperately needed. Yet, she found herself lost in a sea of doubt as she thought carefully, all the while unaware of where he had been guiding her. By this time, the two sat on a bridge, waiting for her to come up with a response. Nothing came though, just silence.

As they sat there, ponies casually walked or trotted on by, occasionally sending a glance at the two of them. While they knew Shield Breaker, it was Trixie that had left them befuddled. With her present condition few recognized her, but those that did hurried into a gallop, in attempts to get far away from her.

“Well?” Shield Breaker asked rather impatiently, “Or would you rather I guess who it is?” Something clicked in her when he said that, causing her to not only snap back to her senses and simply frown in his direction.

“I'd...rather keep it to myself for now.” argued Trixie, he only snickered in response to this before the two pressed onward. The rest of the time they were rather quiet, not saying a word between one another. This was mostly due in part to the fact that neither really had much to say to the other, that was until they arrived at their destination.

That was it for Trixie, when she saw where they had arrived. Before them was a tall oak tree, but not just any either, it was one she was quite familiar with in fact, one that she herself needed to go to actually. Fear began to set in as she gazed up at the splendor of the tree which had been reformed into a building, but not just any, oh no. Why did it have to be here? Why did he have to drag her off to this location of all places?

A tightness began to form in her chest as she gazed at the door. Trixie was petrified, to the point where she refused to take another step, even with Shield Breaker's coaxing, she shook her head. How had he known? Was it coincidence that she was here now or was it fate? She didn't know, nor did she want to know at all. With another hesitant step back, she felt a tug on her ear, which actually caught her off guard.

“No...you're not running this time!” Shield Breaker snapped, catching her with a quick telekinesis spell. This had been his tipping point, right then he actually knew why Trixie was still in Ponyville. It all fell into place with her reaction to just seeing Golden Oaks Library.

“No, please!” Trixie begged, “Don't make me go in there! I'm not ready yet!” Frantic, she began to struggle even against him. The struggle was rather intense too, as she continually fought against his telekinetic grip. What came as a surprise to him though, was the fact she was actually able to briefly break free of it. Within seconds she had spiraled around, making a mad dash away. This was to no avail though as he was able to get a grip on her tail instead.

This second grip was far sturdier than the previous one thankfully, mostly because he had reached for the center point of her tail instead of just the tip of her ear. Trixie struggled though, putting up a great fight, yet, his grip was just too strong. Even while she was being dragged up to the door she fought against it though, attempting to dig her hooves into the ground to prevent being dragged along further. She even attempted to kick dirt into his eyes to distract him. This failed of course, mostly due to her poor aim, instead landing on his uniform.

'Oh great...Rarity's going to kill me now...' he thought as he dragged her right up to the door, his eyes gazing down at the dirt on his uniform. He wanted to brush himself off right away, but, Trixie's situation was a bit more important, so he pressed forward, giving the door a few small knocks before he stepped in, as if to just announce his presence.

He was surprised, surprised at the fact that the door was unlocked, but then again it made sense. It was a library and even though it was early, it would figure that the door would be open at this hour, as its librarian was often a very early riser, even if it was a Saturday. Being dragged along just behind him as he entered, was Trixie, who was still virtually clawing at the ground in attempts to get away, which were simply futile, he was just thankful that he had taken the three things she had with her beforehand.

Once inside, he paused, taking a moment to look around before his attention turned to the stairs. “Princess Twilight...you have a visitor.” Shield Breaker called out. It only took a second for these words to register in Trixie's mind, they seemed to puzzle her more than ever.

'Princess...?'

“Hang on, I'll be right down!” A voice called back, “And don't call me princess!”

Letters Part 1

Chapter 2: Letters

'Princess...?' was the only word that registered in her mind and presently the only word that ran through her mind. She froze in mid-panic, her gaze shifted up to the stairs with a bewildered look in her eyes. Curiosity began to overtake Trixie as she watched the stairs, wondering what Shield Breaker had meant before when he had said 'princess.' It was then the possibilities began to run through her mind again as the details began to come into focus. Was it possible Twilight was a princess the entire time? It was a frustrating thought to put in her mind, making her more envious of the lavender mare with each passing second.

“Did...you just call her princess?” Trixie finally asked, now getting up on her own hooves. The curiosity now outweighing the panic in the back of her mind. Even Shield Breaker could see this too, which in turn made him release the telekinetic grip he had on her tail with a soft, yet very sly grin on his face.

The grin went unnoticed by Trixie, even as she turned to the stallion. His plan had worked flawlessly, he had gotten her to stay very few problems. Which was a good thing for him especially, granted he had come up with it on the spot. The best part about it? Trixie was far too curious to even notice the sly grin still on his face.

“Yes, I did,” he nodded, acknowledging the azure mare's question. “Would you like an explanation?” Trixie shook her head to this, before her gaze returned to the stairs, watching them carefully for signs of her former rival and nemesis.

After a moment or two of silence, accompanied by several hoofsteps, came what Trixie thought to be the mulberry colored unicorn mare. However, she was wrong. What she saw trotting down the stairs quietly caused her jaw to drop with her eyes growing as wide as plates. The first thing she took notice about the mare now marching down the stairs was, she wasn't just a unicorn anymore, she had wings! Large, feathery wings. They appeared just slightly larger than the typical pegasus wings. On top of that, her horn. It seemed a bit different then she recalled, unlike before where the horn peeking out from her dual colored mane (consisting of mostly a sapphire color with violet and rose colored streaks) was a bit more rounded, now, it seemed a bit pointier. Had she been experimenting with spells? Adding onto the final touch, both her mane and coat seemed not only finer in their appearance, but they also seemed longer than they had been before. Which, simply made Trixie's cheeks glow a faint pink color, barely visible on her coat.

'Damn!' became the only word that popped into her head as she watched the mare trot down the stairs. Every detail seemed to draw her attention further, making the blush on her cheeks brighter. As it grew brighter, Trixie could feel the tingling sensation in them growing to a burning sensation. Upon the mare reaching the bottom of the steps, her jaw dropped just a bit further and her heart began to pound in her chest.

She could feel it in her ribcage, beating harder than it ever had in her life. Following this, as Twilight drew just a bit closer to them, she could even feel her heart rate jumping. It wasn't much longer before she actually fell right off her feet, awestruck at what stood before her. When she did, the world around her went dark and she simply lost consciousness. Before she had hit the ground, thankfully, Shield Breaker caught her. He simply allowed her to fall onto his back, making it significantly easier for him to carry her, all the while, that sly grin of his hadn't vanished.

“I'm sorry Twilight,” he began, only to have her shake her head, “I didn't expect her to have that kind of a reaction to your new look.”

“Who is it?” asked Twilight, taking another couple of steps toward him, simply looking over the mare that now rested on his back. It wasn't until she took a closer look that it snapped in her mind. At a distance it would've been impossible to tell who it had been, given the state of her coat and mane, but up close it was clear as day. “Wait....Trixie! You found her!” she was in shock to say the least and had to take a step back to think. “I thought the search was called off!”

A soft chuckle came from the stallion as he readjusted Trixie on his back. “It was,” he acknowledged, “But...about a day after it was...on my morning walk, I saw glimpses of a pony darting through the brush in the park...it took me another four days to actually find her places of refuge.” he went on to explain, “Four days...Trixie dodged me, staying just within the corner of my eyes...I can't believe it either honestly, her hiding skills have improved significantly since I last saw her.”

Twilight was caught off guard when these words slipped out of his mouth, causing her eyes to shift from Trixie, back onto the stallion. “Wait...you know her?!”

“Yes...she's a foalhood friend of mine.” he chuckled, “We went to school together. Had it not been for her though, I probably wouldn't of become a Royal Guard.”

A rather unexpected smile began to spread across Twilight's face when she heard this, before returning her gaze back to Trixie. “Had it not been for her...you wouldn't of met Rarity?”

He snickered, once again adjusting his position as to keep her on his back. “That's the cliffnotes version, yes.” he commented, now beginning to struggle with keeping her on his back, even though she wasn't even moving. “Now...where can I put her?”

That was a tough question for Twilight to answer as she gazed at the now-resting azure mare. It was somewhat confusing as to what she should do, I mean, Trixie was absolutely filthy and while she didn't really mind it, it was pretty bad, it would probably result in the blankets needing to be cleaned after she had woken up, considering that there was quite a bit of slightly damp mud on her coat and mane.

“If only you had caught her a couple days earlier...” Twilight muttered, Shield Breaker only huffed in response. Even she could tell it was out of the pure frustration of the remark she had just made, his eyes narrowing in the direction of the princess as he struggled to keep steady. Once he finally found his footing again, he sighed.

“Please Twilight...don't start acting like Rarity...” he remarked, “She'll probably kill me for getting my uniform filthy as it is.” This was something he probably wouldn't joke about either, as Twilight could figure that Rarity at least had a thing for the uniform, which is why he wore it in the mornings. That and he probably found it very comfortable and warm to wear around this time of year.

Twilight could only sigh, before gesturing a hoof. “Let me take her then.” she said, it was here her horn finally lit up with its usual magenta aura, which quickly enveloped Trixie and she finally lifted from the stallion's back. It was an obvious relief to him as he let out a small grunt before beginning to brush himself off.

His own horn lit up fairly quickly after this, wrapping around the hat and cape. “I'll be taking these to get them fixed up...hopefully.” Shield Breaker pointed out, “Be sure to tell her once she comes to...oh and keep the basket with the bread in it...they're for Trixie.” Twilight nodded, taking note of them as she began the trek back upstairs. As she was, his voice called out again. “And take good care of her too!” Before she could even articulate a response back to him, the door closed swiftly, not that she seemed to mind, he was probably in a hurry anyhow.

It didn't take her more than a couple of minutes to levitate Trixie upstairs, while this would've been a tough task for a unicorn, for an alicorn, especially Twilight, it was a relatively simple task. Finding that, even though the azure mare still had a bit of weight to her she was still relatively easy to carry.

To Trixie, this was actually bliss as she was being carried. Looming in the state between consciousness and unconsciousness, this had caused her to experience possibly one of the most vivid dreams of her life, at least what she thought was a dream. In it, she felt like she was being cradled, almost like a foal being set down for a nap. It felt simply heavenly to her as she remained in this state, the gentle rocking lulling her deeper into the state, yet, at the same time, the movements kept her from fading completely. As the rocking and cradling sensation slowed down, she began to feel a very soft surface upon her back and head. It felt almost like she was resting on a cloud of pure delight, and she loved every single second of it.

Little did she know though, that she wasn't in fact resting on a cloud, but instead, Twilight's bed. Which felt eerily identical to a cloud, at least to Trixie. Once down on the bed, she was overcome by a new sensation, this one she rather enjoyed as well, regardless of how long it had lasted. For just a second, she swore she felt something move through her messy, unkempt mane.

“I'm so sorry Trixie,” Twilight whispered, Trixie's ears perked up almost instantly upon hearing her voice, which in turn caused her eyes to also snap open not more than a second later. It was here where the two found themselves locked in each other's eyes, unable to look away. It took a few more seconds before Trixie began to look over Twilight, in her mind she still couldn't believe what she saw. Standing before her was an alicorn and a princess at that, it wasn't a wonder why she couldn't stand up to her before, why she had lost. Softly, she laughed closing her eyes in the process.

“Twilight...” Trixie muttered, shaking her head.

“Yes, Trixie?” The lavender alicorn leaned in slightly, as if she was trying to listen more carefully.

“I'm jealous of you,” she mumbled, to which Twilight didn't seem shocked. “You have to be the luckiest mare in the world...”

“Actually, you're the luckiest mare in the world right now,” Twilight retorted, “Lucky to actually be alive, so please, just rest.” Yet, she couldn't, at least, not yet anyhow. Carefully, she lifted herself up on the bed, trying her best to keep the sheets clean while still adjusting her own position as so she could relax a little easier.

“If I was the luckiest mare in the world...then I might be performing in Canterlot now,” Trixie snorted, “And my career might actually be on track too!” Now it only seemed like she was complaining, mostly it was as she threw her hooves up briefly in frustration, before crossing them.

“I'm so--” This seemed to strike a nerve with Trixie when she heard it. Before Twilight could even finish the sentence, the azure mare quickly spoke up.

“Why should you be sorry? It was the fault of those two...'fans' that my career tanked, not yours.” Trixie snapped, gritting her teeth as she thought about the two 'fans' who had ruined her career. It was agonizing to think about for her especially, as it slowly became visible within her eyes. She seemed at a loss for what to say, wanting to say far too much, yet unable to find the words to do as such. Tears began to form in her eyes as she struggled to speak, with each gesture and attempt, they became more prominent and before long, she finally cracked.

Trixie began to sob uncontrollably, sadness and confusion filling every part of her being as she thought about her now destroyed career. She didn't seem to care either that she was crying before a pony that she had once desired revenge on, in fact, it actually broke Twilight's heart to see her like this. Given her rough condition it only made matters worse as the sobs and whimpers grew louder with each passing second. She didn't give a second thought to her next action, instead she only climbed onto the bed with the azure mare, pulling her into a warm embrace.

She nuzzled into Twilight's chest, seeking comfort and support while she sobbed. The tears streamed from her eyes, flowing onto the princess' coat as she ran her hoof down Trixie's spine. It brought her comfort to have this type of contact, comfort she so desperately needed. Tightening the embrace, Trixie could feel everything slowly vanishing around her. For the first time, the world was truly warm to her, not ice cold. No longer was she afraid, no longer did she have to hide anything. Here, she knew she was safe. In Twilight's embrace as darkness began to take her again.

“Thank you...” was the last thing Twilight heard from Trixie as she lost consciousness.

Carousel Boutique was always rather quiet in the earlier hours of the day, but was it quiet on this day? Perhaps it may have been at first, but not upon the white-maned stallion's return. As he entered the building quietly, a white coated unicorn virtually galloped up to him. Greeting him with a soft kiss on the lips, he casually returned it with just a bit more passion. A seemingly common ritual for the two of them upon his return from a walk, that was, after he brushed aside her seductively styled indigo mane. Everything seemed just right that morning, that was, until she took notice of his uniform.

“Dear, what happened?” she inquired first, to his dread. The look on his face said it all, it was as if he had been expecting something like this to happen the instant he trotted into the building, his ears lowered as a response to the question.

“I...uh...ran into an old friend.” Shield Breaker replied, his head hung a little low. They hung even lower when he saw her horn light up, quickly enveloping the outfit and removing it from his form.

“This simply won't do,” she observed, “From now on, you're not allowed to wear it on your morning walk. Honestly...how can you expect to keep your--” This is where she caught herself. Abruptly, the telekinetic grip she had on the uniform vanished, causing it to drop to the ground as she just stood in place, staring at him for only a brief second. “An old friend you say? Who is it?”

A nervous smile began to spread across Shield Breaker's face, his gaze averting slightly from that of Rarity's. “Uhh....” he began, as if trying to find the right words to tell her. It seemed a bit unnecessary however, as he just simply had to lift up the hat and cape from the ground.

Rarity's azure eyes seemed to grow wide when she finally noticed the light blue hat and cape. These, she couldn't miss at all, she knew right away who owned these items. She looked perplexed as her eyes shifted from the items back to the stallion. She did know full well who this belonged to, yet, she was confused as to why Shield Breaker even had them in the first place, however, it was then that it struck her. She recalled something he had told her, namely about what had inspired him to become a Royal Guard. About a friend he had told her about, one he was sure she'd get along with almost like they had been long lost sisters.

“You mean to tell me...that...Trixie is the 'friend' you told me about?” Rarity seemed almost angry as she gazed back at Shield Breaker, yet it vanished just as quickly as it had shown up upon a simple nod.

“Yes, she is,” he confirmed, “I know that she's caused trouble for all of Ponyville, but...she's really not as bad as you think she is, she's actually one of the nicest ponies I've known in my life.”

“Nice!? She nearly destroyed all of Ponyville, twice!” Rarity argued, “and worse...she turned my hair a hideous shade of green!” This is where Shield Breaker simply shook his head, he seemed disappointed in the matter of the argument.

“Sweetheart, you do know she was a showmare, right?” he asked, the confidence in his voice growing a tiny bit. “Its part of her job to brag, to build herself up, to tell stories AND to show off her magic.” Shield Breaker slowly closed his eyes as he brought his hoof up to her chin, bringing her eyes to meet his. “A traveling magician that doesn't show off their magic, will have a very short career...it was actually your fault for challenging her. Its what her career thrived on, getting ponies worked up and showing them up in a creative way, albeit, she sometimes went a little too far...but, she loved her job, like you love yours.”

Rarity was stunned he could say this in Trixie's defense, at first she wanted to argue even further against his words, but she found it pointless. His argument was solid. Why didn't she see it before? Had she seen this logic before, it might've saved her hours of work in returning her mane back to its glorious indigo color. It hurt too, it really did, feeling the sting of this reality, her own ears lowered in defeat.

“I'm the one who owes her an apology...” Rarity whispered, guilt beating her down a little.

“I have the perfect solution for you as well, you can fix up her stage clothes,” Shield Breaker smiled, his own horn lit up here, enveloping the hat and cape. “And don't worry about my officer's uniform, I'll clean it myself.”

Rarity could only smile to this, as the hat was gently placed on her head in an almost childish fashion. As it was though, she felt something lightly tap her on the head and it wasn't a part of the hat. This sent a shiver up her spine in an instant, causing her to jump. When she did, she also flung the hat off, causing a few folded up pieces of paper to land on the ground nearby. It was evident that there were multiple pieces of paper in the neatly folded square, it was evident by how thick it was and how loud the contact was to the ground.

With curiosity, the two picked them up, unfolding them very carefully as so they didn't damage them. Neither of them had been more grateful for magic at this time, as it had to be, by far, the most complex and yet, neatly folded pieces of paper either had ever seen. Finally, after a good five minutes the papers lied before them and with their curious eyes they began to look over.

“Why did Trixie have letters in her hat?” Rarity asked, turning to Shield Breaker.

“I haven't the slightest clue...” he shrugged, turning back to the letters. As he was looking over them, he began to notice how neat the writing was, yet, it seemed so familiar. It wasn't until his eyes reached the bottom of the page that he realized who had written the first letter. His jaw dropped when he read the name, along with Rarity's as they began to read over the letters themselves. What they read was nothing short of shocking, they looked at each other for several minutes in total silence, shifting glances between each other and the contents of each and every letter. Thankfully there were only three in total.

“Its so sweet...” cooed Rarity, “That one is precious.”

“It explains a bit though,” Shield Breaker stated, tapping his chin in thought as they moved on to the second letter. This one spurred a slightly different reaction, both of their eyes slowly growing wide. After finishing it, he simply turned his head to Rarity with a look of awe. “Twilight really is supportive of Trixie in this one...and it explains pretty much why she went to such lengths to search for her...”

“If anything, I'd say Twilight has a little bit of a crush,” Rarity giggled, “Its really cute too, its almost like something out of a romance novel.” her cheeks seemed to gain a bit of a pink hue to them as they moved over to the third letter. This one sparked an entirely different reaction between them. Their jaws fell to the ground as they read through it, every single detail. The pink hue on her cheeks gradually grew to a bright red, spreading all over her face. Shield Breaker was in the same boat as he reached the end of the letter, letting it drop onto the table.

“Bedroom?” his voice cracked as he turned to Rarity.

“Bedroom,” she nodded and with that, the two of them trotted straight upstairs, not even needing to say a single word to each other.

Cleanliness and a Fresh Start

Chapter 3

The pillow was warm, the bed was soft. It felt like she was sleeping atop a small cloud, much like what a pegasus would do on occasion. She always wondered what it felt like to actually be on one, but she had never imagined that it would be something like this before. She felt virtually weightless as she shifted onto her side. It was when she did this though that it felt a bit different. The pillow her head was resting on, yes, while warm, felt different than a normal pillow. It had a fair amount of firmness to it, almost too firm, yet, the soft covering still seemed to be enough for her, that was, until she noticed that the pillow itself was moving, gradually rising and falling. That was strange, especially for a pillow.

Slowly, Trixie's eyes began to flutter open, reacting to the gradual rise and fall of her supposed 'pillow'. When they did, she actually came to the conclusion that it wasn't in fact a pillow, but the chest of a pony, a mare to be exact and she knew exactly who it was too. It was the color of the fur before her face that tipped her off almost instantly, causing her cheeks to glow a very bright red. Why was she here? Why was her head resting on this mare's chest and why was she gently stroking her mane? Had something happened between them that she didn't remember? As the question ran through her mind, the burning on her face only grew more intense, accompanied by the aspect of her face becoming a shade of red that not even the darkest of coats could hide.

When this occurred, everything came flooding back to her. Everything that had happened over just the course of the day so far, mainly. She remembered it all, from how the day started in the park, to having her old friend Shield Breaker help her, to seeing...Twilight! This is where she virtually jumped out of her own skin. She was using Twilight as a pillow and she was absolutely filthy! How could she do such a thing to a mare who's actually willing to help her! At least, she thought she was willing to help, judging by where she was presently resting.

“Twilight! I'm sorry!” she cried as she leapt back. What seemed to befuddle Trixie though was the simple fact that Twilight hardly seemed that surprised, it had almost seemed like she had been expecting something like this to happen, especially with the relatively calm look on her face and in her eyes. The gaze the azure mare received seemed serene and peaceful, helping to even relax her frayed nerves.

“For what?” Twilight asked, almost nonchalantly.

“I...I tracked mud on your bed and coat!” Trixie whined, only to have the lavender mare giggle softly. This only worked her up a bit more, “Why are you laughing?!” she snapped, in a bit of a panic. Before she could say anything else however, Twilight merely placed her hoof over Trixie's mouth. The simple action seemed to cause her to calm down a bit more, it was almost as if she was being read like a book.

Once the hoof finally came off of her mouth, Twilight smiled. “Are you done?” she asked, receiving a nod. “Good. Now you don't need to apologize for that at all...Its actually not the worst mess in the world to be tracked in here,” she paused briefly, “And really, the sheets were going to be washed today anyhow--”

“But, your coat!” Trixie interrupted, this time though, Twilight actually seemed genuinely irritated, sighing in frustration.

“Trixie, a bath will clean that up fairly quickly, absolutely no harm done,” she said, “Which reminds me....you really need to get cleaned up.

It was true, very true indeed. Even Trixie would admit to the fact that a good bath or shower was something she really needed. “Hey! You try living out in a park for two weeks!” she argued, “Plus...I'm not that bad, am I?” This came well before she could detect her own rather...pungent aroma. This is where her cheeks flared up even more, burning with a fair amount of embarrassment. In truth, just a whiff was enough to say that needing a shower or bath was simply an understatement.

“It was kind of tough to ignore for the past hour,” Twilight stated, to Trixie's shock. In this matter, she had absolutely no clue whether to be offended by it or not. She could very easily take it the wrong way, but on the other side of the matter, she also knew it was true as Trixie herself was starting to have trouble ignoring her own scent. Would a bath really help though? She thought this mostly because it had been festering for at least two weeks, two. Which meant, it might require some rather intense scrubbing as well as some very good soap to clean off everything. At the same time though, she also began to think of how divine it would actually feel to be clean again, how it would feel to scrub every part of her body while feeling the warm water rushing over her.

“Would you mind if I used the shower then?” she asked without hesitation.

“Not at all, in fact, if I didn't your friend Shield Breaker might force me to,” Twilight joked, to which both of them laughed and chances are, it would probably be the truth too, given how much he had done for Trixie already on top of what Twilight had done for her. “The bathroom is downstairs, its marked too, so you should find it pretty fast.” As Twilight looked on, watching Trixie trot down the stairs, she couldn't help but smile. It felt truly gratifying to be able to help her now and as she looked on, she could see genuine happiness in the mare's eyes for the first time in a long time, which was saying quite a bit.

Trixie only looked back once, gazing back up at Twilight as she trotted down the stairs. As she looked back, their eyes met, this time, both with a smile instead of like before. They needn't say a word to each other either, as their eyes spoke volumes as it was. Around Twilight, for some reason, Trixie felt safe, she felt secure, she actually felt more confident than before too, more so than when she would show off on stage, which said quite a bit for her as she simply loved showing off on stage. With the newfound confidence and sense of security from the princess' reassuring gaze, she continued downstairs, making a beeline for the bathroom.

It didn't take her very long to find it either, once she flicked on the lights, she found the setup to be relatively simple, yet, it also felt a bit cramped at the same time, being of relatively small size. Granted the bathtub took up the most, with a rather nice showerhead as well, but along with that was the sink with a decent sized mirror and finally a toilet to tie it all in. Although the décor of the room seemed to be a bit lacking, but hey, it was a bathroom, she didn't really care, all she cared about was the tub before her.

Finally, Trixie's horn lit up again, pulling back the curtains, when she did the sight she saw was simply blissful, at least for now. Something she hadn't seen in what felt like forever, her horn continued to glow, turning the fixtures to bring the flow of water forth. At first, said flow started off as cold as ice, however, she didn't seem to mind this as she turned it a bit further, holding her hoof out to feel the temperature of the water. As she was, it gradually began to warm and said warmth couldn't feel more heavenly as she finally pulled the small knob before finally stepping in.

Right when she stepped in, Trixie was met with quite a pleasant surprise, feeling the rush of steaming hot water flowing over every inch of her body. As you can imagine this felt delightful to her, the water pressure on her back felt simply incredible. The tension in her muscles seemed to vanish in a matter of seconds, eased by the pressure and heat coming off the water. On top of easing each and every tense muscle, it also worked to wash away the grime that had built up on her coat and mane. With each passing second more and more vanished from her coat, sliding right off, vanishing down the drain.

In her enjoyment, she had actually forgotten the very reason she actually had entered the bathtub, but it wouldn't be long before she snapped back to her senses. When she did, her horn lit up yet again, gripping a rag and a single bar of soap, once a lather was worked up, she began to run it over every inch of her body, ensuring that she cleaned off everywhere. The whole process itself took a good ten minutes and by the time she had finished, her coat had a rather luxurious shine to it. Horn still glowing, she took ahold of the shampoo that remained, knowing full well all that she had left was her mane. Before she popped the lid however, she looked over the label very carefully, being sure to read every detail of it that she could. Not much really caught her eye in this matter, but a part of it that did was, the part about strawberries.

Seeing this, she nearly dropped the container itself in the tub. “Really, Twilight?” she asked aloud, a frown appearing on her face. She quickly brushed this off however, popping the lid of the shampoo, before pouring some into her mane. With her hooves she worked up quite a lather, being sure to scrub very deep down. Granted it had been quite a while since she had washed her mane and once she rinsed it out, a cooling sensation traveled through her scalp. This sent a shiver up her spine, making her groan softly. “No wonder why she uses it...” Trixie muttered, gazing back up at the bottle to check its name. It simply read 'Mane 'n' Tail with conditioner'. That reminded her instantly, with one final motion, she repeated the process with her tail, this would be the final detail before she finally relaxed, just simply letting the water wash over her.

Trixie would spend a good fifteen minutes simply relaxing in the tub, not caring about the temperature of the water or anything else around her. Instead, she just let her mind wander, no particular thoughts popping up immediately. As her mind wandered, she relaxed even further, slumping in the position she was in. Thankfully the tub had been smaller, otherwise she might've fallen in. As time continued to tick forward, relaxation began to take her to the point where her consciousness began to fade. This would be accompanied by a yawn, along with many muddled thoughts, even in her own mind, words were garbled. Nothing seemed important at the moment, that was, until something brought her back to her senses.

It happened so quickly that she jumped from the water. At first, she heard a knock to the door and this knock was enough to bring her back to reality. “Trixie, are you okay?” Twilight's voice asked, showing genuine concern.

'How long have I been in here?' she asked herself, when she finally lifted a hoof to respond, that's when she took notice of it. She was a bit on the pruned side, which only caused her cheeks to flush a mild shade of red. “I'll be out in a minute!” she called back upon seeing this, before finally pulling the drain plug, which she had set once she was done cleaning herself.

It became even more obvious just how close she had come, with her coat as wet as it was, she could actually make out the details of her own body very clearly. To say the least, she gasped. Not only had Shield Breaker pulled her from a tough situation, but he had also saved her life. She could see it clearly now, her ribs very visible, down to the last detail, she was thin, emaciated, although not severely. Upon just seeing her own body, she gulped. Another week and she might've died! She couldn't believe just how close she had come.

As she gazed into the mirror, her reflection gazing back quietly, she brought her hoof up. The old Trixie was her reflection and it was a heartbreaking sight to see as she reached out to it. The hoof slid from the mirror as she sighed. It was then she noticed it, a pair of scissors and a brush. Now was the time, the opportunity awaited her and this time, she took it.

Trixie had spent quite a bit of time in the bathroom and it was concerning to the lavender mare. Enough to make her want to knock on the door again to check, just as she was lifting her hoof to the door, it swung open, which made her jump back slightly and the sight she saw only made her jaw drop, her wings stiffening as a secondary response to it. Before her, stood a whole new Trixie,

“I...don't think its supposed to be that good!” Shield Breaker muttered as he collapsed onto the bed, sprawled on his back. Rarity was in astonishment, her azure eyes shifting up to her stallion as she snuggled right up on his chest. Their manes were a mess, along with their coats, but the room matched, so it wasn't really a problem for either of them in this case. She moaned softly, nuzzling into his neck, kissing his chin very softly.

“Six times,” Rarity cooed, “And...they've never been that intense either!”

“I'll say,” Shield Breaker remarked, “I thought I was going to pass out a few times from it.”

“Me too,” she added, grinning as she trailed a hoof down his chest. “I love you.” This came before she leaned up, placing a soft kiss upon his lips. It only lasted a second, but both were clearly smiling afterward.

“I love you too, Rarity,” he cooed in response, it wasn't much longer that she simply just rested her head back on his chest, lying there silently. At the same time though, the two of them slowly began to close their eyes, drifting off into a quiet slumber, as they were though, a chime echoed in the shop downstairs. This jarred the two awake instantly, Rarity leapt into a panic, galloping off to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

“I'll be down in a minute!” she called out from her bathroom, while Shield Breaker only chuckled. That was, until a realization dawned on him.

'Damn it! The letters!' In a huff, he galloped downstairs before freezing. He peeked around the corner just enough to make out who it was at first. His eyes were met with a radiant, primrose colored coat. Immediately he recognized it, especially when he saw the very light pink of her mane. Just seeing her caused him to lean back against the wall and curse in frustration. “Damn!” he muttered under his breath, “Of all ponies...why'd it have to be Fluttershy?” His ears lowered as he asked the silliest of questions to himself, when he knew the answer already, he could figure why she was here today of all days, as it was late Friday morning, the typical spa day for Rarity and Fluttershy. He cursed his luck, he cursed it all at this time and prayed that she didn't read the letters.

It was here he quickly began to devise a plan to keep said letters out of reach of the pegasus, one that only made him smile. He cracked his head around the corner for a moment, checking where she was, thankfully she was just by the door, awaiting Rarity. This was a relief as his horn lit up with a grayish-white aura, this aura enveloped all three letters, which, with some careful maneuvering, he moved around the room, just out of Fluttershy's sight. At least, he hoped anyhow. As he was levitating one of them however, he felt a small tug. The tug opted him to bring his head around the corner again, where all of his hopes sunk in an instant. Fluttershy had gotten ahold of just one of the letters, unfortunately. Maybe he should've been looking more carefully instead of hiding around the corner? It was too late now though as she slowly lifted it up to read.

“No, Fluttershy! Don't read it!” Shield Breaker called out, leaping out from behind the wall. He had to protect her, as she was a very shy mare, not really talking about her life too much, he could only assume she was innocent. In truth though, his shout made the primrose mare virtually jump out of his coat.

“Eep!” was all he heard as the piece of paper gently floated down to the ground, in truth, his shout had propelled her up to the ceiling, she clung there for several seconds as the letter floated back over to him, where he neatly folded it, along with the other two up. As he was, he turned his attention to Fluttershy, gazing up at her.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you...I just couldn't have you read that letter.” He quickly explained, lowering his ears a tiny bit, “I hope you can forgive me on that front.” Slowly, the primrose mare lowered herself to the ground, thankfully it had been someone she knew rather than a stranger, otherwise she might have a real problem.

“I-its fine...and I'm sorry I almost read the letter.” It was something like this that seemed to agitate him just a tad, in turn causing him to sigh.

“You know, you don't need to apologize when it was entirely my fault.” he pointed out, lowering his ears a tiny bit.

“I-I'm--” For the first time she was cut off by him, as if he knew what she was going to say, like it had become a ritual.

“Fluttershy...No apologies needed,” he stated, clearing his throat, “Rarity will be down in a few minutes, we were kind of given an...unexpected surprise this morning.” This quickly excited the primrose mare, attempting to figure what the unexpected surprise could possibly be.

“Oh! Are you two...you know, expecting?” His pupils dilated when he heard that question, it wasn't out of fear, but simple, sheer curiosity as to where she'd come up with such an idea.

“Um...No,” replied Shield Breaker, his cheeks now beginning to glow a bright red, this seemed to kill Fluttershy's enthusiasm fairly quickly though, her wings dropping along with her ears. “Its far too soon for something like that anyhow, I mean, we've only been together for six months.” Quickly, he regained his composure, the blush vanishing from his cheeks. “Although...we have discussed it...that and marriage...however, we both agreed its far too early to think about things like that.”

“O-oh...” Once again, it became Shield Breaker's place to feel rather bad, but when an idea popped into mind, he simply patted her on the back with his hoof.

“Don't worry about it though, when we do decide and when it does happen...I promise you'll be the first one to know,” he assured, “Granted Pinkie doesn't somehow find out first.” Fluttershy crack up into a fit of laughter, mostly in part of because how true it was and it was quite a common occurrence too, mostly because for some reason, Pinkie Pie had inexplicable knowledge of what was going on in everypony's lives. It was something Shield Breaker had grown accustomed to, yet, didn't find any less confusing. “I mean, what're the chances of that?”

“Pinkie Sense?” Fluttershy giggled, only to have his ears drop a tiny bit.

“I...completely forgot about the Pinkie Sense...”

Breakfast

Chapter 4

It was just before dawn when the lavender mare began to stir from her slumber. As she began to stir, she could detect a significant amount of warmth. At first, she would attribute it to the fact that she had grabbed an extra blanket as it was mid-autumn, but this warmth felt different. It was more along the lines of concentrated warmth, focused more in a single area, rather than over the rest of her body. The strangest part of it was the fact it was resting just in front of her. It was confusing to think about, especially this early in the morning. Yet, she found herself unable to take her focus off of what was before her in the bed.

Slowly, Twilight's eyes began to flutter open, and the sight she came upon left her simply shocked, her eyes grew wide, wider than physically possible. Before her, being held in a gentle embrace was a coat of azure fur, one she immediately recognized as Trixie's. The moment she saw this, her mind went completely blank. This was a rare occurrence, as she hadn't had anypony share her bed before. How it happened seemed like a mystery. Why it had happened seemed just as mystifying at this early hour. Nonetheless, it had happened and now she found herself sleeping right next to a friend.

'What happened yesterday?' she asked herself, oblivious to the present positions they were now in. With Trixie's back facing to Twilight, and with her hoof around the azure mare, they were not just sharing the same bed, but in fact, they were cuddling. It wasn't until she gazed up a second time did she realize the positions. When she did, it only made the situation far worse, her face slowly gaining a bright red hue to it, even visible through her lavender coat. How could this situation possibly get worse?

Immediately after that singular phrase passed through her mind, it in fact, did get worse for Twilight, as Trixie turned over onto her left side. This indeed did make matters worse as Twilight knew where her own hoof was oh so carefully placed. It only made her blush grow as she thought about it. It was then she knew she had to adjust herself before her guest could wake up. Ever so slowly, she began to move her own hoof, trying rather intently to remove it from Trixie's flank, as she was however, was when the situation spiraled even further out of control.

With Twilight's focus more on removing her hoof from the other mare's flank, she failed to take into account that she was still very gently touching Trixie. This gentle touch proved to be just enough to stir her from slumber, a faint groan slipping out from her throat as her eyes began to flutter open. Needless to say, the look on Trixie's face was one of great enjoyment.

“Caught with your hoof in the cookie jar?” Twilight froze when she heard Trixie's remark, pushing her right over the edge of complete humiliation. “In just under a day...you're already putting the moves on me?”

“I-I...uh....” she stuttered, unable to find the appropriate words to respond with in her embarrassment. Trixie took advantage of this almost instantly, bringing her own hoof around, placing it just over Twilight's to hold it in place, before she inched even closer to the lavender mare.

“I won't tell if you don't,” she joked. This may of proved to be a bit too much for Twilight, as not only did their eyes meet, but their horns crossed at the same time. She panicked, heart racing, mind blank, she fell from the bed in attempts to get away from possibly the most awkward morning of her life, falling to the ground with a loud 'oof' before finally scrambling back up onto her hooves. Never in her life had Twilight been this red, then again, she had never been this embarrassed in her life before either. Trixie soon broke out into a fit of laughter as she saw the look on the alicorn's face, which made it all the more worth it. “I'm sorry, Twilight...I couldn't resist.” she said as her laughter began to die down after a minute. She quickly shook off the embarrassment, only to replace it with simple laughter as well, in truth, it was actually pretty funny now that she thought about it.

“But...how did we end up like that?” asked Twilight, bewildered.

“Well...you must've shifted in your sleep,” Trixie commented,

“No! I mean, how did we end up sharing the same bed?”

Trixie laughed again, “You really don't remember?” Twilight shook her head, before the azure mare smirked, “The guest bed needs to be replaced...the springs in it poke through the fabric...so you let me sleep here with you last night.” This alone made her cheeks flush again, she could feel them burning now. How could she forget something like that? Then again, it wasn't ever used that much and it had been here before she even moved into the library. By far, it was too early in the morning to have this many thoughts running through her mind, granted the joke Trixie had pulled didn't help any either.

It wasn't very long between the time from when Twilight had fallen from the bed, before the azure mare herself climbed out. Twilight smiled as Trixie climbed from the bed, with quite a bright look on her face. It was uplifting to see this too, considering the look she had on her face when she first entered the library. This one was significantly different, filled with joy and optimism, simply judging by the grin on her face.

“Mind if I cooked breakfast this morning?” asked Trixie, Twilight hesitated right after she asked this. While she had gained just a little weight between yesterday and today, it still had only been a single day since she had been staying in the library.

“You should really-”

“Please?” she begged, “Its the least I could do for you, for everything you've done.” As if the tone of her voice wasn't bad enough for Twilight, she had to make a pouting face unlike any other she had ever seen. It was enough to really pull at her heartstrings fairly easily, especially when her bottom lip began to quiver and her eyes began to glisten a tiny bit in the light. How could she honestly resist that? She really did try to resist saying yes to it, but, soon found herself finally giving in with a soft sigh of defeat.

“Fine,” Twilight said, defeated. If anything, what had actually beaten her wasn't the voice, or the quivering lip, but it was the look in her eyes. The look of begging and pleading that appeared in them. How they glistened, reflecting just a tiny bit of light as Trixie gazed up at her. Not only did it make her blush, but, it also seemed to melt her heart at the very same time, twisting her own emotions against her before she was finally forced to give in.

With a rathe pleased grin, Trixie pulled out of the gaze. “Works every time,” she muttered, to Twilight's surprise.

“What do you mean?” she asked they both began to climb out of the bed.

“It was something my father said once,” Trixie explained, “Something about...a certain look in my eyes when I wanted something badly enough...”

“Oh! You mean like how some fillies plead with their eyes when they want something?” Twilight inquired, Trixie simply nodded in response at first, the pleased grin on her face still rather prominent.

“Exactly that, only difference though is...mine is more powerful!” she jokingly boasted, this show of confidence caused both of them to freeze for a moment, they gazed at each other, and then broke out into laughter.

“I'll agree to that,” Twilight added, trying to hold back another soft giggle, “Whatever you do, do not teach Applebloom and her friends how to do it, please.”

“Is it really that powerful?” Trixie laughed, Twilight's laughter seemed to stop the moment she heard this. Only giving Trixie a very slow nod. Indeed, hers was a bit more powerful than the heartbreaking gaze that Applebloom and her friends often gave others when they received a 'no'. This one on the other hand, it seemed to be a strange mixture of not only the pouting face that they used, but, a stare a certain pegasus used at the same time. Not only was it terrifying, but it was also heartbreaking at the very same time, making it a very dangerous combination. Although she couldn't actually say much about The Stare, as she had only seen it once in her life so far, so it left quite a few questions.

“So, what is it you intend on making for breakfast?” Twilight asked, attempting to change the subject. This made Trixie pause very briefly, bringing a hoof to her chin to think. This proved to be the question of the morning for her as she actually didn't know what to cook. In fact, she wasn't even sure she should actually cook anything at all and actually just leave it to Twilight, however, she had already assured that she would and she couldn't back out of it. It begged the question in her own mind yet again...what had she just gotten herself into?

“I...don't know actually,” Trixie replied after a moment, “Its been quite a while since I've actually cooked anything...and...” Before she could finish her own sentence, she actually caught herself in her own mind. “AH HA! How could I forget that recipe!” Twilight jumped a tiny bit when Trixie shouted, considering her back was turned to her at the time.

“What's the recipe, if you don't mind me asking?”

“Oh...you'll find out!” Trixie exclaimed, “I just hope you have what I need!”

Before another word had been spoken, Trixie had vanished from the room. Never in her life had she seen somepony actually move faster than Pinkie Pie, it was astonishing at how excited she seemed, to the point where it brought a rather large smile to Twilight's face as she heard the hoof steps travel downstairs.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Trixie began to shift around rather quickly, her recipe in mind. It was tough though as she skimmed and searched throughout the entire place. The first thing she took ahold of was a bag of pancake mix, thankfully there would be just enough for the two of them. Carefully setting it aside, she went into the fridge, scavenging for additional ingredients she'd need. On top of the milk and eggs, she also found something else, something she found to be rather interesting. With a grin, she levitated the small basket out, gently setting it aside. She knew right away that it would make an excellent addition to the pancakes, in fact, it was actually something she had hoped for too...something that made these pancakes absolutely perfect. Strawberries

Here is where the real fun began, with a smirk on her face she propped the door open just a tiny bit. It was just enough to allow the full blast of the scent to escape from the kitchen and flow into the library. As Twilight trotted down the stairs, she would be met with this, which in turn caused her stomach to growl rather loudly. What was it Trixie was making? She knew she had smelled it before, but she couldn't place her hoof on it now.

On top of her growing hunger, she also had a growing curiosity about what Trixie was cooking. It nagged at her endlessly, bringing her to the point where she actually trotted right up to the door. Very carefully she pushed it open to peek inside. That is when the scent hit her and it hit hard too. It may have been fairly strong before, but now she actually received it full blast and it was heavenly! As she peeked further inside, she could see the azure mare working around the stove, with a grin on her face.

It was cute actually, watching her move around so flawlessly, figuring it had something to do with her stage performances in the past to make it seem so artistic. Even considering she was bouncing around a tiny bit. This was quite distracting for Twilight as well, as her eyes seemed to lock right onto Trixie's rump instead of where they should be.

“Hey! No peeking!” Trixie snapped, having assumed that curiosity might get the better of her newfound friend. However, that wasn't why Twilight had the bright red glow on her cheeks, instead of thinking that it was related to breakfast, she had assumed it could've been related to the fact that she had been gazing at...Trixie's rump. Quickly, Twilight would withdraw her head, ducking just out of view. It wasn't more than a second later when Trixie's head poked out from the door. “I can't have you taking my secret recipe, can I?”

“I-I guess not,” Twilight replied nervously,

“Now, go wait...I'll call you when its ready!” And with that, Trixie vanished behind the door again, still leaving it open just a tiny bit to allow the delicious scent to flow out. Almost as if she was doing it intentionally just to tease her. It worked too, as Twilight found herself trying to wait patiently for the breakfast to be finished she couldn't help herself. The scent quickly became overwhelming, even when she tried to read a book. She could feel the emptiness in her own stomach and the scent only made it worse.

Trixie on the other hand was thoroughly enjoying this. She carefully peeked just outside the door to look at the struggling alicorn, watching carefully as she would attempt to read a book, only to replace it on the shelf a moment later. It was evident that she was growing hungrier by the second, the smell only adding to the desire. Once she had started drooling, she knew it was time.

She flipped the final pancake onto a plate along with a few others, this brought the total up to four. Trixie had been lucky with this number, while they were smaller than average pancakes, she had been able to pack them with a bit more flavor, with just one more detail, they'd be perfect to her. She dived right into the pantry.

Twilight began to grow impatient as she awaited Trixie, her hunger having reached new and unheard of heights. This wasn't due to anything else, except Trixie's teasing either.

“Come and get it!” Trixie's voice called out as Twilight began to tap her hoof incessantly on the floor. Without another word, she entered the kitchen and the sight she came upon looked absolutely scrumptious.

The wait had been well worth it for Twilight as she gazed at her plate, while there were only two of them, they were fairly decent sized, golden brown, except for around the edges. They seemed to have a bit of a pink tinge to them, unlike the typical white, which made her curious. What was slathered over them however, only made her want them more. By this time, the drool brought on by hunger was beginning to hang down.

“Strawberry pancakes with blueberry syrup,” Trixie stated, “Made with a few...secrets that my father showed me...enjoy.” Twilight didn't even need to be told, instead she dug right in.

That first bite, that very first bite was absolutely divine to Twilight, the combination of the strawberries in the pancakes and the thick blueberry syrup seemed to bring her mind to an intense euphoria. It was intense as with each bite, she could simply just taste the intensely sweet flavor. It was even better than one of Celestia's favorite cakes!

“W-where did...you learn to cook these?” Twilight swallowed,

“Like I said...I learned from my father,” Trixie stated, “He...taught me nearly everything I know.” This caught Twilight's attention as she virtually attacked the pancakes. It became rather apparent just how much she enjoyed them by the fact she had forgone using an eating utensil to just wrapping it in her aura and eating it like a burrito instead.

“What about your mother?” Twilight asked, before immediately regretting it. Upon that one simple question, Trixie's entire expression changed, she seemed almost appalled, yet, hurt at the very same time.

“I--” Before she could articulate a response however, a knock came to the door of the library, which was rather unusual, especially at this time of the day.