A Star Without a Stage

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.