The Fascinating Yet Obvious Twixie

Chapters

The First Chapter Where Trixie Is In A Library
The Second Chapter When They Eat Pancakes
The Third Chapter With Books And More Books
The Fourth Chapter While A Magician Puts On A Show
The Fifth Chapter Which Includes Trixie's Cooking
The Sixth Chapter Whether Their Horns Touched Or Not
The Seventh Chapter Whenever The Solution Is Found
The Eighth Chapter Wherever They End Up Next
The Ninth Chapter Will Initiate A Fight of Pillows
The Tenth Chapter Whereas The Battle Concluded
The Twelfth Chapter-- Wait... Twilight Has What?
Prologue or Summary In More Words
The Eleventh Chapter Without An Ounce of Sleep

The First Chapter Where Trixie Is In A Library

Chapter 1 : Trixie Is In A Library

The story is going to continue now. For those who forgot the very last paragraph last time, Trixie had collapsed in front of a hollowed tree. In a bizarre and shocking turn of events, it turned out to be the house of Twilight Sparkle! The lavender mare heard the noise at her front door that was about a hundred feet away. She opened the door and there she saw Trixie lying unconscious... And nothing weird ever happened! Now watch in awe as I change the scene with just 3 little star things.

***

The Great and Powerful Trixie was feeling a bit odd. I mean, for days she walked around in the middle of nowhere and slept on the cold hard ground. Now she felt pretty comfortable and had something covering her starved body. It’s been mentioned a few times that she is pretty hungry. Pinecones may be nutritious but they're not exactly filling. The texture is also a bit... much. So it would be great if she could have a real meal soon! Hopefully the epically crafted foreshadowing doesn't give the next scene away. Trixie is still sleeping peacefully in some unowned bed in a house that doesn't belong to Twilight Sparkle.

You would think I'd have to wake her up again by breaking my own narrative wall. Somehow she wakes up on her own though. Eyes slightly open, the first thought that drifts into her mind is, 'Trixie must be getting too used to sleeping on rocks and grass. It feels more comfortable than ever!' Even in her thoughts, she speaks in third person. Which in this universe is called "third pony." As the showmare looked around eyes half opened, she began to notice that this wasn't the outside world. If you were to see things from her point of view, you would see... books. Shelves and racks full of nothing but books.

Trixie the Magnificent eyes widened when she saw the contraption she was snuggled in. She hadn't seen a bed for a good while. Her hooves scrambled downward as she sat up abruptly. This room was pretty tidy. Not a thing out of place. Like some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder pony lives here. Even her sheets were tucked in perfectly. The silver maned pony put a hoof up to rub her cheek. Despite waking up in some strange book place, she still noticed how her muzzle had dried drool on the right side. Her face contorted into an annoyed yet disgusted frown. Perhaps there was some sort of room where she could wash up.

She began to step down from the softest object she has laid on for weeks, began to yawn but immediately covered her mouth. Her surroundings were still unknown to her so she didn't want anypony to hear her. She wanted the chance to take a look around to calm herself down. You'd freak out too if you woke up and you didn't know where you were. She began walking silently around the room. Yeah, that injured hoof from last chapter? It got better. Anyway, she took note of the things she found. Another bed across from hers, books, a dresser chest, books, a small workshop bench with a large roll of parchment on top, books, a picture of Twilight Sparkle and other ponies she had encountered before. She had begun emphasizing with her thoughts on how the room had to have had one too many books. The showmare then had a spark of sorts.

The head of this bed maned mare bolted towards the picture she passed earlier. A picture of Twilight Sparkle? What was this dream she was having? Her face met with the end of her hoof in an attempt to wake up. Wake up, she did. In the same exact spot that she was standing in with the situation still the same. So she wasn't even dreaming to begin with. Seeing this braggart of a unicorn punch herself in the face was interesting though. Still this picture that sat nicely on the nightstand next to this other bed was curious. Whoever this home belongs to, they knew the Twilight Sparkle in the picture. Trixie took a minute to contemplate her thoughts. 'One of her friends? A lover perhaps?' She decided not to think of the latter. That would just ruin her week. Besides, there are other ponies in this picture. That should rule out the lover bit. 'Unless this pony had some sort of harem going on!' The mare froze in place.

...

Let's stop looking at this picture.

Her long journey of this barren room full of written texts ended at a flight of stairs. It looked like it went pretty far down. Dare she explore further and risk being seen like the mess she currently was? Well it would be such a bore if she sat there for most of the chapter. The warm blue coated unicorn began navigating down the steps. The opening to the next room was already in view. She could see the bottom of the stairway ahead now. This room seemed just as empty of life as the one she was sleeping in. 'Perhaps there's nopony home. Good. The Great and Powerful Trixie could use some time to freshen up,' she thought. A bit of relief came over her. Thankfully, the only pony she had really taken a liking to didn't have to see her like this. She didn't, but she did anyway. Twilight Sparkle came out from the left opening and saw Trixie in the middle of the stairway.

Isn't that just ironic? On second thought, you want to know what's more ironic? I don't know if you have thought of this yet, but you probably have. Trixie noticed the lavender mare of her dreams standing at the base of the stairs, then immediately began tumbling down these same steps. It wasn't even graceful tumbling. It was flat out prat falling! She reached the end of this incident on her plot with her head and front hooves bending over her back hooves. It looked like it really hurt, but this pony would live. The showmare's head tilted up, her eyes widening in amazement. There she was! The mare she had fallen in love with somehow, and had never forgotten in her mind. The Cute and Adorable Twilight Sparkle!

"A-a-are you alright?!" exclaimed the nervous but concerned unicorn.

***

Don't you love how I changed the scene right when they finally meet again? I'm really not sorry for it, either. I think at this time we should focus on Twilight's half of the story. Don't worry I won't keep doing this to you. But c'mon, I bet you are kind of wondering what she did when she found Trixie at her doorstep, right? Well perverted fantasies aside, you're about to find out! Going back to the same point from before, there was a collapsed pony resting at Twilight's hooves.

***

She felt as though she had seen this mare before. The color of the coat and mane were exactly the same as Trixie's, but the body shape looked too slim and the mane was a mess. An attempt was made to communicate with this motionless mare.

"Hey, are you ok?"

No answer. Either she was asleep or she died of starvation. 'Wait...' Twilight's thoughts had begun racing. 'What if this pony is dead?! What does this mean? Why is there a pony dead in front of my house? There's no way tha--' just then the presumed dead mare had shuffled a bit. This made Twilight jump back, 'A ZOMBIE PONY?!' Hang on, that's just ridiculous. She shouldn't jump to those kinds of conclusions. Everypony knows that there's no such thing. At least she'll realize soon enoug-- 'It's a zombie pony! It died and then came back to life! Now it wants to eat my brains! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!' So she freaked out a little bit and once more after that. Finally reality came and smacked her across the face. She noticed the mare's chest rising and falling slightly. She wasn't dead, nor was she a zombie pony. Twilight felt just a bit silly for thinking that way.

Using her horn of magical might, the front of this poor mare's mane was tossed aside. What she saw took her farther back than the whole zombie pony thing. There was no denying it now. This was the Great and Powerful Trixie. The pony that fled Ponyville after the attack of the Ursa Minor. The pony who still kept her ego thrusted forward after being bested by another. The pony whom had Twilight's heart ever since. The pony that was still lying on the doorstep, probably dying of starvation. I'm sure she's fine; just keep savoring your realizations and amazement over her soon to be corpse. Once Twilight snapped to for a second time, she figured that Trixie should be in a bed and not on the cold hard ground. With her levitation magic, Trixie was lifted up into the air. Did I say, lifted? I meant jerked. The lavender pony was too excited in lifting her delicate love. She jerked her up so hard she hit the top of the doorway. Twilight’s a smooth unicorn. In fact, she dropped her abruptly after that. Surprisingly Trixie didn't wake up from that. Though, it's not a good sign that she didn't.

Twilight lifted Trixie up gently this time. She softly brought her down and let her rest on her back. Having your crush lay on your back with their head next to yours is pretty awesome by the way. The bookworm could hear her love's soft breathing on her cheek. Heartwarming yes, but Trixie shouldn't be breathing that softly. That is supposed to be an alarming thing. Like her body is extremely weak and needs medical attention. Despite this observation, Twilight smiled sweetly at the knocked out mare on her back. Her stride across the room and up the stairway began. Strangely enough, she didn't drop the body back down the stairs. No, really, Trixie never fell from her back at all. Please don't expect the worst of a common situation. The light purple unicorn made it to the top of the steps and set Trixie nicely on the hardwood floor. With a bright glow from that horn of hers, she took one of her beloved books and blew it up into a normal sized bed. Nothing extravagant! Just a normal bed.

Trixie was lifted once again by a magical aura and rested her on the bed with ease. With the bed covers being thrown over her, the showmare held the end of the covers and snuggled in them. Twilight's eyes lit up at the sweet innocence and smiled sincerely. You could say it was an odd but strangely satisfying fan service for her. She hadn't seen Trixie in weeks and missed her very much. You could say that her obsession with Trixie was more than that. Remember how Twilight researched her feelings after running from this mare's brief magic show? Well don't forget how much time had passed since she ran from there. This striped maned pony came back to save the day when dusk had set. That means she was researching for hours in between on this subject. Not to mention the studying she did after Trixie's departure. Not a day went by that she lacked thought of this particular cerulean blue unicorn.

With Trixie on a much better surface for her spine, Twilight trotted happily back down her steps. In her (never shown canonically) kitchen, she started boiling up some Neighbell’s noodle soup. Yeah, that’s right. The Campbell’s brand is ponifed, too. Nothing is safe from these ponies. Continuing on, the soup didn’t take long to make. Just boil and have it simmer for ten minutes. As simple as making soup gets. Just don’t question where the soup came from or how it’s being boiled. Eventually, it was finished and smelled wonderful. With the soup ready and already in a bowl, Twilight set it on a tray and carried it back to the room where Trixie was asleep. She propped the showmare’s head up so she could spoon feed her the noodle/broth mixture. Using a spoon with her magic was easy… when she had to feed herself. Though she could bring the soup to Trixie’s lips effortlessly, the broth just didn’t go in like she wanted. It trailed on the sides of her face, making the lavender unicorn struggle to keep it up to her mouth. This task almost tired her horn out. She stopped for a moment to take a break. While thinking how exhilarating it is to feed the mare you love, she thought of something. A different method of feeding The Great and Powerful Trixie. Would she dare attempt this?

She quickly brought the bowl to her and slurped the soup she made. Still in her mouth and without gulping any of it, she cautiously approached Trixie. How is she going to be fed? Spitting in her face? That’s not very nice. Her face drew nearer to the silver-maned beauty. Oh, she’s going to feed her mouth to mouth. A less messy way, supposedly. Can she follow through? Short answer is no. Long answer is because of Trixie. Twilight’s lips almost graced her love’s half opened mouth and this fanfiction would have gotten a lot more views. The passed out mare on the bed somehow coped a cough right in her feeder’s face. This caused the latter pony to dart their head back and swallow the soup on reflex. The experiment was a failure and everypony was disappointed. Even you. Instead of simply re-attempting, Twilight went back to using the spoon from before. Luckily, this great and powerful mare liked the soup. Her body never rejected the soup or spat it back up. Her reflex to allow the broth down into her body seemed to work on its own. After the last spoonful was consumed, the utensil used was immediately dropped. This unicorn was exhausted from all that spoon feeding. It was a real test of endurance for her. She was glad she was able to do it, though, without the poor mare waking up.

With a triumphant smile on her face, she carried the tray and bowl away. Putting the dishes into her sink, she made her way back up to the bedroom. Upon entering the room, her eyes fell back onto the divine unicorn in her guest bed. Of course, Twilight had thought about just snuggling up with Trixie for the whole night. Although it would make this dream of having her here all the more better, there’s no way it would end well. It’s easy to imagine this braggart’s reaction to her arch nemesis sleeping in bed with her.

“W-wha? The Great and Powerful Trixie demands to know why Twilight Sparkle is touching her! Where is Trixie?! How did she get here?! What have you been doing to Trixie?! I command you to give her answers! Twilight Sparkle?!

Twilight SPARKLE!!!”

This would scare the average pony to the other end of Equestria, crossing their front hooves in a big X in that psycho pony’s direction. Though Twilight wishes her unrequited love to be returned, she finds a Pissed and Confused Trixie just as appealing. A combo to combat the other looks she has framed in her memory. If only this exquisite mare wasn’t lying so close to her bed. Then those never-to-be-mentioned-again magazines could come out from under her bed. At this point, she was too tired for such mature twists in the story. A good night sleep was right up her… alley. A climb and a drop, the lavender pony made onto her own mattress. Eyelids already growing heavy. The mare’s sleep was interrupted earlier by the showmare’s overdramatic pratfall on her doorstop. So getting back to her dreams was an easy feat. Her last sight was toward the bed on the opposite side of the room as she finally began to sleep.

***

The illumination of daybreak shone through the library windows. The Sparkles of the Twilight variety began to unsheathe the ‘lashed ends of her eyes. A dawn of tremendous destiny was upon this awoken striped mane unicorn. Her first step landed on the barren wasteland of clean cut lumber. A determined, heroic expression was made as this pony stared into the distance of her own bedroom. This is how all her mornings would start. At this precise, ridiculous high, no less. Since the rest of her day would be plain ol’ boring, she walked past the sleeping mare she shared the room with. Down the library stairs and into the aforementioned kitchen. She took out a package of flour, milk, eggs, and whatever else makes pancakes. If The Great and Powerful Trixie were going to grace her presence in this home, some sort of breakfast would have to be crafted. Luckily, for her ulterior motives, Spike wasn’t around. He left just yesterday to spend a lot of time with Rarity. So much time even, that he probably won’t make an appearance in this story. Isn’t that convenient?

Anyway, the pancakes were just about to be ready when a noise from upstairs could be heard. Knowing there is only one other living thing in this hollowed tree, Twilight knew that Trixie had awoken. She anticipated that the showmare would begin to yell and holler about her whereabouts. No noise like that ever came. The lavender pony made her way to the end of the stairway leading up to the bedroom. That’s when she saw something fall and roll towards her. She took a step back and that object landed in front of her. The Great and Powerful Trixie had fallen to this mare’s hooves. The grounded unicorn had shown her purple eyes to the opposite’s violet. Twilight, now realizing this love of hers just tumbled halfway down her steps, became concerned.

“A-a-are you alright?” She repeated for the second time in the story.

***

Trixie had just made a foal out of herself in front of the only mare she had feelings for. Rising up from the ground, she used her horn to dust herself off. Twilight put a hoof forward in attempt to comfort the poor showmare. Wait, “poor?” Is this… pity? Trixie could not stand the thought of being pitied. She abruptly backed away, looking almost insulted. She understood she was in a position that could easily be misinterpreted as somepony who needs help. The Great and Powerful Trixie, however, did not need such help. Physical denial, however, wasn’t enough for the lavender mare to understand this. She took another step towards the pony with the silver mane and expressed her concern in words this time.

“You took a pretty big fall there. Doesn’t it hurt anywhere?”

It seems like Trixie needs to convey her feelings towards this situation in words as well.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is quite fine, Twilight Sparkle. It would take 12 more flights of stairs to be able to cause the tiniest bit of harm,” She lied. Realistically, she ached all over. Not to mention she was still starving from yesterday. In fact she took a step towards Twilight after her reassuring comment and winced at the pain coming from her right front hoof. Guess that injured hoof has a mind of its own. This didn’t help the case the injured pony was trying to make. Twilight once again spoke to Trixie in a way that she couldn’t admit to liking.

“See! You are hurt. You don’t have to act tough for me, Trixie. Let me at least apply some bandage to that hoof!”

Trixie’s thoughts could now be read through putting apostrophes around them. ‘Darn this mare! As much as Trixie would like to be treated by her, she just can’t be shown this kind of pity! No, The Great and Powerful Trixie refuses to be shown this kind of pity!’ She opened her mouth again, this time more angry then before. Her pride wasn’t going to allow this.

“I do not require treatment, Twilight Sparkl—“she froze for a second with her hooves covering her mouth.

Somehow this love of hers had disarmed her illeism with only a few sentences. ‘What other powers does this unicorn possess,’ she thought. ‘Could she make me submit to her every will? Like a slave?’ Trixie was overanalyzing the striped mane mare. Twilight just wanted to help her; to show that she cares for the showmare. Trixie knows most of this but her ego is stopping her from submitting. This resulting in the lavender pony now being the pony who was hurt. This denial wasn’t going to help her condition. Twilight confronted the refusing mare.

“Don’t lie to me, Trixie! It’s obvious that you’re injured! I saw you make a face when you stepped on that hoof,” She pointed to the injured hoof. “And what’s more is that you look like you haven’t eaten a decent meal in weeks. Have you been living outside or something? What happened to you? Where did you go after you left Ponyville?” Twilight’s concern only grew. It never withered when Trixie was concerned. Speaking of which, that ego of this showmare is having zero effect on that lavender pony. Still she fought on.

“That is none of your business, Twilight Sparkle! I’ll have you know that The Great and Powerful Trixie is not only a masterful equine in magic but she has superb skills of survival!” There goes that boasting of hers. Too bad her stomach growled as soon as she finished speaking. This gesture may be involuntary but it spoke more truth than the cerulean blue mare could at that point. She had a regretful expression on her face now. She wanted to curse this loudmouth body of hers. What’s worse is that Twilight couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Though she tried her best to hold it back by put her hoof to her mouth. Trixie’s face spawned a slight red blush on her face. It grew with each giggle the laughing pony made. The showmare demanded this mockery ended. In the most embarrassing tone…

“T-that’s n-not funny! Stop laughing at T-Trixie,” cried the defeated mare. She had been beaten by her own body. Broken down by a small, simple noise. How long would this continue she thought. Not very long since a different event was entering the room. This event took the form of thick black smoke. It flew overhead, catching Trixie’s eyes at first. Forgetting all of what just happened, she pointed towards it in question.

“Why’s there smoke coming from there?” The direction of the showmare’s hoof was noted as Twilight spun around to find the origin. She knew the source all too well, however.

“Oh no… the pancakes!” Immediately after that, the mare ran back into the kitchen. She forgot she was cooking pancakes. She just left a few sitting on the skillet when she heard a noise coming from upstairs. Now they were burnt to a crisp! There was no saving this batch. She would have to just try again. Trixie approached the disappointed pony. She didn’t display the same pity that was shown to her, but instead took a realistic approach to the situation.

“Can’t you… just make more?” It was a simple question. It’s not hard to do. Just put more on the pan and forget about it. Twilight still found this hard to do. She doesn’t like seeing anything she does or create not go perfectly. Still, a loss is a loss as she tossed the burnt rejects into the trash. Still looking upset, she avoided Trixie’s eyes. The Keen and Perceptive Trixie could see quite well that her dream pony was getting more and more depressed. ‘Over a few burnt pancakes? This should be easy damage control,’ she thought. ‘How shall Trixie confront this situation?’ She pondered and schemed how to comfort her love. It was then, you could say, her heart got the best of her. Tapping her hoof on Twilight’s back, she managed to get her attention. The lavender mare was pulled into the showmare’s arms. A great redness flew over Twilight’s muzzle. Trixie hugged her tightly and whispered to her softly.

“It’s ok… it’ll all be okay.”

Then the hang was cliffed.

***

Author's Notes:

First a super special awesome thanks to one of my best friends (who wanted to remain anonymous) for helping me go through this mess and clean up all the horrible humor I used from the prologue. If anything I hope this chapter will serve as a step in the right direction. I still plan on revising the Prologue to make it less intrusive and try to save this story the best I can.

I really tried my best to improve and take my criticism into consideration. Seriously hope it paid off.

As for the story I do have goals that I'm trying to reach with the characters. I'm also trying to reference most of the Twixie fanfictions I've read for comedy's sake. I plan on executing that next chapter. Of course, i'll revise the prologue first. Hope some people will stay on board for the time being.

The Second Chapter When They Eat Pancakes

Chapter 2: When They Eat Pancakes

With Twilight and Trixie reunited, they have not only burnt pancakes but also had a touching moment. This is a Romantic (Sometimes Random) Comedy, people. Now with this development, how will they react to each other? Y'know without ending the story in a cop out ending. I mean... you did want to see them get together, right? *sigh* I gotta be honest. I was only reading this for the plot...

Tomatoes are sold in the next room, folks.

***

The Quick and Comforting Trixie had pulled her lavender equine love into an embrace of sorts. She told Twilight that everything was alright and that the failed batch of food didn't matter. The showmare's hold on her tightened as her love for her grew even more. She had finally expressed her feelings in a circle of concern and ease. It was hasty, but in the end she wouldn't give up this feeling for the world. The hug was so great, in fact, that she took a while to notice the only thing wrong about it. Twilight Sparkle wasn't holding her back. She only let her hooves come around her and never returned the gesture. From Trixie's point of view, it looks as if her mare friend was stunned. As if this love couldn't be shown back because she didn't feel the same way. Realizing this, the silver maned mare let go and jumped back a bit. A bit of show'mare'ship should fix this error of hers.

"O-oops! Oh, Trixie is so s-sorry! She doesn't know what came over her there," performed Trixie. She thought her acting was perfect and that she had foaled Twilight Sparkle into thinking this was a mistake. Until she noticed the mare had not come back to life after being turned to stone. She was still frozen in place! Her eyes broadened, standing on one hoof (terrific balance by the way) with her other hooves straight as a board, and mouth slightly opened.

'Was the shock that great to her? Did Trixie really mess this up this fast?! Is she still breathing...?' Trixie pondered these thoughts with her head looking around the statue. Not one movement. Is she really that broken? Actually, she wasn't. In that stiff body of Twilight Sparkle was a mind that did not stop racing. It was a type of concentration that pulled her from this world and into her own. You could say that the hug proved too much for her, and you'd be half right. See, she really liked being held by the mare of her dreams. Loved it even! As Trixie deduced, however, something wasn't right. It wasn't the sudden impact of hooves against her back. Nor was it the sweet sound of her soft whispers into her ear. There was something else. This is why Twilight had little to no reaction. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it but there was something very subtle missing.

Still locked in position after Trixie let her go, the search continued. It should have been easy for this egghead to figure this out, but everything was happening so fast. The energy was stripped from her body and into her skull. Only her mind could move at this point. With so many thought processes happening at once, her sight became dark. That is until a small light penetrated it. A spark from her memory chains made a clink. At last the answer came to her. It was simple, almost obvious! How could she forget this one little detail is beyond her, but now her body is whip lashing back to normal at an alarming rate. The answer to the hug's slight oddity. The missing piece of the puzzle! Twilight's mind thought but her mouth moved instead.

"Where's the jasmine mint?" As she blurted it out, her body came back into motion. This had taken Trixie back a few feet, being that she was too busy trying to read the motionless pony up close.

"W-what?! What jasmine mint?! What are you talking about...?" If anything, this silver mane mare had thought she had ruined whatever they had going. A random outburst like that demanded explanation! I mean... after a full minute of looking comatose, this was the first thing she said? With that in mind, Twilight finally came to. She now remembers what was missing this whole time. The hug only stalled her mind for a moment. It turns out that jasmine mint was the lovely smell that only The Great and Powerful Trixie could produce. She noted it occasionally when she would breath in the showmare's hat and cape at night. How she loved that scent, but the problem still stood.

Why couldn't she smell that fragrance now? Twilight began to look at her unicorn friend over as if she were a specimen. Trixie watched cautiously seeing as she felt at fault and didn't want to make things worse. As the striped mane mare looked over this Slim yet Curvaceous body, she took note of what she saw. Her hooves still had traces of dirt and grass as if she had been living out in the pasture. The mane had several split ends which had bits of shrubbery intact. Finally, her body had their own marks of dirt, along with pine needles stuck around the front, and small samples of tree sap toward her rear. Ending this examination, this mare scientist took a whiff of these odors. It was just as she thought! For Trixie, however, it looked as if-- no she was basically sniffing around her butt. She replaced said rear with a glaring face.

"Do you mind?! Trixie's lovely posterior is not some flower you can jus--" She was interrupted by Twilight. Her observation came to an end. The results to say the least were... frightening for somepony like Trixie. If it were Rarity, she would just die.

"You stink..." she said bluntly. Trixie could feel the word "stink" jab her in the forehead, sending her head back.

"Really bad..." concluded Twilight. These words zipped at the receiver and rammed her stomach hard. Not exactly what she wanted to hear after she just put her heart into such a warmhearted hug. Twilight on the other hand felt horrible about saying these harsh words to the one she loves. Honesty to her future lover was important to her, though. In other words, tough love, baby! Still, she needed a way to make up for her truthful yet hurtful ways. An idea surged through her like lightning. This is perfect!

"Looks like you'll need to clean yourself up," she said. Still collecting her wits after the recent beating she took, Trixie had her guard down after hearing this. She had not been defeated so quickly before. Especially after just four words. Her defenses merely caved in response.

"Trixie supposes she doesn't have much of a choice..." gave in the blue unicorn. she wouldn't waste a moment longer now.

"Where is your wash room? Trixie must cleanse herself from this stench immediately!" She wouldn't have admitted that she smelled had Twilight not hammered it into her head. Her mind was calm now and she was ready to finally wash up. This was something she wanted to do in the first place. Before Twilight Sparkle was even a factor in it.

"Right this way, Great and Powerful Trixie!" Twilight began walking into the next room where there was a slight opening behind one of the many bookcases. The silver mane pony followed her love and anticipated the wonderful feeling of being clean again. Also it was an added bonus that her title was announced by her favorite mare in the world. What she didn't see was that the pony leading her into this crevice had an almost mischievous smile come across her lips. An evil plan was at hoof here! One that even Trixie The Magnificent won't be able to perceive until it's too late.

The duo walked into the washroom. The door was slowly closed behind them with an ominous air locked into the room with them. Over the following hour, there were noises of running water and discussions can be heard inside. While the outside was shown to be a normal day, there was nothing normal going on inside this hollowed tree. Back to the entry our characters had walked through a while ago, the sounds of pouring water ceased. After a brief silence, the door to the washroom slammed open. Steam clouds drifted slowly from the opening. Two silhouettes walked out peacefully without speaking. Nothing being said about what just happened nor would it be brought up again. No infamous shower scene here, either.

***

With that hushed event concluded, Twilight continued making that breakfast she started in the morning. Trixie only stood by and watched. She began to wonder. 'Trixie still thinks this is some sort of dream. How could she be here? In the home of Twilight Sparkle?' More importantly she thought, 'And she's even making Trixie breakfast... Is this really happening?' The question in her head was brought to her lips.

"Is this okay, Twilight Sparkle? Trixie, intruding in your home?" inquired the nervous showmare. At that time, the cooking mare was humming joyfully while flipping over one of the pancakes. She turned her head towards her guest. The smile on her face never leaving. With this being such a great day, how could she not be happy?

"What are you talking about? Of course it's okay!" Twilight beamed. She also had been wondering she was in a dream as well. 'I thought she would leave as soon as she got up. My heart would have just broke and be locked up for years. I'm so relieved that it turned out this way! Honestly, if it were up to me, I...' She faced Trixie to finish her thought, 'wish she would never leave.' A selfish desire to say the least but it's what she really wanted. With that, the last pancake was finished. The plates were set, the silverware in place, and the food took it's spot in the middle. Breakfast was ready.

"Ready to eat, Trixie? I made them just for you," with the same grin she had before. The cerulean blue unicorn couldn't decide what was better. Special attention from the mare that she has feelings for or the fact that she was finally going to put some real food in her stomach. She took a small moment to think about it, but there was no contest here! Any amount of attention from this adorable pony is worth ten times the pancakes she could eat. Not that she would really want that much portion of any food. Speaking of which, she had a nice stack of pancakes on her plate in front of her right now. 'Trixie hasn't had a real meal like this in weeks!' she thought. 'To have it made by Twilight Sparkle is a dream come true!' Trixie wanted this feeling to last. She sat there and stared at her plate.

Across the table, Twilight had finished cutting up her stack in bite sized pieces. She did this using that horn of hers, of course. Silverware wasn't made for hooves. Once finished, the fork and knife landed nicely on their respected sides of the dish. Her head tilted up to see a head looking over the other plate. She couldn't help but stare at her for this moment. The sides of her lips stayed up the entire time. Her stomach had a strange bubbly feeling when she looked at Trixie. A slight red hue began to appear on her cheeks. The object of affection she stared at for this long had lifted their head as well. Now her violets met the other's blues. The sudden eye contact suddenly made them both go crimson in the face. Both heads turned different directions without knowing the opposite's had the same movement.

The silver mane mare looked back at her food again. Whereas the lavender unicorn went back to looking at her. There was... an awkward silence between them. 'Was this the result of what I said earlier,' thought Twilight. The mind of this egghead better come up with something quick to say. It's starting to feel like they're two ponies in a photograph. Still staring at the showmare, she noticed that all she has done was just look at her meal. Ha! A conversation starter!

"Do y-you not like p-p-pancakes?" stuttered Twilight. She didn't know her mouth would move like that. It's as if The Great and Powerful Trixie responsive gaze had poked at her heart as she spoke. Still, it was a start.

"Oh, no! Trixie loves pancakes! R-really!" she stammered. Her speech was less shaky than the other's. Still you could tell that she was a bit uneasy. The last thing she wants is to lose that warm smile. Twilight was just relieved that some sort of communication was happening. Even after all that, the blue equine went back to keeping her eyes on her food. Agitated a little, the bookworm spoke up again.

"You can eat if you want to," began Twilight. "Like I said, I made this breakfast for you. You look... like you haven't been eating very much..." her concern for this guest returned. One thing she couldn't help but notice about this crush of hers is that she was very slim around the waste. Something else she noticed during the deleted shower scene was that her ribs were easy to recognize up close. 'Just what has this pony been doing for the past weeks after she ran away? Did she not have anywhere to go?' Twilight's pondering turned negative,'What if she really has been living outside? She could have gotten hurt... or worse!' Trixie then caught on to the mare pitying her again.

"Twilight Sparkle, does Trixie need to remind you again of how she has no probl--" she froze. Mouth unable to move to a syllable. Too choked up from what her eyes were showing her. That smile she didn't want to lose turned completely upside. What's more is that single drop of clear fluid ran down the cheek of that same frown. She could feel her heart strings being plucked in low key. 'Why?' she thought. The word kept blaring in her head. Her face turned to a mix of worry and shock. Twilight picked up on this and saw what she was doing.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. Of course you can take care of yourself. Please don't mind me," apologized the teary mare. She wiped her face with a small napkin. Trixie just couldn't stand it.

"N-no I'm sorry, Twilight! You're absolutely right! I-I haven't had the best nutrition lately..." she admitted it. Towards the end of her last sentence, she grew quieter. That and her third pony speech wore off briefly. Having said what she did, she became at ease. Twilight, on the other hoof, was not.

"I knew it... Why couldn't you just admit it before? I know your reputation is important, but is it worth," she paused at the end. Knowing what the end of the sentence was, the showmare finished for her.

"Trixie's life? Of course not, but Trixie can't stand the thought of being pitied like some homeless mare. She knows Trixie is better than that!" she said with a calm, serious tone in her voice. Finally the striped mane mare understood the hostility that transpired earlier. She only lied to dispel any worry about her. It was noble, but foolish in her condition. Twilight focused on the "noble" aspect. With her head down, she decided to bury her resistance.

"I... understand. I wouldn't think of you like that, but I'll keep my worries to myse--" she almost finished with her statement, but Trixie cut her off. Sweetly cut her off. Meaning she said something nice.

"Thank you!" Trixie raised at almost of a yell. Twilight looked up with broadening eyes.

"Trixie really appreciates your hospitality! You have given her a bed to sleep on, helped Trixie clean the filth of several days off of her, and prepared this meal for her!" Trixie smiled in her honesty. A few drops were poured from her heart. Her chest felt lighter and her conscious is cleared for the moment.

"Your very welcome, Trixie. I'm very happy." the lavender mare beamed. That wonderful grin Trixie long sought for had returned. She responded with her own sincerity in her face. They both looked at each other with gleams of happiness. For a small moment, their hearts were on the same level. Both feeling as if helium had filled their bodies. Lifting them off into a endless, warm sky.

This was for a small moment, anyway.

To rudely interrupt them was a familiar sound. Trixie immediately blushed and her smile turned sheepish. That darn stomach of hers! Making a loud rumble like that. Way to ruin the mood! Laughter filled the room from both parties. This was sweet music echoing in each other's ears. Their tender moment may have been over but the good times are here to stay. Perhaps they could experience this again in the future. Which is guaranteed by the story's title. After their infectious chuckling settled down, silence befell them again. This time it wasn't an awkward one.

"Perhaps we should actually start eating. What do you think O' Great and Powerful Trixie?" Twilight slightly teased. She shouldn't feed the showmare's ego like that by calling her by her self proclaimed title. Lucky for her, Trixie's chest didn't pump her chest forward and upturn her head like a snob. Playing along seemed more appropriate, anyway.

"Oh, Trixie doesn't know. She thinks there's no harm in eating a meal gone cold," prodded the blue unicorn. This wasn't a cheap shot considering it was really her fault that the pancakes have gotten colder. Due to this, the lavender equine felt that it was easy to compromise.

"Twilight agrees," stated the mare. She dares mock Trixie? Why yes, she does. All that the played mare could do to react was to smile honestly at her. In her head was a similar story. If this pony were to start speaking in the same way she is, there might be a new level of sexiness to be reached here. In this case, she hoped that there would be more of this Twilight Sparkle down the road.

***

Twilight began to eat. She had good manners as expected of a librarian. Each forkful was taken with her lips and not her teeth. Which would make an irritating clink sound. Chewing with her mouth closed and doting the same with a napkin after swallowing. Trixie was impressed with her sudden grace and eating habits. On her end, she looked back at her plate. She noticed that the pancakes were stacked perfectly and not a centimeter off from the center of the dish. Strange coincidence that the table was set without anything slightly askew. Not much was thought about it as her eyes met with the stack again. The mare on the other side of the table saw that her friend was still looking at her food.

"You can eat too by the way. It's not like the pancakes are going to explode!" joked Twilight. Wait, did Trixie know that was a joke? She moved back, away from them with a look of anticipation. Then she immediately got it as shown by the serious look on her face.

"Nice try, Sparkles. Pancakes certainly do not explode under any circumstances," she said.

"Under any circumstances, huh? To prove you wrong, how about I make them explode with magic?" threatened Twilight. Had Trixie forgotten how much magic this mare actually knew? Better not tempt her.

"T-that won't be necessary! I'll eat them instead," she faltered. Once again, she was beaten by this equine. How many times did this make? Too many as far as she thought. Sooner or later, though, she would be the victor. Then she could see Twilight Sparkle's nervous face again. As her love went back to eating, she looked back to her food again. Bothering her was her stomach which has been begging for a sliver of edible food all day. No pine cones this time, fortunately.

The fork Trixie controlled by magic, sunk into the 4 unit stack of her breakfast. There was no way she could eat this so slowly. This energy was needed at this very moment. As soon as Twilight looked blankly in another direction, the starving unicorn stuffed the entire stack in her mouth. She struggled to chew and break it down as fast as she could before the wrong pony notices her. With cheeks the size of watermelons, she began to sweat a little bit. Carefully not swallowing any big pieces.

"If you eat like that, you'll choke you know," said the mare Trixie was trying to hide from. Mouth still stuffed to the brim, she hooked her head to the left. With her lips slightly apart, she covered the opening with the end of her hoof. How could she get caught displaying such bad manners? This was a once in a lifetime moment since her tummy just happened to be so empty. Regret could come later, however. First she needed to take down this cheek filled face of hers. Her teeth scrambled, ripping the pancakes to shred, and gulping them down pile after pile. Soon her mouth was emptied as she began to pant after such a workout.

"I hope you at least got to taste it," said a disappointed Twilight. A burp from the other side of the table followed. Could she be anymore embarrassed? Stomach growling is understandable with her condition, but burping? It wasn't ladylike at all. Even Applejack would lower a brow at that one.

"Please excuse T-trixie! She did not know where that came from. J-just forget Trixie ever did that..." begged the showmare. She stood up with her eyes gazing into her crush's violet irises, her face with the word "please" written on it everywhere. Twilight saw the word with no problem, but her eyes caught something even better.

"Hang on, Trixie. Don't move, okay?" she said as she stood up as well. A hoof forward in the direction of the other mare.

"W-what?! What do you mean don't move?! Is there something on my face?" spewed the freaked out mare. As Twilight moved in closer, Trixie backed up slightly out of reflex for her personal space. With a lavender hoof on her side, she could no longer move. She was paralyzed by shock and fear. Just what was this pony doing now?

"Just hold still, I got it," said Twilight so commonly.

"Got what?" retaliated the stunned equine.

"Stop talking for a second," coaxed the striped mane pony. There was nothing she could do. She struggled to make a move but her body wouldn't respond. Had she gone numb? No... her sense of touch was still there. Still, she could not even see what this mare was doing! Not even her neck responded now. What kind of magic did this unicorn do? Her horn doesn't seem to be glowing at all, but this must be some sort of spell! There's no way Twilight could subdue The Great and Powerful Trixie by mere contact! Yet she accomplished the same feat by 4 words earlier that day. Why wasn't she saying anything else?And then, suddenly, her ambitions became clear. Her eyes along with her body that was struggling had ceased any kind of attempt to move.

...

She felt a wet sensation on her cheek.

With the hold disappearing, the silver mane unicorn could begin to move her body again. The first movement was to whirl her head at the deliverer of that moist tingle on her face. Her face was bright red all over. What her eyes fell on was that of a smiling Twilight Sparkle.

"Got it!" she said innocently. It seems that only Trixie was the one still in the heat of the moment.

"W-w-why did y-you d-d-d--"

Trixie was stuttering out of control. Perhaps this coy bookworm had gone too far. It's almost if she had broken the showmare beyond repair.

"I'm sorry. I was just getting that speck of maple syrup. I didn't mean to scare you," assured Twilight. She was holding up some sort of napkin with a brown smudge on it. Once this caught the cerulean blue pony's eyes, her face went pale.

"So you only u-used that napkin t-to--" stumbled Trixie. Her body's movement came back pretty well but her jaw just couldn't recover here. Fortunately, Twilight couldn't grasp what this dazed mare was saying. She continued her explanation as needed.

"Yes, with this disinfectant wipe," she said. Her calm expression moved into an embarrassed one. This other unicorn, however, had her blood drained from her face just a second ago. Judging by her swirling pupils and light headed balance, the blood may have drained too quick from the shock. The Great and Powerful Trixie had been defeated before, even if it was just recently. And usually it would end with her standing there withstanding the blow. This time, Twilight has managed to knock her out.

This showmare was down for the count.

***

Author's Notes:

Phew! That one was a bit tougher than the last two to squeeze out. Probably has to do with the fact that I did it all in one day instead of half and half between 2 days. Sometimes you just need time to gather your thoughts and then try at it. I definitely did that but it just took me longer to do in one day since I kept working at it most of the time. Anyway, I hope this chapter turns out well for most of you. I'm a little worried about that serious part in the middle. I couldn't really fit any funnies into there and felt that situation needed to be resolved before continuing. Hope you guys like it!

I plan on taking these chapters to a Google Docs format and a possible submission to EqD. Though I think it kind of pales in comparison to every other fan fiction that got posted there. I mean, at least when they posted Spookshow Baby I was a little relieved. Not that it's a bad story or anything. I thought the concept more ridiculous than mine. I mean that in a good way.

By the way, I didn't have a prereader for this one. I kind of wish I had more than one prereader. Not too sure where or how to request for someone like that. It's kind of embarrassing to say.

The Third Chapter With Books And More Books

Chapter 3: With Books and More Books

Do you enjoy watching ponies eating pancakes? C'mon you totally read chapter 2 and thought, 'Oh man! They're going to eat pancakes now? Alright!' Well to keep that excitement contained, this chapter will feature the very essence of that amusement. That's right! Wait, how did you know I was going to say books? I didn't hint at it, did I? Now you have me freaked out... Time for the fetal position in my dark corner.
I'm so cold and lonely... I could use a twixie right about now...

***

The Faint and Passed Out Trixie had met with the floor next to the table where she just ate. The ground welcomed her sudden limp body with a large thud. At that moment, she could only hear another pony's cries coming from in front of her. That noise soon droned into silence. The darkness of the back of her eyelids was all she could see. ‘Is this how Trixie meets her end?' questioned the showmare in her head. Strangely enough somepony else had heard those thoughts.

"You don't have to be so melodramatic," said the voice. The tone of these words tickled her ears. It was a sound like this that kicked her heart over a beat. If only she could hear that voice again. 'Just once,' she thought. With that, her wish was granted.

"What do you mean "just once?" Are you okay, Trixie?" another voice asked. This one sounded exactly like the last one, except that it seemed like it came from further away. How could this vocalization read her mind? It even knew her name! 'Who are you sweet voice?' she asked the darkness in her mind.

"Sweet voice? You're really starting to scare me..." stated a clearer voice. Now it was starting to become familiar. Did Trixie know this pony? She's heard it before. This she won't deny. Something about the inflection and pitch just felt right to her. It was pleasing to her ears and made her relax. The last thing she wanted now was for that voice to go away. This darkness was very chilly. To stay here would make her freeze to death. She made a plea towards the direction of the last echo she heard. 'Please don't leave me alone! I can't stand having to suffer like this by myself,' she admitted in the depths of her head.

"Suffer...? Oh Trixie, I won't ever leave you alone, I promise. Just, please, open your eyes before you really freak me out!" echoed the familiar pony. The last of that sentence had a raise in tone. This alarmed Trixie as it brought her back to reality. At last, she found the ability to move her eyelids apart! Separating the two seams brought a white blur into her vision. A dash of purple smudged this obscurity. Becoming clearer was an image she would see in her dreams often.

"Twi...Twilight Sparkle?" asked the showmare with her sight becoming more vivid to details.

"It's about time! What happened? First thing I know I’m just wiping off some syrup on your face. Then the next second you're on the floor talking to me like you're about to die!" claimed the lavender mare. Nothing but concern and a little irritation was shown in her violet eyes. Trixie was fully conscious at this point. She sat up never leaving the gaze of the worried pony next to her. Memories drifted back into her brain. Remembering how she fell to the floor earlier, she felt a little silly. Thinking this Twilight Sparkle would try something like that on her. It was just a moist towelette, nothing else. It's time to calm this pity.

"I apologize Twilight. Trixie just got a little woozy and needed to rest her eyes. She is perfectly fine now," stated the blue unicorn. This was an understatement to say the least. A sharp pain was felt on the side of her head to reinforce this. She rubbed it gently with her the end of her hoof. Twilight noticed this right away and moved her hoof to replace with her own.

"Looks like you hit your head pretty good. Wait here so I can get some ice," said the striped mane unicorn. With that she rose to her hooves and walked toward where the ice box was. Trixie, on the other hoof, just sat there holding the bump on her head. It hurt to touch, but she rubbed it anyway to feel where the lump was. Twilight returned with a bag of ice, floating with her in a purple aura of magic. The blue hoof covering the swelling made way for the ice pack. She then held it in place.

"Thank you, Twilight" she said. Looking at the lavender pony next to her, she couldn't help but let out a smirk. Once again, this mare has shown her the best care and hospitality she could have ever dreamed for. If only she could return these feelings in the way she wanted to express them. Unfortunately, this is a relationship she doesn't want to push at the moment. Just being this close to Twilight Sparkle made her feel at ease. Besides, the story could use a few more chapters. After a few seconds elapsed, one of them spoke up.

"Are you feeling a little better now?" asked the purple unicorn. Her hoof rubbed the other's back briefly. Trixie only wished that contact wasn't so short. She put the bag of ice on the table using her horn and rose to a standing position. This surprised the other mare since she just had a head injury.

"Are you sure you should be moving that fast? You could have a concus--" cried Twilight before being cut off by the showmare.

"Trixie is in fine health, Twilight Sparkle. It would take more than a bump on the head to bring her down," assured the silver mane equine. Her lips moved into a confident and boastful grin. This was exactly the face that the lavender mare wanted to look at all the time. Trixie's smile was an expression she just couldn't get enough of. Like a book that never got old no matter how many times you read it. If only she could caress Trixie's lips with her own. Unfortunately, after what happened earlier, it was too soon to even attempt. Such a thing might end The Great and Powerful Trixie once and for all. Either that or she might leave and think this pony is the most disgusting thing in Equestria. No matter which one would happen, it just wouldn't end well. Moving away from her thoughts, she noticed the mare she was thinking of looking around the library.

"Is there something you're looking for?" asked Twilight, walking up to the showmare's side. The distracted unicorn faced her now.

"Why do you have so many books?" she inquired. Could she really not tell from the abundance of books all around her? The ladders set at each row of bookshelves? It was obvious that she was in a bakery. The striped mane equine just giggled at this question.

"It's a library, of course!" answered the egghead. Trixie would admit she didn't think long enough to come to that conclusion. She noticed there were books, yes, but perhaps this lavender unicorn collected all this literature for herself. That wasn't too hard to believe. Who was she fooling? There are just too many books for it all to be someone's personal collection. The showmare's thoughts changed gears. 'If someone had a personal collection this big, how many of these books would they have read? There are certainly too many for Twilight Sparkle to read...'

Doubt then turned to curiosity.
"Trixie bets you haven't read all of these, huh?" she joked. Twilight knew just how many she actually had read. Her head fell in embarrassment at the thought of it. Would she be surprised at the numbers? There was the possibility she'd run away thinking she was just some book nerd. Perhaps she needed to find out the hard way. This being the case, she told the cold hard truth.

"I've read every single book in this library," she admitted, with a blush coming over her. It took a few seconds of silence after this. Only because Trixie was surprised at how impressive this was. Reading every single book in a big library like this one seemed impossible to her. Sure she read a book once in a while, but finishing a book was very time consuming. How could she accomplish such a feat? Unless a page from the showmare was borrowed and this was all just a bluff. Still, she wanted to believe this adorable bookworm.

"Looks like you've managed to impress even The Great and Powerful Trix--" the showmare was cut off.

"T-twice," stammered Twilight. Her blush now expanded and changed to a darker red. The other mare was left speechless now. Now she would have to think of how that could ever be possible. The lavender unicorn wasn't finished, though.

"Most of them I've read three times. Almost half of them have been gone through four times. There are some I finished a fifth time. Few I've looked at six times and a couple I have picked up a seventh time," she finished. Her head was still looking down with her entire face red. Ironically, she wanted to avoid seeing Trixie's reaction, but she still saw her jaw hit the floor. Was this a mistake? Maybe she shouldn't have told this silver mane pony all of that. It's not like she's told anyone else before. This was a secret she kept hidden from all her friends. She didn't want anyone to know that she was this much of a book lover. Now her equine of her heart had found this out. What would she say now? 'Maybe it's not too late to find a time reversal spell or perhaps a memory eraser incantation,' she thought. Her ideas were wishes at best. She already knew those kind of spells didn't exist. Picking up her jaw off the ground, the showmare could speak again. This time with both hooves holding up the other pony's red hued face.

"Trixie takes that back! Being impressed would be an understatement. Trixie is absolutely smitten! She did not know you were such a scholar!" beamed the blue unicorn. She fell in love with not only an adorable, powerful, and kind pony. But a genius one at that! This complimented Twilight Sparkle so well that she wanted to tackle and squeeze this wonderful mare to death. Never did she think this secret she kept to herself would be taken so positively. Especially by a pony who would usually brag a lot about herself. She even had the added bonus of her love's hooves touching her muzzle. This faded as fast as she thought about it. She didn't want those hooves to ever leave her cheeks. Couldn't she have just pulled her face to hers instead? This was really all she thought about sometimes. It's kind of depressing to be disappointed each time.

With this new found information of Twilight Sparkle, the magician thought she would delve deeper into this. Perhaps she could uncover more about this mare than she had ever hoped before.

"So... which one would be your favorite book here?" asked the prying mare. This answer didn't need a lot of thought put into it. This bookworm knew exactly which book was her favorite.

"I'll show you! Come this way," motioned the striped mane pony. She led Trixie across the room and into another section of the library. This place looked more like a study than part of a library. It had a desk shown in the center with tons of parchment paper lying on top. They passed by the table and encountered one of the free standing bookcases in the left corner. On the fifth shelf up, a burgundy colored hardcover enveloped in a purple light. Floating out from its row, the glowing book drifted towards its owner. Once it reached the unicorns, Twilight had the book's front cover face her to make sure she grabbed the right one. Just a simple glance was all it took since she would easily recognize her favorite one. The book then faced showmare at eye level so she could see the title. She read it aloud.

"Of Mares and... Magic?" she questioned if she had read that title right.

"Yes, this is my favorite story. To me, it has the best story out of all of them!" exclaimed the librarian. Trixie took hold of the book with a blue aura and opened to the middle of it to skim the contents. After a minute of looking at it, she lowered the book to speak.

"What's it about?" she asked. With a book that thick, it would be difficult to read a few lines in the middle and figure out what the story is about. Twilight summarized it for her.

"It's about two unicorns who have a Magician's Duel," she began. Her excitement grew as she explained what the story was about.

"See one of the unicorns challenged the other in an attempt to reclaim self-respect. The problem was the other pony had a crush on her. Throughout the story there are different types of challenges that they have to face. They don't necessarily fight each other or anything like that. It's more of a contest! The one sided romance also adds an interesting twist to it," she explained. This had pique Trixie's interest. She was curious to know more about this tale. A Magician's Duel? One sided romance? It sounded very intriguing to her. What if she challenged Twilight Sparkle to such a contest? No, that would never work. It would be too easy for her to simply point out the similarities with her favorite book. Her unrequited love for the purple mare would be revealed and she would lose her for good. Still it didn't hurt to find out more about the story. There was something in particular she was curious about.

"Does the unicorn... the one with unrequited love anyway, ever have her love returned?" she inquired. It was a bit regretful to ask. As if the romance genre of the story is all she cared about. The lavender mare didn't think this way of her, fortunately, and answered her question in the most disappointing way.

"You'll have to read it to find out. I'm not going to just spoil the ending for you," she teased. What was the showmare to do? Sit there and read every single page? The book was thick enough that it was impossible for her to read it all in one sitting. This fact made Trixie shoot a glare at her crush. That was not very effective. This mare would not change her answer. Instead a question was raised. This would dispel that agitation in seconds.

"Would you like to read it with me?" asked the striped mane unicorn, with the book now hiding the lower part of her face. The book covered the red glow her cheeks had developed. The cerulean blue mare's face had reacted to this question with her own blushing face. It's not like it was a date or anything, but to read a book with someone meant you had to sit close to them. Also it required teamwork and communication on both parts to navigate through the pages. This sort of contact hadn't been established too well in the past. She still remembers the lavender mare that she turned to stone before. Not to mention the strange outburst that statue made afterwards. This was an offer she might have to consider declining. Twilight could see this coming from the lack of response so she made the first move.

"Please...?" said the puppy-eyed bookworm. This was a cheap shot against The Great and Powerful Trixie. Using such a tactic should be forbidden. If she said no to this kind of expression, it would only turn sour. Not only would this pleading pony put on a disappointed face, but it would upset the showmare as well. Her heart would just burn away into ashes. This look that the lavender unicorn had made just wasn't fair. On the other hoof, she could use a camera right about now. If she could look at this captured emotion before going to sleep at night, she would have the sweetest of dreams! Still, there was no way she could decline this offer now. The thought of this almost infuriated Trixie. 'Just how many times is this pony going to beat Trixie so easily?! She is getting so sick of being defeated over and over!" she thought. It didn't matter how furious she got. Every barrier she put up would be tore down. Looks like it'll be another TKO here folks.

"If you insist, Twilight Sparkle. Trixie will r-read this story with you," she stuttered a bit while accepting this proposal. With that being said, the bookworm immediately started hopping around the showmare. With every hop she would repeat the same word again and again.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" yelled the overexcited mare. It's almost if she was gloating after another victory. This peeved the defeated unicorn just a little bit. She calmed down once the bouncing pony had stopped. Twilight's horn lit up and a blanket along with a few throw pillows came into view. She set the blanket down nicely to cover the area and rested the pillows against the corner. Trixie could tell she has done this before. Hopefully, it was only when she was by herself. The lavender mare sat and laid back on a pillow. Her hoof made a motion that the showmare could join her now. With a red colored streak across her face, she stepped over onto the covers, and took a seat a few inches away from her. She didn't want to invade this bookworm's personal space. The librarian pulled her into it anyway by shifting closer to her.

"You can't see the book from way over there, y'know," she said, persuading the blue unicorn to get closer. Their bodies were close in proximity with heads almost touching. Twilight almost wanted to forget about the book and just express her heart's desire. This was to nuzzle that love of hers and hug her softly. What "almost wanted to" meant she didn't want to ruin this moment by giving into her admiration. It's not surprising that the mare next to her also wanted the same thing. If only there wasn't a lack of communication about it. They would have gotten together a while ago. Anyway, the book that they were supposed to be reading had now risen in front of them. Opening from the back cover, the pages shuffled for a few seconds before stopping at the first page. This was a pretty long read. How far in the book would they get?

"Just tap my hoof if you want me to flip the page, ok?" said Twilight. An easy task to turn the page, but doesn't tapping her hoof mean that their hooves would be together? Even though it would only last for a second? What has The Great and Powerful Trixie gotten herself into? She never thought reading a book could be this intense on her. What would happen if her feelings got the best of her? This isn't going to be easy in the slightest. Frustrated with herself, she decided to start reading. The main character was pretty arrogant, and she spoke in the third pony as did she. The resemblance to her was uncanny at best.

Trixie tapped her reading partner's hoof. She did it quick so she would not get caught in the moment. The right page met with the left and she continued the story. This went on for several minutes. Each time she hastily tapped that hoof after reading, the page would move over. They eventually reached the second chapter. This is where the egotistical character challenged the clearly superior character in a magician's duel. 'The writing here is especially good,' thought the showmare. The scenario was interesting and the little jokes here and there were well thought out. Enjoying the story was being interrupted by a specific pain. Her neck was starting to become sore from tilting her head in so much so that she could read. This was a good excuse to stop.

"Twilight, Trixie's neck is beginning to hurt from leaning over so much. Would it be okay to sto--" her plea was interrupted.

"Oh; sorry! Here I'll fix that for you," claimed the lavender mare. The opened book was simply moved so that the contents were at perfect eye level with Trixie's. Relieved but at the same time confused, she wondered how the bookworm would read along with her. It's too far away for her head to tilt in as she had to do. Was she not going to read, anymore? With that thought, a pair of purple hooves came over behind her. This was barely noticed until the second take at them. This made the blue unicorn jump in reaction. Twilight Sparkle was holding her from behind and looking over her shoulder. She felt that warm glow on her face again. The pony behind her noticed the expected response. She tried her best to cover up any suspicions.

"Hey, calm down," she began. "This way we both can read it without either of us getting sore." The purple unicorn knew she had gone too far with this, but her mind wasn't responding at the moment. Trixie's mind, however, would not shut up. 'Why is she holding Trixie like she is somepony's teddy bear?! I can't calm down! My heart is racing too fast like its going to give out. Am I going to pass out again?' she thought frequently. Suddenly, she stopped for a second. What she needed to do at this very second is relax. The mare behind her doesn't mean to be so forward. She only put her in this position so she could read the story with her. 'That's right! We're just reading a story! Nothing is strange about that. Let's just... continue,' she convinced herself. With that, she read on from where she left off. Tapping that hoof that was now holding her

A couple more hours invested in the book and they made it to the seventh chapter. Trixie was really enjoying the interactions all the characters had. They were just brimming with personality! At one point during the chapter, the mare with the one sided love had set up a trap for her crush. An entire night alone with her! The showmare couldn't help but giggle at this development. Twilight joined her after a few seconds. For once, they were both pretty comfortable. Two hours was long enough to forget the embarrassing position they were in, but they would soon be reminded.

"Are you enjoying the story so far? I haven't heard you make a comment on anything yet," complained the lavender mare. Interrupted from reading, the pony in front of her spoke up.

"Of course! Trixie would have complained a long time ago if she did not enjoy reading this fascinating book. It's easy to understand why it's your favorite," she said. The striped mane unicorn was glad this mare never caught on to any of the hints in the story. The book was about two mares falling in love and were both similar to the two of them respectively. She was surprised and a bit at ease that the showmare didn't point either of that out. Being relieved had the lavender pony let out a sigh to compliment it. This breath of air from her lungs traveled out and met with the nape of Trixie's neck. She couldn't take it. She jumped back and slammed Twilight into the book rack behind them out of reflex. Apparently, the bookcase couldn't take it either. There was enough force for the entire group of shelves to wobble back and forth. Both equines felt the rack behind them topple back. As the bookcase's weight shifted back towards them, the top half was far enough out to give way and began to fall over. Without thinking, the showmare grabbed Twilight and pinned her down in front of her.

Using her own horn, she tried to slow the bookshelf down while keeping all the books in place. For her this wasn't too easy. The purple unicorn on the ground wanted to help her, but she couldn't overlap her projected aura around an object already controlled by somepony else. The struggling pony above her managed to slow down the timbering bookcase. Sweating profusely her horn gave out. All the books pelted the grunting showmare whom was shielding Twilight Sparkle below her. Finally the empty bookcase itself collided against her back, forcing the blue unicorn to let out a short shriek upon impact. Her teeth clenched, as she tried to keep her legs from buckling. She stared down at the purple unicorn below her. The expression on her face was a mix of stress and concern.

"What are you doing?! Hurry up and MOVE!" she bellowed.

Mostly stress.

***

Author's notes:

And so concludes another chapter. This one I worked on and off for the past few days. For those who caught it, I did reference another Twixie fanfiction here. I hope that's ok. I'm starting to hear that referencing other stories like that was generally frowned upon. Nonetheless I had planned on it from the start. Hopefully, the way I utilized here wasn't annoying or cringe worthy.

Story will continue!

The Fourth Chapter While A Magician Puts On A Show

Another chapter, another cliffhanger blah blah blah. How do they keep getting into these sticky situations? I think the author of this fic is some sort of troll to these two. Have them have embarrassing situations, awkward conversations, and mess with their feelings with slight contact. Then sit back and laugh at how they react. What a sickening thought! Making mares do this for your own enjoyment! (I am the author by the way, hint hint)

Wait... when does the narrator interfere and when is it that it's the character's fault? Perplexing, thought provoking questions here everypony. You've just been confused from here on in.

Let's continue reading this with that in mind.

***

The Brave and Struggling Trixie held her body up over the illustrious Twilight Sparkle. Drops of sweat fell from her face as tried her best to keep her limbs from giving out. The lavender mare below her took this moment to admire this protection she was given. Only in her fantasies would she think of the showmare as somepony who would protect her. She couldn't be any happier about it turning out to be reality. Now, however, was not the time for these kinds of daydreams. Her hooves rose up and grazed her light azure knight's shaking body. The owner of said body twitched at being touched.

"W-what? What are you doing?! Trixie said to move out of the way! She could not have made it more clear, Twilight Sparkle!" cried Trixie. Her body was being lowered by a pair of purple hooves. Twilight's lips stayed closed, not saying a word. She only tugged at the unicorn above to bring her down. The tip of their noses slightly nudged and sweat from the blue mare's nose trickled down, crossing the nonexistent gap between hers and the other's snout. What was this bookworm thinking?

"What do you think you are d-doing to T-Trixie?!" she stammered loudly. The violet mare acted as if she didn't hear her. She knew exactly what she was doing, and the highest amount of concentration was needed at the moment. Her dark pupils extended over her irises, showing little to no awareness of her surroundings. A few inches away were a pair of purple eyes staring in anticipation. She swallowed and closed her eyes, waiting for her finest wishes to come true. Finally, the other mare had closed the gap between her eyelids, her lavender horn starting to become illuminated. Light poured out throughout the room, pushing the dark chasms aside for its occupation. The two ponies were holding each other before a blast of white engulfed them.

Flash!

The bookcase that was over the duo had finished its descent to the hardwood floor below. The brilliant spark had vanished, showing no trace of the mares that were lying there a second ago. Silence had distilled the air where they once had been. Snapping open now were Trixie's eyes, frantically looking around. The place they were in now was completely different from before. She remembers this darkness from when she had passed out earlier that day. Did it happen again? Was a voice belonging to her love going to cry out to her?

No, this time was different. The unicorn who that voice belonged to still had her hooves wrapped around the showmare. Twilight's eyes opened to its limits with nothing but a snow colored gaze seeping out its edges. All they did was just float there in the black space around them. This moment in suspension only lasted the tiniest fraction of a second, however. A warped dot in the center of this void took shape. It started to rotate in swirls, expanding towards the embraced mares. Its touch was warm at first, but later burned as if they had caught on fire. Swallowing them in an instant, their surroundings changed once again, this time back in the same room they had spent many hours before in.

The lavender mare had let go of the silver mane unicorn, sitting back on the cold ground. Both mares were not without their wounds. Black burns crusted over various parts of their bodies. Trixie's back was sore, head aching, and that one front hoof was acting up again. She held her head in an attempt to shake the disorientation off her structure. The ability to hear she did not previously notice lost had returned. Panting could be heard in front of her. The mare she was just in arms with looked out of breath. Even with her lungs clutching her chest for air, the striped maned mare still managed to glance back and show a smile of relief. Confused about the entire event that just took place, the magician spoke first.

"What just happened to us?" she inquired, a question that should have been left to speculation, since nopony would have been able to point out exactly what occurred. Twilight decided to spoil the fun of it anyway.

"I teleported the two of us over here. Are you oka--" the unicorn was rudely interrupted by the silver maned pony.

"Teleported?! How do you know such magic?" she asked while looking around the room. Her answer was all around her. She reared her head back in disgust and disappointment. 'Trixie's knowledge of magic just lacks in comparison to Twilight Sparkle's. Perhaps she should go back to Magic Kindergarten to try again.' she thought. Neck bending forward, she laid her head in shame on her front hooves. This angst was swiftly kicked out of the pony as a familiar pair of hooves graced her backside again. It was none other than that lavender pony who she cared so much about! Damage control is always an art with these two.

"Thank you, Trixie!" she beamed, crushing the Great and Powerful pony with a hug. A simple 'you’re welcome' would have been fine, yet the showmare couldn't bring herself to breathe in the much needed air to say it. Instead--

"You're... crushhhing... Triiixiiie." she coughed. With that sense of urgency, those purple hoofs left her once more.

"Oh sorry, Trixie! I got a little too excited," giggled Twilight. The corners of her mouth moved up into a sincere grin.

"I'm just so flattered that you protected me like that. It was brave of you, Trixie." she said wholeheartedly. The showmare was smacked with the red glow across her muzzle. She didn't know which word she wanted to hear repeated. Protected, brave... flattered? Well, she knew which word kind of disappointed her. Still, this was a much needed victory for her. If she had to make an estimate about how great this situation was, she'd say that nothing could possibly ruin this moment. Except for what was just about to happen.

The bookcase was still face down on the floor. Books scattered around its sides, some still buried underneath the wooden rack. A purple glow formed around Twilight's horn and took the bookcase along with all the books into her possession. She lifted the case with ease and stacked all the literature that had fell back into their respected places. A simple feat for the lovable egghead, yet even with her head pointed the other way, she could still hear a sudden thump hit the floor behind her, the owner being Trixie's jaw which had dropped for the second time that day. An instant recovery as the bottom of her mouth shot up into its correct shape. Her anger took hold of her much too quickly.

"B-b-bookcase! You lifted that large, heavy bookcase like it was a toothpick!" she snarled. Twilight didn't hesitate at all in her response.

"So? No big deal. Levitation isn't all that hard to d--" she immediately covered her big mouth. This was entirely too much to say to the pony who just struggled to lift it herself and shielded her from harm.

"Not all that hard?! You dare to mock Trixie?" she yelled. Showing up The Great and Powerful Trixie was not a good idea. To point it out and claim it wasn't an effort? The worst idea. If she was going to put out the fire on this showmare's head, an apology was a good start.

"I-I'm sorry. I never meant to do that." she lowered her head, now filled with regret. To diffuse a bomb was no easy task. Twilight Sparkle could diffuse hundreds with how simple she made this seem. Just like that, Trixie's game had changed. Hearing those words calmed the storm in her head. Seeing that remorseful expression on her love's face quieted the wind to a soft breeze. Now who's the pony in the wrong?

"No, Twilight. Trixie apologizes for her raised tone. She shouldn't be surprised at how amazing a unicorn you can be," she admitted. Both of their heads now had a weight upon them. The lavender pony was the first to lift hers. If only she could hear that last line again, but in a more positive context. Nonetheless it was time to get out of this dreadful mood.

"You can be just as amazing, Trixie." she gave a slight smile. This helped take the pressure off the other unicorn's head.

"Twilight... Do you really mean that?" questioned the azure mare.

"Of course I do. I would never lie to you," Twilight said genuinely. The gravity that pulled Trixie down before now took her in the opposite direction. Her spirit flew like that of a pegasus. That compliment had just made her day!

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle!" she beamed. With the clouds in her mind clearing up, she thought of a wonderful way to return the good fortune that was brought onto her.

"Trixie has a proposition. Would you like to hear it?" she asked. The lavender mare merely nodded in response, unsure if she should be anxious or not.

"In honor of your hospitality and outstanding treatment of Trixie, she shall put on a private show! Just for you, Twilight Sparkle." she pointed at the mare with a confident gleam in her eye.

"Feel grateful because Trixie wouldn't dare dream of doing such a thing for just anypony," she said with that ego raised in the air like a trophy. The striped maned unicorn wanted to jump up and down in excitement. Not because she'll get to see a magic show, but because of the special attention she'd be getting. Being entertained by The Great and Powerful Trixie alone? Another one of her dreams brought to reality. The only thing that was going to be off about this was the lack of cape and hat that the showmare would usually wear. Too bad she couldn't make an exact copy with her magic, nor could she grab the original one she already had from under her bed. Still, this blue coated equine didn't necessarily need the clothes. It's the thought that counted.

Looking up brought a sight she had seen before. Once again the showmare's eyes were moving side to side as her head turned, peeking in every corner of that room. Her back facing the lavender mare, a lifted hoof touched the side of her head. Twilight watched this with a curious mind and slight anticipation. 'What could she be looking for?' thought the egghead as she approached the magician with an extended hoof towards her direction. With a slight poke against her back, Trixie jumped immediately in response. Startled, she spun around to meet a pair of violet eyes gazing at her innocently. Her mouth slightly opening and brows lowering toward her nose, she wanted to question this sudden interruption, but the other unicorn spoke first.

"Is there something I can help you find?" murmured the librarian. This was her library, after all.

"To be perfectly honest, Trixie needs a stage of sorts. One to put her at a higher elevation than the average pony." Her hoof was raised above her head. "Standing above the audience makes it easier for her to be seen by everypony," she explained briefly. The lavender unicorn turned around to see that nopony else was around her. Completing this turn, she faced the showmare who already knew what she was going to say.

"I-It is also more f-feasible for everypony to look up at Trixie," she stammered with an upturned nose. The striped mane mare understood what the magician wanted. To show her feats of magical prowess on a higher plane, which meant to show off in a way that everyone could see her. Even with this crowd being a single pony, she wanted to impress everypony. With this realization, Twilight started trotting over to one of the many bookcases on the opposite side of the room. Upon proximity, she used her glowing horn to fetch one of the books off the second-to-top shelf, a navy blue hardcover with a white embroidered emblem on its back. Ironically, it was titled "Building Your Show's Performance Stage For Foals."

Setting this book down onto the hardwood floor, the purple aura around it grew in illumination. The showmare glanced over at this soon to be amazing display of power. The violet light pierced the room's darkest edges as the lavender pony lowered her head in supreme focus towards this bright object. In a luminescent spark, the book's silhouette jerked to the right, yanked left, and its shape took a thrust north. Waves of magical energy discharged and swirled around the black shadows of this new construction. Supernatural colors dispersed, revealing a wooden deck with steps on either side, two racks reaching to the ceiling, and purple drapes hanging in the rear on the bar up top. The unicorn watching this whole spell managed to catch her jaw this time. This structure nearly sparkled as much as her eyes did at that very moment.

A stage fitting for The Great and Powerful Trixie was created right before her eyes. This sort of transformation from a mere stack of papers impressed her very much. Sure she hid another hint of jealousy among other things for this talented, lavender mare, but she finally had her place to perform! Almost skipping past the pony responsible for this, she climbed her way up the steps, and reached the center stage. Facing the purple unicorn below revealed the happiest, grinning showmare you couldn't pay bits to see. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her crush at the front end of the stage. Twilight could barely keep herself contained at how much euphoria blared out of this silver maned mare. It was the kind of passion that kept the corners of her mouth up and on opposite sides of her face.

"This is absolutely, positively... spontaneously perfect! Trixie couldn't be happier with the stage you've created for her!" she beamed with her forelegs flailing around in excitement. The showmare had no choice but to go on now. With her positive flare dimmed, a serious but confident grin appeared on her face as she darted behind the purple curtains.

"Hey! Why are you going behind there? There's nothing back there," Twilight inquired. Apparently after all those days of research into this magician, along with actually going to one of her shows made her forget about the entrance of choice for the cerulean blue unicorn.

"Trixie will be performing now, Twilight Sparkle! Please stay silent and let me do the entertaining," yelled the backstage mare. She had only been dreaming of performing when she was out on her own. Of course, attempts were made in front of the woodland critters that lived out there. However, they would all scurry away for some reason, as if Trixie was some kind of forest monster. Now she had her chance once again to show the new performance she had been working on inside her head. Recent events before had inspired such a new concept, and she was ready to show it off in front of the pony of her deepest desires. No mistakes! She was ready this time.

A sound couldn't be heard any longer within the confines of this room. 'Did I overdo it a little bit?' the striped mare questioned herself. Soon, a small amber hue could be seen through the drapes towards the back of the stage. The room became filled with a high pitched feedback. Suddenly--

"COME ONE! COME ALL! AND WITNESS THE AMAZING MAGIC OF THE GRREAT AND POWERFUL TRRIXIE!" shouted Trixie as she used her horn to amplify the volume of her voice. Twilight was blown backward clamping onto her ears to cover the infernal, screeching noise. The bookshelves along with the entire room shook out of place and books shimmied their way off their shelves, scattering themselves all over the place. After the end of the showmare's deafness-inflicting introduction, the small hum of feedback from before had faded.

"Trixie apologizes for that everypony! She is much too used to big outdoor crowds," she yelled. With her ears still ringing, the purple unicorn didn't know which was worse. The fact that she couldn't adjust her volume for an indoor audience or that she was the only pony in the room and she never acknowledged it. Nevertheless, the show continued. A poof of gray smoke appeared in the center of the stage and expanded outwards, revealing the azure unicorn in some kind of shiny glitter. The lavender properly responded with her front hooves beating the hardwood floor in applause. Trixie's ego then took over.

"Thank you! Oh, thank you my endearing fans!" she said waving at random directions. Even if there was but a single pony, the mare treated it as a stadium crowd. After she accepted her warmhearted welcome, she jumped right into her performance.

"Tonight's show was carefully put together by Trixie's brilliant, insatiable genius! It is a series of events of a mare who rose from the ashes of the lower class slums and fought to vanquish the undefeated beast of the Everfree Forest!" boasted the beautiful magician. Twilight's heart was lifted by the showmare's words. Could she have been talking about her? Is this a show of how she got rid of Ursa Minor with her quick and powerful magical abilities?

"The title of this magnificent tale is "The Ballad o--" Trixie halted in her tracks. She didn't dare speak the name of her love as the calling of this show. Coming up with a quick substitution might have proven difficult for some, yet not hard enough for the brain flexing talents of The Great and Powerful Trixie.

"Err-- The Ballad of Twinkle Night!" corrected the showmare. Ears of the only pony in the audience fell south. Not only was that a horrible attempt at a cover up, but the name she used instead was even more embarrassing. Perhaps "Glitter Dawn" would have been a better choice. Either way, the magician continued the show, not knowing she failed at fooling her secret admirer. The story here is just what you would expect from a show called... you know. It all started with the legend of a bright, translucent brute that came from The Everfree Forest seeking death and destruction of all ponydom. A poor, homeless mare who was seeking refuge in a hollowed tree heard the reckless crashes of the monster's paws, slamming their way through her little, old, backwater town.

By the way, while Trixie wasn't looking towards the lavender unicorn during her over dramatic retelling of events from a few weeks ago, the entire audience were hitting themselves in the head with the end of their hoof. It didn't help that the silver mane mare was using her crude, glowing line art to tell the story. Anyway, the near defenseless pony in the tale stood in the midst of the giant fiend's shadow. Her body arched back and the horn attached to her head sent a large purple haze around her. Bright as the golden sun, the light showered over the enormous monstrosity. With a sickening, earth shattering scream, it exploded in a huge field of black dust. Following the appearance of dust was yet another explosion resulting in its matter being completely vaporized.

The story ended with a moral about how a pony shouldn't be underestimated by initial impressions and should, instead, be given a chance at creating their own judgment. Trixie took a bow after her incredibly familiar tale, while Twilight wished that she could have seen the old show of Trixie's instead. It might have been overshooting to brag about vanquishing an Ursa Major, but it's at least better than some downplayed story with a moral that doesn't even seem practical. The showmare snapped up after her self-proclaimed 'best show ever' and proceeded by doing her own original magic tricks. This included a bouquet of flowers appearing out of thin air, which were given to Twilight Sparkle, who would have preferred that trick from the start. Nonetheless the performance continued. Rabbits were pulled and cards were shown. This azure unicorn could put on an entertaining visual when she wasn't making facts up or stretching out the truth. Coming to the end, Trixie was curious of her progress thus far with wooing her special friend.

"Psst, Twilight," she whispered to the mare. The lavender mare wasn't amused at the fact she's whispering to the only pony in the room.

"How is Trixie doing so far? Do you like it?" she asked. The answer was in the form of a better question.

"Did you really have to make me look so pathetic in the beginning?" she said in a hushed tone. Wait, what was she being quiet for? This showmare's strange mannerisms were contagious. Speaking of whom, she was devastated that Twilight had figured her out so easily. Good thing she left out about the part where 'Twinkle Night' and 'The Good and Vigorous Trixanna' get together and have foals. She'd also have to scratch out the sequel she had brainstormed the other night. Either way her reasons for the exaggerated tale were valid and understandable.

"Trixie apologizes, Twilight. Most of the changes she made from our last encounter were merely to add a sense of drama and disbelief. Trixie wanted ponies to get a wonderful impression about you, but in order to do so you would have to be somepony they could care about first," she explained. The striped mane unicorn lowered her brows and kept her irritated gaze set into the purple eyes on stage.

"So you said I was homeless and poor?" she said with her teeth clenched.

"Only to have you shine in a better light towards the end! Trixie assures you she meant no harm to your image..." her head hung in shame. Seeing this made the lavender pony drop her next attack. Here she was getting a private show from the mare she loved the most, and was getting upset over stupid details. Her sights set on the gathered tulips that were conjured not too long ago, sitting at her hooves. It might have been a slightly insulting alternative to the true events from the day the Ursa Minor attacked, but at least her heart was in the right place. This was all a thank you to Twilight's hospitality, and she should accept it for just that.

"It's okay, Trixie. I know you wouldn't think of me that way. We're friends now, of course!" she beamed. To Trixie, this was a complete turnaround from her last sentence. First she's grinding her teeth in anger, the next she's calling the showmare her friend. 'Is that all we are, Twilight Sparkle? Just friends? I guess Trixie could live with that. She would love to be more than that, but for right now... Trixie is happy to be your friend!' she thought with a wide smile on her face.

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle! Friends, we most certainly are!" agreed the azure mare. With this new-found happiness, her next trick came into mind. A fun yet satisfying game played upon somepony's head.

"With that settled, friend, Trixie would like to begin her last trick. Would you please join her onstage?" she blushed. Her hoof motioned her to come up, though her head couldn't turn to face the mare below now. This final spell she had cast on many ponies before her, but this pony was a special case to her. It was almost embarrassing to think about. Twilight had galloped to the steps before the stage in excitement. Her hooves bouncing on the way up until she reached the cerulean blue equine.

"So what are you going to do to me, Great and Powerful Trixie?" she questioned coyly. There was only a blush on Trixie's face before. Now her whole face illuminated in a hot pink! This was only because of the purple unicorn's appropriate but easy to misread question. Eventually, she managed to repress the hues on her muzzle and twirled around to see an ecstatic mare right in front of her. The distance between them almost took back the showmare a few hooves. She figured that personal space would wait until later.

"A simple, but effective incantation. Just stand still, Twilight Sparkle," she coaxed. The striped maned pony did as she was instructed and stood perfectly still. Now that her subject was in place, Trixie began her deep gaze into those violet eyes.

"Okay, Twilight. Relax... Ease your shoulders down and just stare into Trixie's eyes," she began. "Imagine yourself feeling calmer with each breath. As I count to five, you'll begin to drift off to another place. A safe place where nothing can harm you,"

"One," counted the showmare.

"Two."

"Three." Her tone began to lower to a whisper.

"Four."

"Five," she whispered almost at a mute.

At this point, the lavender mare had her eyes closed and her whole body slouched as if she fell asleep in that position. Trixie believed that her trick worked and that Twilight was in a state of relaxation. She, however, was not even close to such a thing. Looking into your love's eyes up close like that had really shaken up the poor mare. Hypnosis wasn't very effective on her in the first place, nor was it even considered a magic trick, but staring at her beloved only made her shut her eyes out of embarrassment. Now that the consecutive numbers had reached their end, it was time to let the showmare know of her faile--

"Yes! Trixie managed to do it this time!" yelled the unknowing unicorn. It was too late to come out of this act at this point. The show, as always, must go on.

"Now, Twilight Sparkle, you must do whatever Trixie says without argument. This will in turn prove the spell was a complete success!" demanded the silver mane pony. Her victim only nodded in agreement. She only hoped this would be over soon so she could stop pretending like an idiot.

"Firstly, Trixie wants you to say that she is the most beautiful equine in all of Equestria, and that Trixie graces you with her presence on this stage!" commanded the magician. Holding back a large glow of red, Twilight began fulfilling her order. She already thought of Trixie this way, so she could fill it with a few drops of her heart.

"Trixie... You are the most beautiful equine in all of Equestria. You grace me with your presence," she repeated back. Maybe one too many drops poured into this. The showmare couldn't help but stare off into space and clam up as crimson light enveloped from her hooves up. Saying that she liked hearing that was a drastic understatement. If she had this pony in an empty room for all eternity and these compliments would be said to her repetitively? There would never be a moment where her heart wouldn't sing. This entranced mare had passed her test, but in its wake spawned a line that dared to be crossed. Due to the recent realization of friendship between the two, the blue unicorn felt bad about such a question. Questioning this, though, was extremely important to her. Surely there isn't anything Trixie would make this unsuspecting pony do that would result in some sort of cliffhanger.

"Good work, Twilight Sparkle! For your next order--" she hesitated for a second. The only way this command could be delivered is if her eyes were closed and face was directed to the ground.

"Y-you must honestly tell how you f-feel about Trixie!" she stammered loudly.

Ah, there it is!

***

Author's Notes:

Once again, phew. I had a few different ideas for this chapter, so it took me a day to decide on what I wanted to do here. One thing I haven't really seen many Twixie fanfictions do is have Trixie put on a show of hers. Off the top of my head I can only think of 'Of Mares and Magic' really doing that... Speaking of which, I know most of you would probably catch my second most obvious reference to another Twixie fanfiction ever. Just to let you ponies know for the fifth time, I have been referencing Twixie fanfictions just about every chapter. I feel a little bad that this one was just as obvious as the previous chapters. I assure you that I only thought up the reference after coming up with the chapter's plot. Honestly, if I think in the middle of writing a scene that I can fit in a reference and make it effective, I totally would. I tried not to flat-out namedrop the reference like I did last chapter.

Oh, that 'Of Mares and Magic' book? You haven't heard the last of it. At least I’m pretty sure you haven't...

Special thanks to Magical Trevor, who had to put up with all my mistakes and my whining... Even if he does not think I was whining.

The Fifth Chapter Which Includes Trixie's Cooking

Chapter 5: Which Includes Trixie's Cooking

A re-cap for those who don't feel like going back a chapter and just reading the last paragraph:

Trixie found out one of Twilight's most devastating secrets! The books in the library are actually filled with diamonds and jewels! Trixie is really in love with The Great and Powerful Trixie! Those burnt pancakes were really just overcooked! The shower scene was really deleted temporarily! It takes a third of a Twilight to screw in a light bulb! The stage they're on was really Diamond Tiara the whole time! Suddenly, Pinkie Pie! This world is really just Earth 2! The author for this story has gone insane! None of these events I've said are true!

Well except for one...

Hurry up and lose sleep over that.

***

The Flushed and Embarrassed Trixie had just asked a very awkward question to the mare she secretly loved dearly. Her hooves were moist from sweat, her neck ached from giving her gaze to the wooden floor below, and her eyes were shut tight, not being able to look at the entranced Twilight Sparkle across from her. This lavender unicorn, however, was not in any kind of hypnotic state. She had only been faking it since the showmare was so happy her magic trick, that wasn't any kind of actual magic, worked flawlessly. To be in this kind of predicament was quite awkward to say the least. Here she was, receiving an order to confess her true feelings to the silver maned mare she admired deeply. Why did she ask for such information? How this mare truly felt about her...

'Does she only want to hear how she is just a friend?’ Twilight thought. 'Maybe a very good friend? Best friend? Or...' she hesitated in her thoughts. 'To admit that I think she's more than a friend. Is that what she wants? The entire truth of how I have really thought of her up to now? I just don't know what to say.' Quietly she stood in front of the azure equine. Her eyes kept fearfully shut in order to keep up this act, her lips quivering as if she was keeping the truth in her head, and her body shaking from this order she was given without a satisfying way of execution. Would she lie and put shame to herself for not being honest, or would she confess her feelings once and for all, possibly losing Trixie forever. Making a lie up is much easier in this case, but it would be boring if she didn't express her affection verbally after all this time.

Twilight's mouth opened as she began carrying out her decision.

"Trixie, I lllo... llllloo--"

"Wait!" yelled Trixie, her hooves extended towards the striped maned unicorn in a mass panic.

"This doesn't feel right..." she murmured with her head hung in shame. This was a question she would rather hear from a Twilight that wasn't under her control.

"Trixie takes back the question, Twilight Sparkle. She was just kidding!" Lying through her teeth, the showmare managed an unconvincing grin.

Just by listening, Twilight could hear the dishonest tone in her voice. She wanted to confront the azure unicorn about it, and possibly find out if there was an ulterior motive behind it. To do this, she would have to stop her charade... Which meant upsetting Trixie even more than she already was. Would she risk that? Adding that weight to her could mess up what they have now. Twilight contemplated this carefully. 'Maybe this could be useful information later. It's not like she's leaving anytime soon. I have plenty of time to research this.' With this pondering, Twilight could relax and continue on with this act. She remained in her fake, hypnotic pose while Trixie sat down on the stage, disappointed at her own selfish question.

Seeing Twilight in her state gave the showmare a much better idea. Back on her hooves, she sneaked closer to the lavender pony. This was a good opportunity to examine her crush while she couldn't react to anything. Pacing around her, she looked at almost every angle she could think of. The curves of her body from her head to her tail, from her slender legs down to her hooves that rested gently upon her stage, that voluptuous, almost round plo-- ahem. Her fantasies were not all empty or in vain. This mare really did look attractive to her. The whole 'reading more books than physically possible' thing was also pretty cute. Speaking of which, she wished they could return to that book they were reading. Once you get into a good story part of the way, you'd like to know the rest of it. Perhaps she could look at it another time, and even get a few pointers to help out her own situation. For now, she would just look over Twilight's eased body in peace. It's not like she was aware of what she was up to.

Twilight wasn't sure what was happening around her. She heard hoofsteps and felt an occasional brush past her side. The showmare had not said another word to her after she interrupted her confession. The position she was in was getting harder to maintain. It wasn't much of a comfortable pose; the way her head didn't hang all the way down or how her legs hadn't been bent in a while. This was making those parts of her body ache quite badly. If only she could relieve this discomfort for just a second... With Trixie doing who knows what, it might be suspicious for one of her limbs to even twitch at this point.

Regardless, Twilight needed some kind of relief in order to keep up this tiring act of hers. As her front hooves curved forward slightly, she lowered her body along with it. Unfortunately, her previous prediction became half true. There was a risk for making such an easy body shift, yet the showmare may notice it. Fact was, she did notice it, and only because of Twilight's position. The bottom of the lavender mare's hooves were a bit sweaty from holding her place, so the inertia from bending her knees slid her hooves back. Falling forward onto her face, her chest was parallel to the floor while her butt was still in the air. Trixie not only noticed this, but began to chuckle at it with a hoof to her mouth. Twilight rose back up, irritated at her mistake, and sat back to relieve the rest of her aches. She looked at the silver maned mare with brows lowered inward and a raised lower lip.

"What's wrong, Twilight Sparkle? Did The Great and Powerful Trixie finally defeat you?" teased Trixie while giggling. She wanted to help the mare back up, yet her sudden fall was not only adorable, but hilarious! Her infectious laughing just kept slipping by her hoof; she couldn't help it. This victory was just too sweet for her, and she needed one for awhile. No way Twilight could spoil it now. Calming down her hysteria, she noticed the striped maned mare was now looking down at the ground before her. Seems like this showmare might have gone too far with her gloating. Even when Twilight would beat her in some strange, over analytic way, she wouldn't rub it in Trixie's face about it. In fact, the purple unicorn seemed pretty unaware of what she's done and actually apologizes for it. Perhaps this is Trixie's turn to do the same.

"Twilight." she called out. The lavender mare perked up her ears and gazed back into Trixie's eyes.

"Trixie is sorry about that sudden outburst, but she couldn't help herself," she said with a sheepish grin.

Twilight, still sitting on the ground, felt her mind lighten. Not only did she manage to break out of her make-believe hypnosis, but Trixie wasn't the least bit knowing about it. Sure, her act was no more than a lie to make Trixie think she was able to put others under her control, yet what's the harm in that? There's such a thing as a good lie just to make somepony feel better about themselves. Unless that pony happens to be Trixie who's ego loves to be fed and wears pride like it were a fashion accessory. The same pony who was approaching Twilight with a ridiculous smirk across her face.

"Still, it was too bad you couldn't see Trixie's final trick. You were too busy being completely under her control!" she exclaimed, her pupils contracted. The egghead rolled her eyes and returned the showmare's grin with her own.

"Oh, really? Sounds like a pretty impressive trick." she giggled. Trixie shifted her brow up in response to this.

"You do not believe Trixie?" questioned the showmare. As if anyone would remember what happened while they were semi-conscious. Technically, Twilight didn't have to believe her with said argument.

"Of course I do, Trixie! Why wouldn't I?" she replied.

"Well you didn't necessarily see it, since you were under a spell," Trixie pondered out loud. Case in point, the azure unicorn wasn't ignorant enough to notice it.

"It's okay because I trust you as a friend," said Twilight with a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. Red tinged over the latter pony's muzzle as she realized how much her friendship with Twilight had grown in just one day. If she liked her this much already, then maybe she really could go farther. Say they were to have another day together and the relationship keeps rising. Was mutual love with this mare possible? Even now, only a lavender hoof remained on her shoulder, yet the showmare wasn't the one who put it there. Could that same hoof wrap around her back and bring the other hoof along with it? She wanted to escape from the cage of reality and have her wonderful fantasies take place instead.

Maybe if she kept up this momentum there might be a level of affection she could reach with her. However far that may be, The Great and Powerful Trixie would reach it no matter what! There was no way she would let her dreams be in vain now. A new action must be taken now, but what could she do? She has already put on a private show for the bookworm, and that seemed to go smoothly despite the awkward question she asked near the end. While Twilight sat back down with her hooves again at her side, Trixie was glancing around the room for the third time today. Always looking for the next task on her journey, the silver maned pony noticed the clock sitting above a bookshelf across the room. The big hand was pointing to six and the little hand pointed between six and seven. This means it was six-thirty, getting closer to sun setting, and that means...

"Twilight Sparkle, Trixie has a proposition!" she declared gallantly, facing a rack of books on the other side of the room. Twilight had never moved off the stage because she didn't want to interrupt Trixie's strange room searching this time. With the silver maned mare pointed away from her at a long distance, she couldn't quite hear what she said.

"You're having a premonition?!" she yelled across the room. To the librarian, hypnosis and mental visions of the future seemed to be related.

"Are you sure you're not a psychic pony, Trixie?!" she inquired loudly. Trixie couldn't believe what she was hearing as her mouth hung open and her eyelids semi-closed in disgust. Turning back to the lavender mare, she made her way back to the front of the stage.

"Are you deaf? Trixie said she had a proposal," said the slightly irritated magician. The question whether Trixie was a psychic or not would have to wait for another time. For now, Twilight stepped over to the front of the stage, looking down at the cross armed unicorn, who was still just a tiny bit annoyed with repeating herself, though looking up at the lovely round face of that pony dissolved whatever was left of that feeling. Her idea could now come into fruition.

"Dinner tonight shall be cooked by the magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!" she announced proudly. This was another chance to get closer to Twilight and finally seal the deal of an eternity together. The latter being Trixie's fantasy, rather than what was actually going to happen. Having story chapters after this one supported this argument. That being said, the purple unicorn dropped down in front of Trixie and turned her head to meet those purple eyes with her own. A sweet, sincere expression was made to this showmare with the corners of her mouth pushed upwards.

"You're going to cook tonight? I never thought I'd ever hear you say that," indicated Twilight. A meal constructed by her one and only pony, yet just for her and nopony else? Well, besides herself, of course, but still it was mostly for her, right?

"Well, Trixie doesn't have many opportunities to prepare meals for others. Especially herself," Trixie admitted as her head tilted up with a sheepish grin. An ugly realization dawned on Twilight and her upper eyelids fell halfway

"Trixie... Have you ever done any cooking before?" she asked cautiously, afraid of her worst fears being answered. The showmare scoffed and groaned with her neck twisting back and forth with each disgusted noise she made. Eventually she stopped and hung her head, staring at the ground.

"Not exactly. Usually Trixie's food is brought to her. She has never had to provide for herself," admitted Trixie. It wasn't surprising that Twilight was a little baffled by this.

"Never provided for yourself? But you've travelled all over Equestria haven't you? What did you do for food?" asked the concerned mare.

"Like I said, Trixie's food is brought to her. She ate at cafes that were in the towns she visited. Never was she required to make her own meals," explained the showmare.

"What about travelling from place to place? You would have to eat during trips too," Twilight argued. She just couldn't believe the mare she loved, not being able to provide for herself. A caravan that can unfold into a stage with decorations all around it. How could she not be so self-sufficiant? Trixie continued with her reasons.

"That's true, but Trixie just bought food at a nearby shop and stored it in her caravan. She was always prepared!" she boasted.

"I see..." began Twilight as she pointed at Trixie. "So that's why you looked so famished when you got here." she sighed with another one of her 'I'm concerned for you' looks. Trixie took it as an 'I pity you' look.

"Trixie will have you know that she has been on a diet, recently. That should explain why her waistline is exceptionally thin," she lied, though the striped maned mare could easily see through her.

"Well in that case, how about I make us both some soup for dinner tonight?" said Twilight; her face showed a coy smile.

"That doesn't sound so ba-- wait a minute!" shouted Trixie as she towered over the lavender mare. "Trixie specifically said she was the one cooking! Did you really think you could trick her, Twilight Sparkle?" Actually, she did think that, but Twilight preferred that the argument didn't escalate. Instead, she shook her head with the same embarrassed expression. The showmare backed down, diminishing her anger towards Twilight.

"Then it's settled. Trixie shall prepare her own special soup blend tonight," proclaimed Trixie with her forelegs crossed over her chest. Luckily, she didn't hear Twilight make an abrupt gulp after her declaration. A wave of fear could be seen covering the poor lavender mare, though. 'Am I going to live through this?' she wondered. Would Trixie's cooking be the end for this well-known protege of Celestia?

"Come along Twilight. Trixie does not know your food preparation area that well. Please show her all the cooking utensils," ordered Trixie. However, Twilight wasn't moving an inch. She was paralyzed by fear of what concoction this showmare could make her eat. No matter what it will be, the washroom seemed like it was going to be her best friend tonight. A slight pain could be felt near the top of her rump. Being immobilized by the dreadful experience that awaits her in the future, she didn't notice the floor was moving beneath her. As her neck turned seventy degrees to the left, she saw Trixie walking behind her with her tail clenched by the azure unicorn's teeth. She was being dragged to her doom and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Reaching the kitchen, Trixie let go of the stiff mare's tail. Cupboards flew open as she took a good look around to familiarize herself where everything was. While searching among Twilight's wares, locating a decent sized pot for the stew, all the cupboards were suddenly slammed closed. The noise took Trixie's head back a bit in surprise and a once frozen mare now stood before her with a hair or two out of place in her mane. An almost crazed look on her face made the showmare's eye twitch a bit.

"Hold it right there, Great and Powerful Trixie!" yelled Twilight; her pupils shrunk while saying the unicorn's name. "I'll let you cook the food tonight, but it will be under my supervision! This area is perfectly organized and I refuse to watch you put a single thing out of place," she glared with fiery violet eyes. This was a side of Twilight that Trixie had not seen yet, nor did she expect. Despite that, the magician tried to reason with her... in her own way.

"Do you not trust, Trixie? She will have you know that she is very carefu-" Trixie was cut off by a louder voice.

"I don't care! This is my house and you'll follow my rules. You got that?" said Twilight with a threatening tone and squinting eyes. Though Trixie was a proud mare who wouldn't back down from a verbal confrontation, she sensed there was something to be feared about this newly discovered Twilight. Her good organization skills were noted before, yet she had no idea the purple unicorn was so ridiculously strict about it. For the time being, it would be smart to follow orders from this crazy bookworm.

"Trixie... understands, Twilight. She won't touch anything and instead will do this your way," acknowledged Trixie. Immediately after that, Twilight's behavior flipped back to normal; a victorious smirk appeared on her face.

"Good! Now let me get you a nice sized pot for you, along with some utensils and ingredients!" she beamed. Trixie couldn't help but think Twilight's recovery was ridiculously quick. Nevertheless, the showmare watched as the cupboards around the stove were flung open again: a large pot and a couple spoons laid out onto the counter. At this point, the egghead put her hoof up to her muzzle in a thinking stance. Spinning around to meet Trixie's gaze, she had a curious look on her face. Trixie shared that curiosity.

"What's wrong? Did you forget something?" inquired the silver maned unicorn. Twilight began to walk past her with her eyes still fixed on Trixie.

"I thought I had left a recipe book lying around over here. Hang on a second while I get it," she said as she left the room. Once gone, Trixie noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground where Twilight just was. Her horn illuminated, and a bubbly blue aura brought the note to her. She scanned over the title and immediately recognized the word 'recipe.' Having put two and two together, she turned to call out the departed mare.

"Hey Twili--" she muted fast. A better idea had come to mind, one that should make her look good. Approaching the stove, she plopped the pot on a burner and used her horn to twist the dial to the high setting. Honestly, she didn't know how the stove worked, but a high setting should give her the speediest results. Glancing back the note, she scanned over the components. This is where her first problem comes in. No matter how hard she squinted, the writing just couldn't be made out that well. 'Didn't Twilight write this?' her pondering started. 'How could such a scholar and overly tidy mare like her have cursive writing this bad? This makes reading chicken scratches seem easy!'

Still looking at individual words, Trixie managed to compare the scribbles to actual, readable words. One ingredient seemed to be several cups of plain old water, which she poured into the heating pot carefully before looking back at the recipe. Another part looked like it said something along the lines of 'manorange soup,' or perhaps just orange soup. Groaning at this inconsistent drivel, drew her head back in frustration. It was then when she saw a vial with an orange liquid in it sitting in a holder of some sort, with other colored containers accompanying it. Raising up what could be the 'orange soup,' she shrugged and let the thick substance flow into the boiling water. Woosh went a puff of red smoke into the air. Beginning to sweat, Trixie looked to the opening to the next room to make sure Twilight hadn't seen or heard that. Nothing but silence befell her ears: a relief at best.

Taking a peek at the list again, she sounded out the word, "cah-hat wer-st-ies?" She took a moment on the second word, staring at each letter. Maybe it's suppose to be 'cat whiskers' or 'hat with tie?' Actually the first one was more likely to be it, but where would, or for that matter, why would Twilight keep cat whiskers lying around? With that question in mind, her blank stare caught the spice rack right above her head. Her eyes followed her hoof as she examined each small container with multicolored grains mixtures inside them. Second from the end of the row sat a large bottle with long strands of thin, black string. There wasn't a label on it, but the hair-like twine bared familiarization of what cat whiskers look like. Referencing the recipe again, a measurement wasn't given with this specific part. Repeating her first reaction to the questionable item, she rose her shoulders up again and dumped the entire bottle into the pot. No smoke shot out this time, fortunately.

After more puzzling letter arrangement deciphering, Trixie manages to add more oddly colored liquids and various strange objects to her brew. Taking note of the final directions on the slip of paper she found on the ground, she put the cover onto the pan, keeping the dial on a high setting. This was her way of simmering as the recipe stated. Vials and bottles, now empty of their contents, were returned where they came from. After just a few minutes, the soup would be ready. Suddenly, there was a slight tremor that shook the room, caused by several objects making impact on the floor behind Trixie. She jumped and spun around to find the source of the noise. Standing in front of a horde of stacked books was a panting lavender unicorn who lost control of carrying said books when she saw the sight of a boiling pot. Regardless of her huffing and puffing, a crazed frown and narrowed brows had formed on Twilight's sweat covered face.

"I told you... this would be..." she huffed, trying to catch her breath. "...under my supervision!" Making her way to the stove, she took off the cover to the pot so she could see what the showmare had done. Not even that long of a glance and her eyes fell back on Trixie.

"How did you..." managing to breathe normally now. "How did you make this without a recipe?" inquired Twilight who had, somehow, calmed down a little bit. Looking back at her, Trixie should have showed her the recipe that Twilight was looking for. Instead of doing the right thing, however, she came up with a tiny fib to make her look good instead.

"Trixie made her very own recipe, one that her mother used to make! She remembered it from her childhood," tricked Trixie. Twilight gave a half-hearted stare in response.

"Why didn't you mention this to me before?" she asked with irritation in her words.

"A surprise! Trixie wanted it to be a surprise, Twilight Sparkle," she told another lie. Twilight noticed the place around them. Despite the tons of books behind her, the entire room was completely spotless. Not a spill or even a drop could be seen anywhere. She supposed the fact that nothing really went wrong was good enough for her to lighten up.

"A surprise, huh? I like this surprise!" replied Twilight with a sweet smile from ear to ear. The showmare was able to ease down. Somehow she had calmed the beast for the time being. Whatever happens later, she could take care of when she comes to it. As of right now, Twilight's smile was lighting up her muzzle in a warm, red hue. A look she had kept close to her heart and looked back upon for support. Now that this nightmare was over, they could finally sit down and eat. Twilight took liberty of setting the table with two large bowls of 'Trixie's' homemade soup. They both sat down and stared at their own bowls respectively. It was here they got a good look at the final product.

The soup was a putrid, blackened purple mixture, an assortment of unknown objects with spontaneous bubbling occurring around the solid chunks of black. Thankfully, the blend had little-to-no scent, so it only looked disgustingly inedible. Twilight looked back up at the same time as Trixie did, both exchanging cringing looks. Showing which of them had more courage, Twilight picked up her spoon with her glowing horn and scooped some of the foul stew up towards her lips. Trixie leaned forward in anticipation for the worst kind of outcome. The spoon tilted towards the lavender mare's mouth and she gulped it down swiftly. Opening her shut eyes of disdain, a sickening frown was displayed. This was something Trixie couldn't let her go through with.

"Twilight, you don't have to eat Trixie's horrib-" was all she got out before being interrupted by Twilight.

"This is really good!" her frown turned into a delighted grin. Immediately, the bowl was raised up and swayed forward, letting the purple mare chug the entire bowl down in one straight chug. Her joyful face revealed again, she licked her lips thoroughly. Trixie was dumbfounded and in a state of complete disbelief. Out of curiosity, she also gave this concoction of hers a taste test. To her surprise, it tasted like her tongue died and went to pony heaven. How could she make something this good? Sure, she followed the directions on Twilight's recipe slip, but she never expected for it to be this satisfying. Mimicking Twilight before, her own bowl rose up to her lips as she nursed the entire contents of the dish down. With one last gulp, the bowl slammed back on the table and the showmare let out a relaxed breath. They both could agree that this particular blend Trixie made deserved some sort of medal or award. Twilight felt the urge to give appraisal at that very moment.

"That was wonderful, Trixie! I didn't think you'd be such a natural cook," she assured with her hoof extended on the table and a dreamy look in her eyes. The Great and Powerful Trixie had finally done it! Not only did she impress the mare of her dreams, but she had a lovely look in her eye, and a hoof that seemed to invite hers. Time to finally claim her prize.

"Aw, it was nothing, Twilight. I guess I just have a knack for good cooking," cooed Trixie as she reached her hoof out. Just to make things clear, this was no dream. Once Trixie's hoof managed to unite with Twilight's, both of their hearts jumped in sync. Following that was a sudden static shock, forcing their hooves apart. The lavender unicorn held her burning hoof to her chest.

"What the heck was that?" she winced in pain.

"Trixie isn't sure. She just felt a--" distracted by Twilight's horn that veiled with the color blue, she stopped in the middle of her sentence. It was then, Twilight noticed, the showmare's horn also sparked a color. Instead of its usual blue, it matched her purple aura instead. Without much time to prepare, the duo felt a strange energy pulling at them. This force tugged at them roughly and made their bodies move, regardless of how much they struggled. Not too long into this, they realized that they weren't being randomly pulled in a direction. It was their horns that were dragging them to each other. As much as they both wanted this, the exertion just wasn't natural to them. They wanted to come together through love and harmony, not some voodoo magic!

Finally their horns had met and and an onslaught of white flashes lashed out all around them. Both their eyes were slammed shut as they grunted while trying to push each other away. Their horns had felt like their attachment to each other was permanent and had no way of breaking that bond. It wasn't until both mares gave up that a completely opposite force exploded between them, sending them flying in opposite directions. Twilight collided with the front door, while Trixie caught the edge of the opening into the kitchen which spun her to the floor. Having the wind knocked out of both of them put them out of commission for a while.

At least until the next chapter.

***

Author's Notes:

Another chapter down and more to come! I'm seriously not trying to up my word count with each chapter! I want to get to a certain point in the story and keep it hanging there for the next part to pick up. So by coincidence It's almost hitting 5,000. I'm sorry if that's a bit too long for some people. Even I think it's an intimidating number for one chapter... Anyway, Lesson Zero Twilight was going to be introduced sooner or later in the story. I've foreshadowed this pretty lightly with the organization remarks. It's only when Trixie is threatening to move her things around, that she kind of freaks out. Hopefully, it's not too over the top. Trixie is susceptible to fear as shown when she faced the Ursa Minor, so I thought it was all appropriate.

Oh, the whole horn shock thing? It's explained next chapter, don't worry. It's not that random.

The Sixth Chapter Whether Their Horns Touched Or Not

Chapter 6: Whether Their Horns Touched Or Not

If you are reading this, then you have made it thus far and wish to continue. Somehow you're interested in this story and wish to know where it goes next. I mean, this is Twixie we're talking about! The best shipping that My Little Pony could offer which eventually led to this tale of nonsense, yet you continue to read it! It's not like there's any other Twixie related story you could be reading right now...

Like: Of Mares and Magic, The Ballad of Twilight Sparkle, Fillystata, Out In The Cold, Spookshow Baby, Adored, Teardrops and Snowflakes, The Power of Pride, Trixie's Costume, A Twilight and Trixie Story, The Luxury Lotus Spa Follies, Glimmerhorn Vale, Mending Hearts, Spookshow Baby II, Major Problems, Faithful Student, Harmless Trip to Manehatten, Mistress of Midnight Castle, Reaching Midnight, Of Two Minds, Turning Trixie, Swapped, Seeking a Weakness, not to mention all the short one-shots and stash of clopfics that I'm not mentioning here... But who’s counting?

But hey, whatever floats your boat! (Obscure pun intended)

***

The Bright and Adorkable Twilight Sparkle found herself lying on the ground. Colliding with the front door by a force that strong would usually result in a sore back and possible head trauma. However, Twilight didn't feel a thing, nor was she scathed in any way. Rising to her hooves, she immediately looked around to see if Trixie was okay. Not too far from where she stood, an azure unicorn was sitting up with her body facing away. The lavender mare wandered over to the showmare and laid her left forehoof onto her right shoulder. Trixie turned her head and gazed up at Twilight, holding her hoof to her chest. Her eyes appeared glazed over with an addition of an open frown. Noticing this, the bookworm tilted her head to the side in curiosity.

"You're not hurt... are you, Trixie?" asked Twilight. Her friend, sitting on the ground still, bowed her head for a moment in thought, then looked back at her with the same expression.

"No, Trixie is fine, Twilight Sparkle," she murmured. There wasn't any tone or inflection of her pride bursting out of her speech like it usually was when she spoke. In addition, her hoof never left her chest. Did she injure it or something? An attempt was made by Twilight to investigate.

"Why do you keep holding your hoof like that? Is it hurting again?" she inquired as she pointed at the limb in question. Even Trixie knew this was a valid observation, since it was the same hoof that had been hurting on and off all day. To her, this wasn't the problem right now, but something else way more important.

"No... it's nothing like that," she said as her head slumped forward again, focusing her attention on that one specific hoof. Twilight didn't buy the act for a second. Knowing something was bothering Trixie, she stepped over, and sat down in front of her, facing her direction. Nothing but concern was written on her face while watching Trixie fidget with her hoof. She wanted to find out the reason behind this behavior. It was completely unlike Trixie to act like a lost puppy.

"Trixie, tell me what's going on. I'm worried about you," said Twilight with a serious sound in her voice. She reached out to the showmare, yet Trixie pulled back away from her. A melancholic frown was shown in response by Twilight. Helping Trixie is all she really wanted to do, but it seems like every attempt fails. Nevertheless, another try wouldn't hurt, right? With that in mind, Twilight rose up, stood over Trixie, and gave a stern stare in her eyes.

"Trixie..." she hesitated for a second, since this was embarrassing to say out loud. "I really care about y-you and I only want to know what's w-wrong so I can help!" The egghead stammered. This brought on a reaction from both mares as their blood rose and a bright red tinge appeared on both their faces. Averting her gaze from Twilight, Trixie muttered something to herself and looked to her left to avoid looking at the mare while talking.

"Well- you see, Trixie was just so close," she said. Before Twilight could prod for more information on what Trixie was so close to, an azure hoof, once held to Trixie's chest, was now extended towards her. Glancing back at Twilight, the showmare continued from where she left off.

"So close to touching your heart-- I mean hoof!" stumbled Trixie, slamming her eyes shut at her mistake in word choice. Also, her illeism was misplaced in her brief moment of weakness. Twilight, on the other hoof, remembered that they did have a touching union just after finishing dinner. Only it was interrupted by a a spark of electricity flowing through their bodies, forcing their hooves to separate. Thinking back, she was surprised Trixie reached out to her like that. 'It was almost if...' she pondered as she managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Suddenly, her eyes broadened and a wonderful conclusion was reached.

Without any further thinking, she looked back with a gleaming smile at the mare beneath her who merely blinked, unaware of what was about to happen. Two lavender hooves darted after Trixie, flying past either sides of her body. They turned inwards and collided with the magician's back, raising her frame up to Twilight's chest. What was confusing for Trixie was a huge relief for Twilight. In her excitement Twilight squeezed her tightly, nearly breaking Trixie's back and cutting off her airways. Eventually, Twilight loosened her grip on Trixie's slender body and brought her down to her eye level, keeping her face in close proximity.

"So you do like me! Oh, Trixie, please don't hide your feelings from me a moment longer. Tell me everything!" beamed Twilight, showing Trixie her most affectionate expression she could muster. Being found out so easily made Trixie want to deny it all and go back to her corner she named isolation. However, Twilight's excitement proved that there were feelings that could be returned to her. This pushed the showmare to act on her emotions rather than prolonging the truth.

"You're absolutely right, Twilight Sparkle. Trixie does harbor feelings for you," she said with an ounce of regret at the end. The ground felt a huge weight impact it as Twilight abruptly let go of her friend. After all this time, Trixie really did feel the same way about her. Tears began rolling down her beat red face and her happiest smile remained with it. Those two lavender hooves from before now struck the floor on both sides of Trixie's body. Violet eyes with water-rimmed bottoms met another set of widened purple eyes below.

"Trixie... I wish you had told me about this sooner, but I’m so happy that you like me the same way I like you," she admitted, still with tears flowing over her cheeks. Now, Trixie wanted to mirror this bookworm's face after hearing her say that she felt the same way.

"You mean-" Trixie held back a sob. "You, Twilight Sparkle, also like Trixie; I mean, in a very affectionate way?" Holding back her joyful sorrow was hard enough, but once Twilight nodded, confirming their heart's places once and for all, Trixie found her defenses cave in and streams of clear fluid came running down both sides of her face.

"It's not fair, Twilight Sparkle! Why are you doing this to Trixie?" Cried the showmare. Halting her sudden exhales of sorrow, she wondered what Trixie had meant by that. Was she that upset that Twilight saw her crying?

"What are you talking about, Trixie? Aren't you happy with me?" She inquired.

"Trixie is, but..." said Trixie without any intent on finishing her sentence.

"But...?" Twilight insisted, anticipating an explanation this time. The cerulean blue unicorn could only stain her face more with rivers of tears. Staring into those loving violet eyes above her only made this that much harder to say.

"Couldn't you have told Trixie this in reality and not some cheap dream?!" She shouted, her eyes half closed from the amount of fluid leaking from her eyelids. Eyes lighting up in a dark realization, Twilight coped with repeating her final word.

"Dream?"

***

Surges of tormenting pain made Twilight's entire body pound. Now she felt the body aches she was suppose to have before. The sore back and headache were there along with a slightly irritated attitude. She took a moment to reflect on what just happened. 'Were all those life changing events really a silly dream?' she wondered as she laid down with her eyes half opened. 'Why did it feel so real? Sure, I've dreamed of Trixie before and probably did unspeakable things with her, but this time was so... different.' She somehow lifted her head up, which seemed to weigh a ton to her, and looked around a bit. Her surroundings were still that of the library, yet something felt a bit odd about it. Still, enduring the pain she was currently experiencing was too distracting for her to concentrate on that quite yet. There was a more pressing issue, anyway.

'I wonder if Trixie is okay,' thought Twilight as she struggled to move up to her hooves. It took some time and was a challenge to accomplish, yet eventually Twilight was able to push herself off the cold, hardwood floor. Wobbling up straight, she managed to keep her balance as a step forward was taken. That first step was a doozy, since a sharp pain flew up her leg the moment she shifted her weight on it. Wincing at the stinging pain, her hoof was lifted to eye level to be checked for injury.

Yep, she must have smashed it pretty bad. Her hoof was colored a pale royal blue and it almost felt like the pulse was trying to break out of her hoof's structure. Setting her injury back down, she pondered for a moment on what she should do. Being that Trixie still wasn't in sight or in sign of good health, Twilight couldn’t care less about herself. She limped across the room, hopping with her one front hoof while bending the other to prevent from making it worse. Once she navigated around the table at which they had just eaten dinner, Twilight saw a body in her sights. There was only one problem with this pony that was laid out before her.

Mane, tail and flesh wasn't that of The Great and Powerful Trixie at all. In fact, it only looked like Twilight's exact duplicate! Arriving at this confusion dilemma, the once lavender mare looked herself over and took a second take at the Twilight on the ground. Looking back at her body now, she couldn't help but see that she was completely covered in azure skin and had a silver mane and tail to go with it. The results were obvious to her, yet it was hard to admit it. Trixie and she must have switched bodies. Twilight tried to find what may have caused this spell to happen. 'It must have happened when our horns were touching. It boggles my mind how this could have happened. Why would touching horns simply do this?' she wondered. Either way, she needed to wake up Trixie and evaluate the situation immediately.

"Trixie," she whispered as she approached the sleeping mare. Coming up to her, Twilight nudged her limp body with her good hoof.

"Hey, Trixie. Wake up!" raising her tone a bit as she slightly pushed the showmare back and forth. A groan could be heard in Twilight's voice as the lavender body which belonged to Trixie now stirred.

"Ow... what happened?" she asked, turning herself to look up at the disturbance. Once her eyes fell upon her own figure standing in front of her, she tilted her head and squinted at the azure mare. Instantly, her gaze fell and a sudden wave of disappointment came over her.

"Oh, no. Not this dream again..." muttered Trixie with a hoof covering half her face in disgust. It was an unexpected comment to say the least so Twilight couldn't help but become curious.

"What dream?" she inquired. Trixie looked up at her again with an unsatisfied cringe. On second thought, maybe this was something Twilight shouldn't read into.

"Trixie, it's me! Twilight," she said while pointing a hoof towards her chest. Anypony could point to themselves and declare a name, so it's understanding if Trixie didn't believe her right away.

"Right, and Trixie is the most powerful equine who ever lived. Oh, wait... she is!" boasted Trixie while trying to hold back a laugh. Instead, a mischievous smirk went across her face. Only when the pony was not Twilight Sparkle would she flaunt that ridiculously high self-esteem of hers. Twilight could only roll her eyes at the mare, since that's how she always used to act. Again, she attempted to convince Trixie that she is no longer the owner of her own body.

"Look," she pointed at Trixie' new lavender skin. "Look at yourself. You don't look anything like The Great and Powerful Trixie!" she exclaimed. Watching Trixie's mannerisms being used on her face was pretty strange as she upturned her nose with closed eyes. Would she really look like that if she were to pout the same way? Thoughts like that are irrelevant at the moment. Getting Trixie to notice the situation was proving to be more challenging than it needed to be. Twilight contemplated her next approach and came up with a foal-proof idea. Using her new azure horn she put a blue bubble around her once striped mane and floated the ends of it into Trixie's field of vision.

"Why are you showing Trixie her..." she stopped as soon as it hit her. Wasn't her mane a silver color? Immediately staring at her flank, she saw a six sided star with five white stars surrounding it. Her head pivoted back to Twilight, eyes full of unexpected fear. Disbelief instantly snapped into bewilderment as her violet eyes expanded to it's brim.

"Another dream of Trixie's?" She questioned in the hope of making sense of this odd predicament. In this case, Twilight decided to conduct an experiment.

“Let’s test that theory, shall we?” Twilight said with a mischievous smirk across her face. Raising her hoof high, she bonked the top of Trixie’s head. The showmare flinched and rubbed where she was hit with her lavender hoof. Her face showed an annoyed cringe as the mare before her only smiled.

“Why did you hit Trixie?!” Scowled Trixie. Grinning turned to snickering as Twilight tried to hold back her own laughter.

“Trixie demands you stop laughing at her this instant!” exclaimed Trixie, coming up on all fours.

“Sorry, Trixie, but I guess that proves your hypothesis wrong,” she giggled. Though, she was still irritated by being hit by her own hoof, Trixie began to form a grip on reality. She stared at her original body, then her purple flank, and then double taking back to her initial figure. There was no denying it now; they must have switched bodies. For Trixie, it was a little embarrassing for another pony to be in control of her body. Especially if it happens to be the number one mare in her heart.

“G-give Trixie her b-body back, Twilight Sparkle!” she stammered, pointing a hoof at her body snatcher. Easier said than done when you don’t know how it happened in the first place. Twilight knew the key to getting their minds back into their original structures: find the cause of the dilemma and reverse it, immediately. With that in mind, she began reflecting on the previous events before they both ended up like this permanently. As she rewound from her present memories, the first stop almost made her tear up. Remembering the dream where they had confessed their feelings for one another, only for it all to have never taken place. Twilight held back her tears as she ventured further back.

The next scene she can bring up was when their horns slided up against each other. Sparks and flashes of bright lights flew out, then knocked them both out by jerking them to opposite sides of the room. Could this have been it? Their horns touching in such a way that it forced their minds to intertwine and switch? ‘It wouldn’t hurt to try,’ thought Twilight as she looked at her old self.

“Trixie,” she called out. The showmare gave a long, semi-amused stare back.

“Yes, she has been waiting for you to say something. Trixie asked for her lovely figure back and you just sat there staring into space,” complained Trixie. Having a blank gaze towards the wall was exactly what Twilight was doing, so Trixie was right in that regard. What she wasn’t right about was asking for her body back. She actually ordered for it to be returned to her. Even so, Twilight ignored her selfish plea and continued with her plan anyway.

“Never mind that; Come here,” she motioned with her hoof for Trixie to come closer to her. Reluctantly, she stepped a little closer, thinking the egghead might have a way of switching them back.

“Lower your head a little bit,” said Twilight, moving her hoof downward. Again, Trixie followed Twilight’s commands and tilted her head towards her. Unknowing to what her friend would do, Trixie closed her eyes in anticipation. She felt a warm, silky pressure ease onto her forehead and something graze her horn gently. Opening her eyes, she thought there was a mirror in front of her. Instead, it was Twilight who had rubbed against her. Even though it was Trixie’s body, Twilight’s mind was still in control of it so this interaction freaked the magician out.

“W-what are you d-doing?” she stuttered, wishing she could back away, but finding herself paralyzed.

“I’m trying to see if we can switch back. Hold still,” said Twilight. Staying still was what Trixie was doing; in fact, her body couldn’t move at all. Her horn was very susceptible to touch. Every time Twilight fidgeted with her horn against her own, Trixie quivered from pure excitement. Crimson red illuminated through her cheeks as she looked upon the mare in front of her. Supposedly concentrating, Twilight mirrored the showmare’s behavior while blushing more profusely. They stayed like this for a moment until Trixie broke the silence.

“Anything yet, Twilight?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

“N-not yet.” Twilight wasn’t as successful at controlling her speech. Not a single magical reaction came from this kind of contact. Rubbing horns together must have not been the way to reverse the spell. Though it was stimulating to the both of them, Twilight knew there was something missing. Thinking back again, before their horns had touched, she noticed Trixie’s horn was lit up as a different color than her normal blue aura. Did they both use magic subconsciously, resulting in their horns touching and forms swapping? To Twilight, it was worth an attempt.

“Trixie, let’s try this, instead. Focus your magic onto my body while I do the same to yours. It might just work and switch us back,” coaxed Twilight. From all the new, thrilling sensations this exercise was giving to Trixie, she could only nod in acknowledgement and was unable to speak at the moment. Both mares had closed their eyes and gritted their teeth while sparking their horns with their respected colored hues. Magic bubbles had surrounded both their bodies as they were lifted into the air. Throughout the next five minutes of this, nothing significant happened. Only two unicorns touching horns, enveloped in blue and purple lights, and grunting at each other like foals. Any other pony would misunderstand this situation had they walked in on it.

Eventually, the magic that covered them and gave them flight scattered from their bodies, causing them to drop only a few feet before they met the ground with a flop. The particles of energy that flew from them collided with the surrounding walls and bookcases, shaking the large hollowed tree outside, and forcing various books to lose their places as they were brought down to the same hardwood floor. Back to the duo who had exhausted their stamina after a strenuous, questionable workout, they both let out an equally frustrated groan.

“Is Trixie... Great and... Powerful again?” Trixie inquired in between taking breaths. Still weary, she lifted her head up to glance at the other mare’s appearance. What she saw was herself, looking just as tired as she was. Disappointed that the trick didn’t work, her head slammed back down onto the hard wood. At least she had a thrilling moment with her, despite not sharing it in their original bodies. Twilight, on the other hoof, was losing hope about turning them both back to normal. Once again, she took a look back to locate where the key to their problem laid.

Sure, it was when their horns flashed opposite colors that the spell seemed to have started, but maybe something before that sparked the latter events. They vaguely touched with their hooves resulting in a static shock. Twilight dismissed that idea, only because they’ve already touched horns and their hooves didn’t hold any magical properties. Something must have happened before that could produce these results. Recalling further in the past, the only thing they did before that was eat Trixie’s odd but wonderful soup.

Suddenly a light bulb darted above Twilight’s head, lighting brightly. ‘The soup could have possibly been a potion that caused all of this!’ she thought. Only one problem: Trixie said it was her mother’s recipe. No way could it turn out to be a body swap potion. ‘Then again...’ she pondered. ‘This is the Great and Powerful Trixie we’re dealing with.’ She set out to interrogate the showmare about the brew made earlier. Pushing herself up with Trixie’s feeble legs, she slowly walked over to her downed friend.

“Are you sure that soup was your mother’s recipe, Trixie?” She questioned with half lowered eyebrows. She expected an explanation, yet Trixie wasn’t going to give one so easily.

“O-of course it was Trixie’s mother's recipe! What are you implying, Twilight Sparkle?” Asked Trixie as if she was the victim here. Twilight caught the magician stumbling a bit when she spoke so she wasn’t buying this lie of hers. Standing up straight to tower over Trixie, she thought of a more chilling way to reason with her.

“I’m implying that if you don’t tell me the complete truth, you might just lose somepony’s trust forever,” Twilight whispered with a threatening tone. This seem to have done the trick since Trixie now bolted up straight on all four hooves. From what she had seen before with Twilight’s obsessive nature, she knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“Okay! Okay,” she began. “Trixie used a recipe she found written by you. She only took credit because you seemed so impressed that Trixie wanted to look good an--” Trixie finally admitted it, but was interrupted by Twilight in mid-ramble.

“What recipe? I don’t remember giving you one,” she said with a blank stare. Knowing she was going to get in trouble with this bookworm, Trixie began running into the other room. Picking up the poorly written slip she found earlier with a purple veil of magic, she rushed back to Twilight who sat there impatiently with her forehooves folded above her chest.

“This recipe,” she put the face of the paper up to Twilight’s eye level. “Trixie found it on the ground after you left to find a recipe book. She thought it was the one you were looking for so she tried following the directi--” again her story was stopped by Twilight’s blue hoof raised to the magician’s mouth. Looking over the contents, Twilight recognized what it was.

“This is no recipe for soup.” she sighed. “This is a recipe for a teleportation distance enhancer. I was researching to see how I could extend my teleportation spell to reach longer ranges. This, however, were just some of the notes I jotted down. It’s still incomplete,” Twilight pointed out, scratching her head. It was puzzling to think that Trixie somehow made a body-swap potion out of half the instructions for an unrelated one.

“Knowing all of this, how did Trixie make such a potion with this kind of effect?” Trixie asked, showing off the front of Twilight’s body with her hooves.

“Good question. The ingredients I have on here already wouldn’t have much effect on us. It was still missing a few components,” said Twilight, sitting in a thinking position with her head resting on the end of her hoof.

“Speaking of which, why do you have cat whiskers as an ingredient? Trixie finds that a bit odd,” Trixie stated, with a raised brow over the other. Neither of them expected the development that was about to happen. Twilight immediately stood up, staring at her original body controlled by Trixie with wild, broadened eyes.

“Cat whiskers? What are you talking about?” She questioned with a panic. Now she had no idea what Trixie could have possibly put into this concoction. Walking over to Twilight’s side, Trixie pointed out the line she had sounded out as such. A blue hoof landed on Twilight’s forehead in aggravation in response.

“That doesn’t say ‘cat whiskers.’ It says chimera black hairs,” she revealed. In acknowledgement, Trixie shot a confused glance at the mare next to her. Twilight’s writing was more horrible than she thought. Looking back at the same line, not even the words were spaced out in a way that can be interpreted as three separate letter arrangements. In detail, she questioned to herself how that specific letter was suppose to be another one, and even saw little traces of letters between others. Flabbergasted at these new findings, she wondered what all the other ingredients were. What had she used that was listed here, if anything?

“What did you use for... cat whiskers?” inquired Twilight, nudging the shocked unicorn with her hoof. This woke up the deep-in-thought showmare with a slight jump.

“Oh! Um, Trixie will show you,” she said abruptly, troting back to where she found the potion recipe initially. Twilight followed closely behind her, not knowing what Trixie had possibly disturbed in her kitchen area. Thoughts like this messed with her mind. She didn’t even want to think about it since it might send her over the edge. A side she would like to keep Trixie from seeing again, if possible.

“It was in this bottle, Twilight,” Trixie held up the empty bottle to Twilight. “The recipe didn’t
specify how much of it was needed so Trixie... poured the whole thing in.” She shut her eyes, waiting for the backlash she deserved. After a moment’s passing, one eye shot opened cautiously to see how the egghead reacted. To her surprise, Twilight had a content smirk on her face. Either she wasn’t all that mad, or she was really furious with her. Trixie prayed for the first one to be true and, fortunately for her, that wish was granted.

“Oh, so you actually did use the chimera hairs, Trixie. Lucky for us, I have a lot more where that came from,” stated Twilight with glee. A wave of relief came over Trixie. She really had lucked out this time. ‘Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all,’ she thought.

“Well that’s one down,” Twilight patted Trixie’s shoulder. “I guess we could just recreate the potion you made using the components you used.” Still at ease, Trixie felt that the solution might not be has hard as she thought.

“Now this first one,” she pointed at the top line. “I’m sure you used a dragon scale for this right?” Actually, Trixie didn’t even know she had such a thing. Taking a gander at the line in question, she noticed it was the ‘manorange soup’ line she read before. How that turned into a dragon scale in wording, she wouldn’t attempt to figure out. Twilight’s cursive was far more abysmal then anypony could have predicted.This kind of calligraphy should be forbidden and punishable by banishment. ‘Well maybe not that bad. At least a bump on the head as pay back from before.’ she thought maliciously.

“Sorry, Twilight Sparkle, but Trixie is afraid she didn’t use that,” she said, while moving towards where that orange vial once sat. “Trixie used the amber liquid that was sitting over here.” she extended her hoof to indicate where it was on the table. The recipe slip held by Twilight’s horn floated to the ground. Zipping over to where Trixie was, Twilight stared at the spot that was being pointed to. She desperately wanted her eyes to deceive her, to believe the contents were still present in this vessel, but there only was an empty vial with small drops of a sun-colored liquid inside. Both pupils of her purple eyes were quivering in disbelief, therefore she had to make absolutely sure this wasn’t a joke.

“Please tell me you didn’t use this,” she pleaded in an almost monotone voice, her eyes never leaving the clear, glass container. Anxiety rose from the horrors of the Twilight she remembered she faced before, Trixie sought to only be honest this time to try to avoid it the best she can.

“Yes! Trixie used that one, but surely it wasn’t that important, right?” Questioned Trixie, striving to calm the other mare down. Instead, a hair on Twilight’s silver mane went astray. Cranking her neck to show her face in Trixie’s direction, a piercing glare penetrated the showmare’s eyes, darting through her body, and heating her heart to a boil.

“That unimportant substance was liquid brimstone!” Twilight snarled, struggling to hold back any harsh insults she wanted to throw at Trixie, who of which gave another attempt at easing the mare back into a better mood.

“Trixie is sure we could just whip up another batch in no time... Right?” She gulped as Twilight’s face churned into a scornful scowl with teeth clenched.

“Wrong! It’s not we either. This kind of chemical took me...” Twilight hesitated as her eye suddenly twitched. “It took me a year to make. Even with my notes on creating it still intact, the whole process would still take MONTHS!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. With Twilight’s rage reaching its climax, the story was abruptly cut off and pasted its future contents onto the next chapter.

***

Author’s Note:
Bit of an early release here. This is because my editor finished with it unexpectedly fast. I know these cliffhangers are starting to get old, but there’s no way I can end a chapter with closure at this point. In fact, I'm starting to think with the slow pace I go, I should add a slice of life tag on the story. If anypony thinks I should, I wouldn’t mind hearing it mentioned. Also is the random tag still valid? Without many of my meta interjections, I don’t see how it’s all that random... Maybe it’s just me.

Again over 5,000. Better than 4,000? I think it’s good that I actually had to stop before the point I wanted to reach because I was over my normal word count again. Hope everypony who’s kept up with me this far, still likes reading this.

Also special props go to the pre-reader/editor whom I regularly ego stroke because he really does a thorough job! He’ll read this before anypony and abruptly facehoof, haha! Multiple times, he might add... Which he has!

The Seventh Chapter Whenever The Solution Is Found

Chapter 7: Whenever The Solution Is Found

Still reading, eh? Did you ever stop for a second and think, "When will these hijinks end? When will they finally get together and just make foals and stuff?" I know exactly how you feel. There are plenty of incomplete fanfictions that I would think the same thing. Not all Twixie stories, either (I'm allowed to have other interests!). So I guess at some point you would think the same about this little story here. I don't mind; heck, I was enjoying the ride! Though, when will this all end and you get to that sweet, juicy, steamy, savory, hot, amazing, stupendous, wonderific fanservice ending when they get together? Well, I've done some research and spoke with some advisers, both of which weren't helpful whatsoever, so I'll just use an answer that an infamous video game company once said:

"When it's done."

...

Ok, maybe a few more chapters to go. Ugh Jeez, you had to give me that look!

***

The Shocked and Aggravated Twilight Sparkle never thought she could lose her temper with the one mare that made her heart sing. Setting a boundary only to have it broken, however, sent the bookworm over the edge. Regretfully, this caused her to shout at the top of her lungs towards Trixie in order to relieve her frustration. She now saw her once owned face in front of her contort and its normal color go pale as if she saw a ghost. How she made such a dent in Trixie's physical emotional state is beyond her. She was always so arrogant and brimming with confidence. Giving that kind of look coerced Twilight to feel as if she was an Ursa Minor ready to attack her out of insomnia. Creating this image in her mind caused Twilight to take it down a notch.

“I-I’m... I’m sorry, Trixie,” her wrath quelled as her gaze fell to the floor. “I didn’t mean to yell at you like that. It’s only that I’ve worked so hard on it for so long and...” Twilight paused, distracted by her troubling thoughts of what Trixie’s opinion might be of her now. What she didn’t understand was that liquid brimstone really did take a little more then three hundred and sixty five days to complete for her. Melting a giant slab of it into a vial this small took most of those days of constant heating of various parts to obtain small drops from it. This, and the trial and error that came with it when the liquid wouldn’t sustain its physical state. How could Trixie ever understand this without a long and sleep-inducing explanation?

Either way, Trixie managed to revert her expression back to normal after hearing Twilight’s apology. Making the mess of this was her fault, though. As much as she doesn’t like apologizing, she will once again have to take responsibility for this one. Causing their bodies to switch with no guarantee that it can swapped back was a dreadful burden to carry, after all.

“Trixie is also sorry, Twilight. This mess was her doing, after all. How can Trixie make up to you?” She questioned with a voice full of remorse. Although she had asked forgiveness of this mare before, this time was the most important. Surprised by her sincerity, Twilight contemplated the last question that was asked.

“Make it up to me?” She inquired with riddled thoughts. Immediately, she desired the magician to spend every waking moment with her and never leave her no matter what. For this, it might be a bit too extreme and unfair in Trixie’s case. They both should be focused on resolving their identity crisis first. ‘Marriage and foals could come later,’ she thought.

“Well, first things first,” she began. “We will need to find an alternate way to put ourselves back where we belong,” she said, tapping her chin with the end of her hoof. Trixie had made the potion by accidentally mixing all the right components for it. Without one part of it, the concoction just doesn’t work. The solution seemed painfully clear, now.

“So the first goal would be to recreate the liquid brimstone?” Guessed Trixie, predicting the obvious answer would be ‘yes.’

“Nope,” Twilight smiled. “I think I have another, easier way of doing this.” Wishing she had mentioned it before, Trixie shot a look of curiosity. Was there an substitute ingredient she didn’t mention before? In that regard, why didn’t she mention this other method beforehoof? They could have avoided this entire mess and turned back to normal by now.

“Why didn’t you say so in the first place? Tell Trixie of your plan!” She exclaimed impatiently, moving closer to Twilight.

“Well, I remember reading about a body swap spell once. It should be in one of the books here in the library,” she explained. Turning around, Trixie looked to the next room where she saw bookshelf after bookshelf of multi pale-colored books. There had to be hundreds just in that one room. Not to mention the ones in the study and the bedroom. Luckily, she remembered how Twilight was easily able to find the book they read earlier. If that’s the case, then this would be a piece of cake.

“Alright, Twilight Sparkle. Where is this book you speak of? Trixie is ready to have her old body back,” the showmare beamed.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Twilight replied absently. Not expecting that kind of demoralizing response, the ground met with Trixie’s body as she dropped to the ground. Refusing to get back up, she spoke from the hardwood floor instead.

“Trixie saw you pull a book down earlier, knowing exactly where it was,” she pointed out, still grounded below.

“Uh, yeah, that was my favorite book after all! How would I not know where it is? The book I’m talking about I’ve maybe read twice and vaguely remember the details in it,” revealed Twilight, treating the fact as if it should have been obvious to her. Simple to figure out or not, Trixie buried her face in her hooves and proceeded to muffle her loud groans of frustration. Hundreds of books to go through with very little clue of which book would hold the resolution to their problem. Beginning to think making liquid brimstone would be the less time consuming choice, Trixie brought her self back up to her hooves.

“Twilight, do you have any idea how long it would take to go though all these books?!” She asked rhetorically as an argument directed at the egghead. Her hoof raised to point to the enormous collection of literature sitting in the next room. Surely, it was a waste of time to go through so many pages of numerous hardcovers only to come up empty each time. Like trying to find a needle in a haystack, somepony would say. Twilight wasn’t that dense about finding a book, however.

“It’s not like we’re going to look through every single book I have. Come with me, I’ll show you what I mean,” explained Twilight, walking past the showmare into the next room. Trixie dragged her hooves, following the mare into the main area of the library where most of the books were located. Coming up to one of the racks, a book floated down to them encased in a blue aura. Twilight faced the unamused magician with the floating book to her side.

“See, all the books in this library are organized alphabetically, separated by genre. This makes it easy for anyone who wants to find a book and doesn’t want to go through the entire library’s stock,” she clarified while slowing pointing around the room, stopping to indicate where each section was. It might have narrowed down the books to only one or two hundred, depending on the genre they would look in, yet it was still far too many books even for them both to be looking. Though Twilight’s exposition wasn’t quite finished as she flipped through the pages, ending near the back cover. The book being held up to eye level, Trixie skimmed the page that was shown to her.

“The index? What about it?” Trixie inquired, looking over the book at her snickering friend.

“I’m surprised you know what an index is,” Twilight teased.

“You’re mocking Trixie again, Twilight Sparkle. Of course she has read plenty of books in her life to know what an index is,” mumbled Trixie with both brows lowered inward. Nonetheless, Twilight summarized what she was showing to the unicorn.

“Well, the index is the group of pages at the end of a book that list terms alphabetically which were used throughout the book. Using this, we might be able to find a certain word we need.” She finished the run-through of her plan by closing the book in front of Trixie and putting it back on its high shelf.

“So all we have to do is look at the index to find the term body swapping? I suppose that makes thing a lot more feasible. Where should we start?” asked Trixie, even though she still wasn’t all that excited about it. Twilight, however, was eager to start the search.

“Hmmm... we are looking for a spell so the unicorn magic section would be a good place to start,” she replied, bouncing over to the opposite side of the room. Behind her, Trixie showed her enthusiasm by lazily drifting over and pulling a book down from the bottom shelf. A good first choice since the book was about figure enchantments. Flipping it over to open the back cover, she skimmed the index down to the letter she needed. She saw the term ‘body shape’ first, knowing that she was closing in on the specific phrase. However, the next one turned out to be ‘body temperature,’ meaning the term ‘body swapping’ wasn’t listed. It was only the first book, so it was understandable.

After one book came another, and setting each one down behind them began creating a stack. The pile grew into towers and soon were accompanied by more tall columns. Yawning out of sheer boredom, Trixie threw back another useless piece of bonded paper into the hordes in the background. Her patience was wearing thin at this point.

“Any luck over there, Twilight?” She asked with a exasperated tone. Twilight had four books lined up in front of her, all with their indexes exposed. Closing all four at once, she stacked them neatly behind her. She had her own piles organized behind her, which compared to Trixie’s was a ratio of three to one.

“Nothing yet,” she murmured. Even she was getting tired from searching through all those books. It’s not like she was actually reading through them in the sanctity of her own body similar to what she usually does. Going through so much of this literature only to come up empty was frustrating. Plus, dusk had already set outside the hollowed tree. It was getting late, and they still haven’t found any kind of answer to their problem. Using her glowing horn, she struggled to pull one of the books on the top shelf. For some reason, this book wouldn’t budge from its place, no matter how hard she tugged at it. Trixie began to notice all the grunts coming from her.

“What’s wrong?” Asked Trixie, walking up to the mare who had her teeth clenched and her head reeling back as if she were trying to fish with her jaw. Looking up, she could see the glowing blue book on the top shelf. The light surrounding it contracted and compressed frantically, but the book just wasn’t coming loose. Irritated, Twilight moved a ladder over to where the trouble making book was located.

“I just need to grab this one book up here. Could you watch the ladder for me?” She requested, climbing up to the top where the book was. Trying to grab it from its side, Twilight gave as much effort as she could to draw this book out. ‘This is one stubborn book.’ She thought as she continued to pull it out with her front hooves. She couldn’t just let this one go, since it may very well be the book they need. Baring her teeth, she sunk them into the spine and started using all of her body strength to pluck it out. An idea popped into her head during this struggle. Using her horn, she gripped it with magical energy. Using both physical and magical strength, her groans became louder and body drenched with sweat.

Finally, the book came loose as Twilight was starting to give in. Unfortunately the momentum from how hard she pulled sent her backwards, off the safety of the ladder holding her up so high. Exhausted, she couldn’t even muster the ability to use her horn in any way possible. Her back that faced the ground met with a soft landing, though. At the same time, a loud grunt could be heard from below her.

"You're heavy... Please get off of Trixie!" Pleaded the mare under Twilight. Coming back to her hooves, Twilight spun around to find Trixie still on the ground. It was the second time today she had prevented harm from coming to the egghead. Maybe she wasn't as selfish as she first appeared.

"Th-Thank yo--" Twilight was cut off by Trixie.

"No need to thank Trixie, Twilight Sparkle. She was glad she could protect her body from further injury," she said, picking herself off the floor and dusting herself off. 'So she only did it for herself... I guess it’s one for one in terms of selflessness,' thought Twilight. It was then she noticed the book she had tried so hard to obtain was sitting on the ground before her. Lifting it up in a cerulean blue light, she flipped the book to the back where the index would be. Looking over it carefully and narrowing down to where the phrase would be, the book was instantly shut.

"It's not in this one, either," Twilight sighed and set the book on top of the smallest pile behind her.

"This is the unicorn magic section. It has to be here! Where else could it be?" Trixie inquired, rubbing her back, which was still in a bit of pain. Asking such a question helped Twilight think of the next spot to look. While it seemed that ‘unicorn magic’ would be an ideal section for the book to be in, it doesn’t mean it’s the only place it could be.

"I know of two more sections... We should split up and cover both at the same time," she said. Despite lying about only protecting her own figure, Trixie really didn't want to leave her crush's side since they have been spending time together most of the day. The mere thought of it made her heart sink and her lips curve up into a frown.

"Trixie understands," she agreed briefly, even though she didn't like the idea. Twilight didn’t want to be any further from Trixie either, yet her mind was more focused on getting their minds back in the right places.

“Great! I’ll go look in the study in the ‘Ancient Pony History’ section. Could you go up to the bedroom and look through my private collection?” She proposed, putting a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. Throwing her off guard, Trixie couldn’t help but wonder if this should be the other way around.

“You want Trixie to go through your private collection? Are you sure?” Asked Trixie, feeling a little bit uncomfortable going through somepony else’s personal stash.

“Don’t worry. It’s not like it’s a secret collection that only I can look at. Plus, I trust you,” Twilight insisted. Trixie’s face swelled up in a reddish hue in response to her words.

“Y-you trust T-Trixie?” She stammered.

“Of course I do. We’re friends after all!” Twilight beamed. Every time Twilight would compliment the showmare, a blush would come over her cheeks, her heart grew stronger in pulse, and the rest of her body perspired, giving her coat a glistening shine. How she wished she could milk this into even more kind words from the librarian. Her chest might not be able to take that sort of pounding within.

“Trixie is happy we’re friends...” she mouthed in a muted whisper. Twilight swore she saw movement from Trixie’s lips, but didn’t bother to question it.

“Good luck! I’ll check up on you once I’m done,” she said, walking towards the study with her eyes still fixed on Trixie, who was making her way up the steps towards the bedroom. Eventually, the wall adjacent to the doorway for the study felt impact from a silver maned head who’s owner couldn’t stop looking the opposite direction. Hearing a sudden bang across the room, Trixie glanced behind her to find its source. She only found the bookworm standing there, rubbing her head as if she hit it against something. Figuring she was okay, Trixie continued into the bedroom.

A familiar sight was taken in as she had inspected the bedroom that very morning. ‘Seems normal for a pony like Twilight to surround even her bedroom in almost nothing but books. Can’t say I’d do the same,’ pondered Trixie. Standing at the doorway, she could see the upper floor of the room where she had woken up that morning. ‘I’ll start at the top and work my way down,’ she thought as she navigated the stairs that went around the room. Walking past a dresser, an object caught Trixie’s eye, causing her to stop.

She backed up and inspected the dresser closer. The vase full of flowers sitting on the left end isn’t what got her attention, nor was it the single hairbrush positioned in the middle. Above the dresser was an oval mirror with a purple frame and a heart shape covering each edge as if pointing out the four cardinal directions. It wasn’t the mirror itself that intrigued Trixie, but the image that appeared inside. Staring back at her was the face of Twilight Sparkle, which makes sense because her body is under Trixie’s control.

Still, staring at a Twilight that could be manipulated to her will gave the showmare some bold ideas. She began this activity by making faces at her reflection. In turn, Twilight in the mirror made those faces back. Some were stretched out, mocking looks, while others played with contortion to see how far she could oversell an emotion, such as anger, sadness, or joy. Eventually, her heart took the reigns of Trixie and her next expression came from how she truly felt about Twilight. Looking back, that same mare gave her the same loving, flirtatious appearance in return. Leaning over the dresser and closing in on the mirror, Trixie edged closer to the reflection of Twilight Sparkle.

She had lost any logical control over herself as a blush of red appeared on her muzzle. To her --at least in this state of mind-- was the Twilight she longed for and wished to do unspeakable actions with. Only inches away from her mirrored image, Trixie’s breathing started to intensify along with the throbbing of her chest. The air from her lungs were forced out of her mouth, fogging up an area on the reflective surface as she moved slightly closer. Even in knowledge of the predictable taste a mirror could have, Trixie didn’t seem to care now that her lips were pressed up against it.

Her eyes were closed, yet with each few seconds passed, she would slightly open one eye to see the image of Twilight doing the same. Similar feelings being returned in only a visual way, but nonetheless was enough for this magician. To Trixie, Twilight’s lips were ice cold at first, but started to warm up after a while. Letting the contact go only to embrace again, Trixie spent minute upon minute giving her love’s image affectionate kisses, never moving from that one particular spot in the center of the surface. After a while, her mouth opened on instinct and let her tongue swished against an exact copy of another.

The reflection tasted like acidic copper and silver mixed with the bland flavor of glass, though this wasn’t how Trixie would describe it. Instead, it would be the same as the lavender mare’s scent. A strong dose of lilac with a hint of fresh, wood-free uncoated paper. Fitting for a unicorn such as Twilight Sparkle who read every book in the library enough times that it’s surprising she didn’t turn into a pile of bonded paper herself. Both forehooves planted on the mirror, Trixie’s face inched away from the mirrored image of Twilight, only to press her face back into it. Sporadically, she licked that same area at all kinds of angles and movements.

The refletion, of course, mimicked every unpredictable tongue pass. Passion in her heart growing, it was unclear if Trixie would escalate her one sided make out session or if she would come back to reality. In this case, the latter came out being true, but she didn’t snap out of it willingly.

***

Entering the study, Twilight Sparkle paused to take a glimpse of a particular freestanding bookcase in the back corner of the room. Her memories flashed back to earlier that day when Trixie had suddenly put her body in harms way to protect her. In fact, that very same azure back was still in a bit of pain as Twilight rubbed it effortlessly. Has Trixie’s back been hurting like that ever since?

Making her way to the section on the right side of the room, she began her quick yet thorough search of the section’s contents: opening the books to the back of the index and searching for that one specific phrase. Groaning at every failed find, she tossed books in a unorganized mess behind her. Keeping things neat seemed to have been pushed to the back of her mind for once. She only focused on scanning her eyes over each index she found with results being very unsatisfactory. After a while, she took in a full breath and exhaled while sinking to the floor.

Slouched upon the wooden surface, Twilight could smell the fresh pine coming from that very ground. She also happened to catch a whiff of something familiar, yet it was too faint and outmatched from the ground’s natural fragrance. Sitting back up, the scent she searched for became stronger. It was at that time, that Twilight figured out why it was so familiar. Since she was the owner of Trixie’s body, she inherited that jasmine, minty aroma she was remembered for. An acquirement she would begin to abuse.

Laying down and curling up into a ball, Twilight began to take in each flavored breath nice and slow. She wasn’t sniffing it out of pure pleasure, but instead was inhaling it as an act of comfort. It was a smell that made her feel safe and took her mind to a world where nothing could harm her. Using the scent in combination with the memories of Trixie from that very day became the source of heat that kept her warm despite being on a cold surface.

The showmare's sudden quirks, cute outbursts of embarrassment, and the way her voice sounds when she makes inflections with her illeism. Fused together, these traits would make Twilight blush in great depths. Intoxicated in hypnotic fumes and her mind buried deep in her visions of past events, Twilight managed to pull apart both her eyelids from their relaxed state. 'How long have I been laying here?' She wondered. Stretching her legs, she picked her self up and stood on all fours. Back to the present now, she had remembered that she sent Trixie to inspect her private collection of books.

Thinking back to the showmare's first response made her chuckle a little. 'Of course, you can look through my collection of books, Trixie. It's not like there's anything I don't want you to--' Twilight's train of thought derailed at the idea of Trixie finding a certain pile of objects located under her bed. 'What if she found her hat and cape? Or worse...' as she contemplated this, Twilight's pupils shrank while her heart's pulse picked up its pace. What Twilight was referring to as 'worse' was her small rectangular box filled to the top with unmentionable pictures of various mares. It was strange that somepony like Twilight would have such things.

'Research! They're just for research!' Her head yelled as she galloped through the main foyer of the library. Up the stairs and through the opening into her bedroom, she did not see Trixie anywhere. Panicked, Twilight looked over to her bed on the upper floor, still not locating where the magician was. Running around and climbing the steps, she screeched to a halt at what she found. Before her was The Great and Powerful Trixie, who’s face was rubbed up against her mirror.

“What are you doing, Trixie?” Asked Twilight with a raised brow. Instantly, Trixie jumped and woke up from her fantasy. Darting backwards, she pivoted to face Twilight with a shocked expression covered in a crimson red glow. Trixie knew she would need her performing talents to save herself again from misunderstandings.

“Twi-Twilight! Uh... I-- err Trixie was just cleaning your mirror for you!” she stumbled as her arms flailed in front of her and sweat poured from her head.

“Cleaning my mirror?” Questioned Twilight, glancing at the mirror. There was a noticeable wet smudge in one spot on the mirror’s surface near the center.

“With your face?” She asked, curious and non judgmental.

“Huh? Why, yes! Well, no not exactly. You see, Trixie saw a smear on your precious mirror and she tried to wipe it off with her hoof,” Trixie started to believe her own story and continued her little charade.

“So, since there was no kind of cleaning fluids or rags anywhere, Trixie decided it would only help if one were to use a classic spit shine instead. Not that I--” she coughed, choking a bit on an overabundance of said spit she accumulated earlier. With Trixie’s rambling ongoing, Twilight couldn’t help but tilt her head to the right in the midst of trying to understand. The showmare continued with a clear throat.

“Trixie meant that she didn’t mean for her saliva to get all over it! Actually, Trixie did mean to, but-- ahahaha,” beginning to lose track of her own reasoning, she backed away from the puzzled bookworm with hysteric giggling. Suddenly, Trixie collided with a bookcase behind her, causing her to abruptly halt. The impact caused a book on the second to top shelf to lose its place and drop to the ground. Its trajectory was interrupted when it bounced off the top of Trixie’s head. Lucky for her, this prevented her from burying herself any further. Twilight inspected the mirror in question briefly and turned to her anxious friend.

“I, uh... see. Well, I appreciate your thoughtfulness of my belongings, but I do have cleaning supplies here for such an occasion,” she smiled, sheepishly. From the opening top drawer of the dresser came a generic spray bottle and clean white rag. Trixie wasn’t the least surprised she had something like that so conveniently close. Spraying the reflective surface, Twilight wiped over the mess thoroughly until the entire mirror shined and was bacteria free. She put away the supplies and noticed the book near Trixie’s feet.

“Could you put that book back on the shelf for me, please,” asked Twilight, closing the top drawer. Trixie looked at the floor below and found the book near her left forehoof. With a bemused expression, she raised the book with a purple veil. She was going to reacquaint it with its place up above, yet she curiously opened it up to the index page. Giving a quick peek, since she had been doing this for the past couple hours with no results, Trixie dropped the book and pulled away from it. Twilight watched as she did this and approached her with a given question.

“What’s wrong? Was there a bug in it?” She inquired. Snapping back to her ego, Trixie felt she needed to make something clear.

“A bug? Trixie will have you know, Twilight Sparkle, that there is nothing The Great and Powerful Trixie is afraid of,” boasted the magician. Twilight’s eyelids fell halfway at the sound of her obvious lie, yet recuperated once she came up with an idea.

“I was asking because there’s a bug right there!” She exclaimed, pointing at the ends of Trixie’s lavender front hooves. The current owner of those hooves jerked them upwards in response.

“A bug?! Where? Where?!” Panicked Trixie as her head shook around, trying to find the little critter. Laughing in response made Twilight feel justified about the experiment, despite playing a prank on the mare she loved. After a while, she calmed down and was able to open her joyful eyes to see a frowning Trixie, averting her gaze with folded arms.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” She wiped a single tear from her right eyelid.

“What was in this book that made you drop it?” Asked Twilight as she looked down on it. Trixie, who wanted to ignore her for laughing so profusely at her, remembered what it was that caught her eye in the index.

“Trixie saw it! The phrase ‘body swap’ is in the index! See?” She said, crouching down and pointing at the term’s location. Squinting a bit, Twilight looked near where the showmare was indicating with her hoof. Eventually, she saw it and her eyes broadened. There it was in black and white; right where it should have been. ‘Body swap’ was listed and it showed the page that referenced it was number sixty-nine. It wouldn’t be long now before they could finally be back in their own flesh and blood.

***

Author’s Note:
Ok, ok! I had too much fun writing this one. I hope it shows throughout the chapter. I wanted to take a second and thank Vyreinos (Teardrops and Snowflakes; seriously, I’ve been talking about this guy a lot lately) who came up with the amazing idea behind Trixie’s mirror make out session! At first, I passed it off as a silly idea. Then, I thought, “Well, how would that work out, anyway?” and with one thing leading to another, I had the entire scene pictured in my head. In the middle of typing it out, I had to stop and laugh at how ridiculous the entire thing was. Man, major props to that guy. Maybe he should write a comedy sometime. C’mon!

Also, fun fact: During the typing of this chapter, my right shift key broke! I totally don’t use the left one so every time I have to make a capital letter, I had to push down on the very tiny suction cup with my pinkie. For an overdramatic effect, read the second half of the chapter again. For every capital letter, imagine me saying ”ow.” Just like that, 20% funnier! Trevor agrees

...

Stop editing into my notes and laughing at my misfortune which I insisted on doing, Trevor!

The Eighth Chapter Wherever They End Up Next

Chapter 8: Wherever They End Up Next

What’s with this body swapping thing? Is this some kind of story arc? Whoever wrote the Twixie fiction Swapped, is getting unintentionally referenced constantly. I think it’s time we moved on to other Twixie fanfictions that haven’t been mentioned yet. This is to say without the exception of the horde posted with respective links a couple chapters ago. How about some more Fillystata? We’ll have Twilight raise her dead ancestor this chapter. Why not mix it up a bit with some Mistress of Midnight Castle? This way, Twilight’s ancestor will have control over the somehow infamous shard from the Rainbow of Darkness! Forcing the Twixie duo to her every twisted will!

…

This is getting weird. I’ve changed my mind. Going back under my rock.

***

The Eased and Ecstatic Twilight Sparkle, along with Trixie, had finally found the book they’ve been looking for. By complete coincidence, this object happened to fall off a high shelf of a bookcase Trixie bumped into, causing it to drop and collide with her head. Conveniently, this particular one had the phrase ‘body swap’ located in its index, which is the spell the duo had been tying to find for a couple hours now. Now that they had a reference that detailed their supposed curse, it was conclusive that they would be back to their normal bodies shortly.

“You’re right, Trixie! This is the book I remember reading about it in!” exclaimed Twilight with glee. Picking up the book with magic, she flipped to the page it listed. On page sixty-nine, the title “Body Swapping” was there as clear as day. Twilight scanned the contents over, obtaining the directions to initiate the spell to switch their minds back. The book was shut and tossed aside, showing a confident smug on the egghead’s face.

“I got it now. C’mon Trixie. It’s almost like we did before, except this time I’ll be able to unlock the spell,” she said, lowering her head with her horn pointing towards Trixie. Thoughts raced through the showmare’s head, ‘Oh no. The horn touching again?! Trixie won’t forget how... amazing yet embarrassing it felt. Must she really do this another time?’ Though, arguing with herself, she didn’t attempt to fight with Twilight at all on the matter. Either way, she just wanted her old body back, even if she found being Twilight Sparkle entirely tantalizing. Bowing her own skull and rubbing her horn against Twilight’s, their horns lit up in their respective colors once again.

“Now what, Twilight? You haven’t told Trixie how to unlock the spell,” Trixie pointed out, holding back each flinch from their horn’s slight movement against each other.

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to do a thing. I can open this spell on my own, actually. It didn’t detail the secondary user doing anything at all,” insisted Twilight. Being labeled as the ‘secondary user’ didn’t exactly thrill Trixie, but she figured now wasn’t the time to argue specifics. Twilight read the spell before her, so that could count as being the primary user. Looking back at her friend, Trixie could see Twilight’s eyes closed in complete focus.

Their horns grew brighter like they did before, but this time, only Twilight inflamed a magical aura. Rising up with her horn still attached to the other, Twilight's concentration reached its peak. Her jaw locked and she began grunting as her bodily light's wave-like energy intensified to a jagged outburst. Soon enough, the illumination began to compress around her, shrinking to just a tiny spark, and vanished in a blinding flash. Twilight, who still controlled Trixie's body, disappeared as well, leaving the showmare all alone. No longer sensing her friend's presence, Trixie opened her eyes to find the mare she loved was out of her sight. Her head darted around in confusion of where she went.

“Twilight! Where’d you go? Show yourself to Trixie, please!” she cried, afraid to move from her place. Seeing as the bookworm was nowhere to be found, a response wasn’t expected. However, there was an answer indeed. Just not where Trixie was expecting it to be.

“Trixie? What’s going on? I can’t move my body!” exclaimed a voice that sounded like it came from her thoughts. Trixie looked around her, wondering why the source of it felt so close.

“What do you mean you can’t move?” she asked. Walking towards the dresser where Twilight’s mirror was hung, she spun around, still curious as to where the egghead could have possibly gone to.

“Wait... Trixie, look over here!” Twilight pleaded. Hearing the word ‘here’ wasn’t exactly helpful when you don’t know where ‘here’ was. Trixie only pivoted to face every direction she could think of to try to find the mare. Noticing how vague she was, Twilight corrected herself.

“Look at the mirror, Trixie,” she said, half amused at her friend’s chronic head turns. Finally, Trixie looked over at the mirror, surprised at what she saw. Staring back at her was her original body, meaning she must have been restored back to her beautiful figure. She immediately made a huge gleaming smile in response. For some reason, though, her reflection didn’t do the same. In fact, her mirrored image started to move and talk on its own.

“I think I might have messed the spell up a little bit,” the Trixie in the mirror spoke with a very familiar tone, its face showing a discontent frown. Trixie heard this pony before since it was the only unicorn she had listened to all day. Realizing the voice had belonged to Twilight Sparkle, Trixie knew what it had meant. ‘If she still has Trixie’s body, then that means...’ she pondered, slowly raising her hooves. Finding they were still a lavender color, her fears were confirmed. Not only did the magic not work, but now Twilight was showing up in her own mirror.

“How could you messed it up this bad? You’re in a mirror now,” Trixie pointed out.

“Well, not exactly, you se--” cutting off Twilight was a purple horn now pointed at her. Beginning to glow, Trixie made a determined glare at the reflective surface which held her love in its prison.

“Don’t worry, Twilight Sparkle. Trixie will break this mirror and free you!” She yelled with the purple light from her horn growing brighter. With forehooves flailing in a panic, Twilight put up a red flag.

“W-wait a second! Don’t break it!” The mare shouted. Her words reached the showmare as she had halted her destructive intentions.

“What’s wrong, Twilight? You like your mirror this much?” she questioned with a raised brow.

“No, it’s not that. I’m not really in the mirror, so shattering it won’t help,” revealed Twilight, eyelids half shut. Amusingly, Trixie turned around and gave a clear scan of the entire room before facing Twilight again.

“Trixie doesn’t see you anywhere else...” she bickered.

“I know, but I’m not exactly in the mirror. Right now, I’m just showing up as your reflection. I’m actually inside of you!” declared Twilight, while pointing at Trixie who jumped back in response.

“I-inside of T-Trixie?” she stammered with a slight blush across her cheeks. Twilight abruptly hit her forehead with the bottom of her hoof. Knowing that Trixie had misinterpreted what she said, the egghead continued her explanation.

“I must have only done the spell half right. Instead of exchanging minds or bodies, I just dove straight into yours. It’s weird because I didn’t think the spell could work like that.” She rubbed the side of her head in deep thought. Picking up the book from a few feet away, Trixie levitated it to her and opened it up to the correct page. Her eyes squinted at the page’s title, while Twilight noticed it as well.

“Body submergence...? Um-- Oops! Looks like I cast the wrong spell.” Twilight grinned, embarrassed. As amateur as this mistake was, Trixie actually poked her head out from the book to look at her reflection again with a perplexed look. ‘How could she have seen the same thing?’ she wondered. Twilight knew how to answer that question.

“Oh, I can see everything you can see. We are in the same body, after all,” she explained. Trixie, on the other hoof, nodded in acknowledgement. It wasn’t too surprising she could se--

‘How did she know what Trixie was pondering about...?’ She thought of in a shocking realization. Actually, Twilight just noticed it herself.

“Hmmm... I guess I can hear your thoughts as well,” said Twilight with another awkward smirk. Trixie bowed her head up and down again in understanding of how sharing a body worked. Reading her thoughts wasn’t that big of a de-- the book suddenly dropped with the lack of a purple veil holding it up.

Her eyes flashed wide open in utter fear as her heart sank to the bottom of her backhooves. If Twilight could read her mind, then what if she thought of...? Dreading the worst case scenario of the librarian’s new power over her, Trixie sank to the to the floor as she covered her ears with her front hooves.

“No, no no no no! Get out of Trixie’s head, now!” she screamed in terror. Even a slight picturing of her feelings for Twilight would ruin everything she’s worked so hard for. Banging her head back and forth between her forehooves, Trixie shook her skull furiously in hope that her crush would just fly out of it. Nothing happened when she did this, besides maybe losing a few brain cells in the process. Clenching her ears again as well as her teeth, Trixie’s eyes danced in hysteria of what her brain might think of subconsciously. Her hairs split and her jaw ground her pearly whites back and forth. She had never felt such paranoia before and couldn’t bare any control at her sudden outburst. ‘Don’t think about it, Don’t think about it...’ she would repeat in her head. Twilight only became confused at what she was witnessing and decided to intervene.

“Get out? Don’t think about what?” She inquired, puzzled at her friend’s instant breakdown. ‘La la la la la la la...’ Trixie’s mind kept in a monotone repetition.

“Are you... okay?” asked Twilight. She was worried that she might have freaked Trixie out, which she had, since the magician’s pupils only shrank at the horror that she might lose control and think of something she would regret. Her heart’s pulse felt like it was running a marathon along with her breathing. Afraid her love might go into shock from her condition, Twilight gave a verbal slap to the face.

“Snap out of it! I’m sure we can fix this if we just reverse the spell! Look at the book again!” she shouted in the showmare’s head. Bringing her back to reality, she frantically scrambled to her hooves and flipped through the book on the ground. After jumbling the pages back and forth, she managed to land on the correct page she looked at before. She looked over the page, desperate to find the passage that will free her mind from the time bomb it became. As her eyes raced across the page, she found the part that she needed. Reading faster than she could ever possibly go, her head took notes on every important aspect.

‘Concentrate your horn onto... Swirl the aura clockwi-- Free your mind with one... Love. Trixie loves. Can’t let her fi--’ her thoughts abruptly stopped as Trixie slammed her head against hardwood floor. It knocked her wits out for a fraction of a second, then she wildly glared back at the paragraph she was reading; her brain was back on track and more guarded than ever. At least until Twilight spoke up about the showmare’s recent thinking process.

“I didn’t read any parts about love... Where did you see that?” Twilight asked obliviously. Trixie’s entire body felt a jolt run through it while she read the last sentence. Rather than address the curious mare in her noggin, she decided to cast her out as soon as magically possible. Reversal spell on the brain and a lit up horn intact, Trixie thrust her neck forward, sweat profusely coming from the top of her head with tightened eyelids, and grimaced in pain. Her mental walls were beginning to disassemble brick by brick. Purple lights sparked and fizzed from her horn, trying to stay focused on tossing her brain’s intruder out the front door. ‘Get out, Twilight! I can’t let yo-- Not supposed to kno--’ wincing at her sudden halts in pondering.

This much stress on her mind exerted her powers greatly. Soon the physical energy would deplete from her body along with her magical stamina. How long would she be able to hold against her lingering thoughts? Trixie figured she needed to tackle this problem with everything she’s got. ‘One big push now might be enough to unlock the spell’s properties, yet if it doesn’t work, Trixie will be too exhausted to continue; her mind would become like an open book that Twilight could read to her heart’s content. Without trying, though, Trixie could very well end up in the same place.’ she contemplated all of this carefully. Forcing Twilight out of her, preventing her from finding out about her secret affection for her was top priority. She decided on the primary plan of action.

Her body started trembling as she gathered the last of her magic she could muster. Filled with determination that fueled her stressful endeavor, Trixie reared her head back. She was ready to unleash her innermost strength to cast her crush out from within her. ‘Get out. Get out! Get out!’ her thoughts dropped to her throat.

“Get OUT!” shouted Trixie, unleashing an enormous flash of white, filling every dark crevice the bedroom possessed. From that bright light came an azure unicorn who was instantly shot out from Trixie’s horn and crashed in the bookcase only ten feet away. This sent the showmare sliding back, reaching the top of the stairway that surrounded part of the room. Twilight’s now flattened body slid down to the floor and slouched over the ground. Regaining shape, she sprang up and galloped over to her fallen friend.

“Trixie! Are you okay?” cried Twilight, coming to the magician’s side. What she saw she didn’t expect. Trixie’s lips were stretched out into a giant grin with her eyes closed. Regardless, she was panting and was beaded all over in her own perspiration. Exhausted, she dragged her hoof over her forehead to wipe the sweat away.

“Trixie... will live... for now,” she said in between inhaling the oxygen she currently needed. Remembering what she had listened to before when Trixie was getting ready for that final bout, Twilight felt worried since she had been reckless using the last of her stamina over something so trivial. ‘Does she really not like me inside her mind that much?’ she wondered. Then again, if it was the other way around, she wouldn’t like it either. It would mean her secret crush on Trixie might be exposed. Their relationship seemed too premature for those kinds of feelings to be expressed yet. At least, not without the other party freaking out. Either way, Trixie was completely void of any strength left, at the expense of Twilight.

“I’m sorry about messing up the spell. You getting hurt wasn’t my intention at all,” apologized Twilight in a concerned tone. Trixie managed to catch her breath after a while so she could properly respond.

“It’s okay, Twilight. Just never do that to Trixie again,” she warned, putting a hoof on her shoulder. Unfortunately, Trixie wore herself out more than she thought. Shifting her body’s weight onto her stomach, she made every effort she could to lift herself up. Each additional attempt she would make raised herself higher than the previous attempt, yet it would always end with her back on the ground. It was no use; her legs felt like noodles. Twilight watched her friend struggle with her original body until she gave up trying. Using her horn, she picked Trixie up off the ground in a vivid blue bubble.

“H-hey! Trixie can get up by herself. Put her down!” Trixie demanded, flailing her feeble legs about.

“Are you kidding? You barely could stand up on your own. Let me help you,” Twilight insisted while she dragged the showmare over to her. Rotating her in midair, she gently set her down so she was in a sitting position against the bookshelf beside her. The comforting light that bound Trixie faded away as she folded her forehooves with an irritated expression. Inside her mind, however, a celebration was taking place since she could now think freely about whatever she wanted. Especially about Twilight Sparkle who, speaking of which, levitated the book over to them.

“Now, we still have a spell to break. No mistakes this time, I promise,” she reassured, opening the book back to page sixty nine where the solution to their problem was written. They both looked over the spell for body swapping, reading the details on how it’s performed. Something caught Trixie’s eye near the end of the page.

“Wait, what’s this symbol mean, Twilight?” she inquired, pointing at the part Twilight was investigating. Twilight knew exactly what it was without too much thought.

“That’s an asterisk. Usually it’s used to reference something relating to the subject material.” She put the end of her hoof at the end of the page to indicate where the asterisk was shown again. Looking the reference over halfway, she became outraged at the first line.

“This spell cannot be used as a cancellation for a potion-based enchantment?!” she read, her tone rising with each word said. Twilight felt disappointed that it took them this long to find out it has all been a waste of time. Glancing back at the line herself, she noticed there was more to it.

“Wait... It says here, the solution to this potion based spell is to either; One, recreate the potion using the necessary components to reapply the spell or Two, both recipients perform a DNA swap to cancel out the switch, thereby forcing both users back into their original forms,” Twilight read aloud. Trixie already knew the first solution would take months, nor could she quite understand the second.

“What does it mean by ‘DNA swap?’ How are we suppose to swap DNA?” She questioned, rubbing the side of her head, contemplating all the methods of how they could accomplish this in the easiest way possible. This was about science now, and had nothing to do with unicorn magic.

“What we would have to do is exchange bodily fluids,” Twilight pondered out loud. Trixie’s head tilted to the side, trying to understand what exactly it means.

“Bodily fluids? So... like sharing blood?” She asked.

“Well... I’m not too comfortable with pricking you or myself,” stated Twilight, though she wouldn’t shudder at the sight of blood. There were just easier methods that she would prefer to do. Gazing at Trixie, she began to develop a red hue across her cheeks at what she was about to suggest.

“I guess the most accessible source of DNA would have to be...” she hesitated by averting her eyes, only for a second before looking back at her.

“...saliva,” swallowed Twilight.

A long, awkward pause occurred as both mares were silent. Though both of them always had an ulterior motive about stealing the other’s heart, they had always given each other the purest intentions up to this point. This kind of suggestion by Twilight had sought and destroyed all of Trixie’s mental defenses. She didn’t need to ask what saliva was or what this method of swapping would entail. Knowing very well of what this meant, she moved to an immediate dismissal to avoid any damage that this could have on their friendship. ‘A short, but effective statement should be enough,’ she thought.

“Trixie declines,” she said bluntly. A smirk almost came to her face in satisfaction of how the words came out. Twilight, on the other hoof, was unaffected.

“I knew you would, but right now this is the simplest way of changing us back. Besides, it’s just a little peck. I promise, it won’t ruin our friendship,” persuaded Twilight. ‘That’s two promises she’s made now. Can she really keep both of them?’ Trixie wondered. Either way, Twilight made this task seem incredibly easy. Trixie found it difficult to argue any further, lest she sounded any more like a wimp.

“Hmmm... Trixie s-supposes a quick o-one might be alright,” she stuttered, her muzzle embellished with a scarlet color.

“That’s the spirit!” exclaimed Twilight, sounding almost too excited. She stood up on all fours and positioned herself in front of Trixie. On her back knees, she propped herself up by extending her front hooves against the bookcase behind Trixie; making extra sure that her body wouldn’t touch hers in any kind of weird way. However, even with making the situation as comfortable as possible, Trixie only stiffened up. Sure, she made out with her via reflection, but that was an inanimate object that only projected her fantasies. Here, it was the real thing! Not to mention she had no control over anything. Being stunned by the moment and still worn out from before served as a nasty combination that kept her from resisting. Luckily, her mouth could still move.

"W-wait! Trixie changed her mind. It'll be much better if we just made the liquid brimstone! Don't you agree, Twilight?" She gave a timid grin, hoping Twilight would change her mind. Instead, she eased in closer to the mare, her front legs slightly bending inward. Even though it was her own body moving in on her, Twilight's mind was still trapped inside. She was now closing the distance between them and making the magician’s heart throb as if it could jump out of her chest at any given time. Trixie wanted to make a second attempt at negotiations, but Twilight decided to respond to her first.

"It'll only take a second, Trixie. It won't be so bad..." she whispered. Was the Great and Powerful Trixie being seduced, now? Either way, this murmuring from Twilight seemed to have caught the showmare’s full attention as those words petrified her neck from turning away. Contemplations kept running through her head. ‘A ‘second’ my flank! This is taking eons! Why are you moving so slow, Twilight Sparkle? Each passing second you take is an eternity.’

Thinking back on today, Trixie would have never thought a moment like this would appear. The day before, everything was very different. She couldn’t even imagine a conversation with the egghead that well, nor did she know very much about her to begin with. Now, after only spending one day with her, she found out a lot more about Twilight than she could have ever dreamed. What’s more is that now her face was in close proximity, inching closer to share a small union she greatly desired for. The only problem she had was Twilight was completely dominating her right now. Having no control over something this pivotal to her still freaked her out. Time was running out as Twilight’s nose softly grazed her own.

“Twilight?” squeaked Trixie, her vocal cords becoming strained from a mixture of feelings.

“Shhhh...” Twilight cooed the poor mare, lips only a centimeter away from hers now. Trixie moaned slightly in anticipation. Feelings of euphoria entranced her greatly to make sure she wouldn’t mess this up. Melancholic nightmares she had about her shattered wishes with this lovely mare were dissipating away. These emotions tore through her body like a knife through warm butter. Closing her eyes, she would accept this unfounded happiness that would soon grace her soul.

Their faces were close enough that they could each feel each others breath passing their own. Twilight got a strong intake of that jasmine and mint she loved so much. It was intoxicating to her as she couldn’t stop herself from what her body was doing. The sheer mystery of how the smell might translate to taste danced around in her mind. Enough to motivate her to finish what she had started. Both their lips quivered before finally embracing one another, quelling any further doubts either mare was experiencing. A fluttering touch spread throughout them, as did the silence in the room.

Twilight’s mind, for the first time, was completely blank. The taste is exactly what she always wanted it to be. Moving her mouth a little, she was in disbelief if this was reality or another dream of hers like she had earlier. The latter in this case might be enough to break her spirit, if it turned out that way.This was the same for Trixie who could care less if she ever made a thought again. Pressing her lips a little further into the bookworm’s, Trixie’s pent up emotions made her lose control of her tear ducts. Sadness in distinguished fears and joint happiness with blissful love made a clear liquid roll down either sides of her face.

Whereas the spell that took place before sent out huge flashes and rays of light seeping from their horns, this one had subtle streaks of indigo, drifting out from their structures and into the others’. Glittering silver seeped from their horns and filled the air around them. With calm, featherweight auras flowing softly between them, the pair simultaneously lost consciousness. The kiss they both longed for was broken by their lack of construction to hold themselves up. They collapsed to the floor with Twilight’s azure hooves holding Trixie’s lavender figure.

***

Author’s note:

Back to 4k for this round. Unfortunately, I got to the point I wanted this time, so there will be no epic cliffhanger cutoff. Though there is way more story left, if you feel like coming back... I mean, it’s not like they’re together or anything! The kiss was totally platonic! Really! Speaking of which, that was a reward for you guys. You wanted the page number to matter in some way so it sort of did. Not in the sick, unmentionable way you guys may have wanted, but it still meant something. You folks are coming back for more right? Oh who am I kidding... I need a cliffhanger!

Look here! I have an orange in one hoof and a knife in the other. What will I do next?! Find out next chapter! But that won’t happen, because Dasheh is currently being chased by Magical Trevor across the internets, as he tries to stress the importance of knowing the difference between oranges, tangerines, and clementines!

You are filled to the brim in questions of how the next chapter unfolds. You can’t possibly wait to see what happens next. This is how you feel.

The Ninth Chapter Will Initiate A Fight of Pillows

Chapter 9: Will Initiate A Fight of Pillows

HAHA! You’re back! Phew... Man I thought you would never come back. Well it’s safe to say that the story can continue. There’s still much to do and lots of development to go. I know it seems a little weird that the two mares did such a thing last chapter. I apologize for the inconvenience. Won’t happen again, I promise! Hmm... What? What do you mean I’m crossing my fingers behind my back? Huh? Orange? Knife? Are you implying that I ha-- Ohhhohoho! You mean the cliffhanger from the Author Notes! Pfffft-- I don’t have anything conclusive for you. I just did that so you’d come back--

!!!

Ow...

I see you bought some tomatoes from the next room. I regret nothing. (Trevor, you’re a traitor! I TOLD you to lock that door!)

***

The Fair and Dominated Trixie was waking up from what seemed like the best dream she's ever had. In her own world, Twilight Sparkle would always bring so many pleasures in her fantasies. This one in particular, however, wasn't as... raunchy as the others, yet the emotions and actions felt so real, it stood out from all the rest. Was she allowed to experience such happiness? The thought crossed her mind often, since her head seemed to be the only place she could contemplate her desires. Never would she dare attempt to express them in public or show any to the mare she loved. It's not like she would be the one performing these embarrassing feats, anyway.

Trixie's consciousness came into play, at this point. Laying in darkness, a solid, hard pressure can be felt on her right side. The ground beneath her was cold, yet it didn't seem to affect her at all. The source of her warmth came from an object in front of her. The subtle heat from this soft item made her feel secure as she gave it a squeeze and a slight nuzzle. Her comfort was halted when the object made a distinct sound. An exquisite moan that was quiet, but gave a positive inflection. Trixie's ears were soothed by the murmur, then alarmed at what the meaning behind it was.

Separating her eyelids to allow light into her vision, a blurry dark violet with light red clouded her sight. As it cleared up she noticed the texture of the blur was that of a mane. This specific design was very familiar to her, since she had seen it many times that day. Panning her vision down, she could see the strands or hair was draped around a horn and over a lavender head. Realizations of what the object could be was starting to become clear. Why was Twilight Sparkle's face so close to hers? It was a question that took Trixie's head back with her eyes wide open in shock.

Looking back at her were the closed eyes of the mare she secretly longed for. Her nose was scrunched up against Trixie's, and her mouth slightly hung a little bit. To Trixie, Twilight's sleeping face was possibly the best expression she has made to her yet, as if she were only a newborn foal who had fallen asleep for the first time. Watching her in such a feeble state made Trixie swore the tiniest whisper from those lips could render her defenseless. 'Wait... Lips? Defenseless?' she wondered with her memories of a recent event flowing back to her. Suddenly a crimson hue appeared on her cheeks. She wanted to move her hoof to her mouth in reaction to her findings. A slight tug was felt from the object she was holding.

She investigated where the tug was to find that her hoof was around Twilight's body, overlapped with a lavender leg. Concluding the situation, her wits were lost in translation. She was holding Twilight like she was her own bedtime blanket! The feeling must have been mutual, since her own body was graced by two lavender hooves on both sides. Having her crush caress her in such a way doubled Trixie’s body temperature as her entire blue coat became a glossy red. If this wasn’t embarrassing enough, she soon found that she wasn’t the only one who had woken up.

“Hrmm... Trixie...?” Murmured Twilight, her hooves wiggling and her figure squirming around. In a split second, Trixie panicked and used her horn to shove Twilight back. Slamming against the bookcase, the egghead’s eyes were pried opened with a fright. Her body slid to the ground with her limbs in a slump as if her entire structure was made of jello. Sitting up and turning away from her, Trixie twiddled her hooves with her eyes looking down. Glimpses of every fraction of a second from that tender moment wouldn’t leave her mind at peace. Even if it was only to switch their bodies back to normal, it’s not like they did nothing at all. Her blood must have permanently stuck to the inner edges of her skin because that blush would not disappear. She needed time to nurse the feeling away so she could be presentable and not an awkward wreck.

Twilight, on the other hoof, saw the showmare in front of her and noticed that she was back in her beloved frame. Happy about the success of the spell cancellation, the corners of her mouth rose up. A moist, adhesive sensation was felt from under her eyes. She lifted a hoof to her face in confirmation of what it meant. ‘Was I crying?’ she wondered. Wiping her tear-stained face, she looked back at Trixie. The method of reversing the spell had affected her too. With rosy cheeks, Twilight covered her lips with one of her hooves. She could still taste the jasmine and mint from before.

To have such a wonderful unique mix, Twilight wished she could keep it for herself. She made a promise to keep their friendship on good morals, however, so another kiss was totally out of the question. Looking over at Trixie, she could see the glistening sweat all over her back with moist smudges on her mane. After what they just went through, Twilight wasn't surprised at how her friend was taking it. Comfort and reassurance of their current status is what she thought Trixie needed, at this point. Standing up was a bit difficult since her body's physical energy was low, due to Trixie's overexertion earlier. Nevertheless she mustered the strength to approach the mare.

"Hey, Trixie, we're back in our own bodies again." Her hoof rested on Trixie's shoulder; the showmare turned to her with a guilty, shameful expression. Disdain with slight irritation filled her voice as she spoke.

"Trixie did notice, Twilight Sparkle. She was the first one to wake up, you know," she stated. Anypony could sense the hostility seeping out of her. It was worse than Twilight thought. Either way, she knew that she needed to ease Trixie as best she can.

"You know that kiss didn't mean anything, right?" Twilight asked bluntly. Though, referring to it as ‘meaningless’ only hurt Trixie more, not to mention, Twilight would be lying if she said the pain wasn't the same with her. Knowing they wanted to keep their crush a secret for a more proper time, they had to act as if they were both fine with it. Trixie played along with this practice.

"Of course it didn't. You and Trixie are good friends, right?" answered Trixie with another question. Given the activity they just partook in, the irony made Twilight snicker a bit.

"Friends don't usually kiss each other like that," she pointed out with a sheepish grin. Trixie knew this was a glitch in their friendship, yet still tried to preserve it the best she could.

"Perhaps, we are just r-really good friends, then," argued Trixie, taking egghead's statement to heart, who welcomed her idea of being closer friends.

"You mean like... best friends?" Twilight hesitated at the term 'best friends,' seeing as they have only spent one day getting to know one another. Even if the title was a little too outlandish for them, she wanted it almost as much as she desired to be with Trixie because it was a great step in the direction she wanted to go. Luckily, Trixie agreed and felt just about the same way. In her mind, she wanted Twilight right now rather than go on with this charade of hers, but she also wanted to keep Twilight's best interests in mind. Before diving into this deeper end of the pool, Trixie felt it was necessary to test the water first to make sure it's safe.

"Do you want to be best friends with Trixie?" inquired Trixie, facing Twilight with her whole body now. As much as a risk this was, Twilight decided to try taking a shot at her idea of closing distances.

"I don't see why not. We've already spent so much time together all in one day. You’ve read my favorite book with me and I got to see one of your shows," she explained. Trixie thought the amount of time they've been friends comparing to those who call themselves 'best friends' were on two different ends of Equestria. It was definitely debatable, yet if that kind of battle were to happen, their side would ignite in flames, rather than put up a good fight. Still, Trixie didn't care as long as Twilight was on board with it. Nopony was there to judge them anyway.

"Trixie sees what you mean, Twilight. Being best friends with you seems... fitting. She accepts your proposition." She gave half a grin towards the librarian. While they might not have had the time that most best friends would have, they have spent the majority of theirs deep within each other’s worlds. With that said, Twilight was delighted to hear her wish being granted. So much that she almost tackled the mare down in a crushing hug. Her front hooves stopped in mid jump, however, and dropped to the ground, inches away from her friend. Having an idea of what she was going to do, Trixie sat down and spread her forehooves out as if she were inviting Twilight to them. Her face was pointed away with a slight red hue across her face.

“You wanted a h-hug, right? T-Trixie doesn’t mind as long as don’t strangle her this time,” stammered Trixie. Closing her eyes, she anticipated strong hooves would soon cut off her airways like before. To her, Twilight never seemed to know how exactly to hold somepony without squeezing the life force out of them. Noting the last time she hugged the egghead, she recalled a stiff body that seemed frozen in time. That would be the last time she ever acted on her impulses like that. Or so she wished.

A pair of lavender hooves came around her in a calm, relaxed manner. She was pulled closer to Twilight’s chest until her head could easily rest over the mare’s shoulder. Hooves still dangling on both sides, Trixie couldn’t help but be surprised that her conditions were respected. Even more so, she felt that fluttering in her stomach again as well as her heart feeling lighter like it did before. Relaxed in an almost slumber-like state, she wrapped her own front hooves around Twilight.

Out of all the one sided embraces, this moment felt the most serene, beating the others by miles. Twilight’s hold tightened slightly, giving permission for Trixie to do the same. What only was a few seconds, felt like hours to the pair. Equally, they never wanted to let go, lest one of them would have to make an excuse later for another. Is this what best friends do? To them, they didn’t really know what best friends could do, nor did they not notice how in depth their hold on each other was. Not until an interruption abruptly ruined their loving moment.

CUCKOO! CUCKOO!

The sudden noise snapped both mares out of their trances as they literally jerked away from each other. Having some sense knocked into them, they realized the gravity of how that embrace might have been interpreted. Though their personalities were opposite, their expressions were currently the same. Fidgeting with their hooves and only looking down, they each had a display of crimson streaked on their muzzle. Time elapsed and the awkward silence was eventually broken.

“Was th-that your clock, Twilight?” Inquired Trixie, still startled from the loud noise.

“Um, yes...” Twilight hesitated for a second while she fixed her somewhat askew mane.

“My clock always goes off at midnight,” she finished. This raised a question in Trixie’s mind.

“Why does your clock make such a noise at midnight?” She questioned, rubbing her chin as she stared as the clock mounted on the wall above Twilight’s bed. Bearing resemblance to a house, the actual face of the clock was small with a window carved in above it. Both hands were resting on the number twelve, meaning that it was either noon and dark outside at the same time or it was midnight; the latter being obviously true.

“Lots of clocks are timed to chime or make a distinct noise when striking the new hour. Mine happens to only go off at noon or midnight,” said Twilight with an awkward smile.

“You can’t possibly sleep through that racket,” Trixie commented.

“You’re right. Every night I wake up to it, but I just ignore it and go back to sleep,” lied Twilight. In reality, she would glare at it with stinging red eyes when it woke her up. To her, it was the most irritating sound at night. Either she would bring the clock to her so she could punch it or fling I across the room, only to fix it back up in the morning. There was even a time where the cuckoo canary would fly out with that obnoxious drivel of a call; Twilight would grab the bird in mid-flight, and force it back into its tiny window. It was a miracle the clock still performed the same midnight task let alone tell time.

“We’re getting off topic... It’s getting pretty late,” Trixie pointed out. ‘Come to think of it, Trixie has been here the entire day. She can’t just assume she lives here or something. Perhaps it’s time Trixie took departure. She could always visit Twilight tomorrow...’ she pondered with a heavy melancholic, guilty look. She turned away from Twilight and headed down the steps, aiming for the door that exited the bedroom. Of course, she was stopped by a voice.

"Wait, where are you going?" Asked Twilight from the top of the stairs.

"Trixie shouldn't grace you with her presence any longer. You've..." She lowered her head and finished her sentence with a whisper.

"You've already done so much for me."

Facing the door again, she tried to make another step, but something tugged her back. Looking over her shoulder, she saw an image that froze her structure in place. In Twilight's mouth was her silver tail and above that were two pleading, violet eyes. Bemused by the gaze that could pierce thousands of hearts, Trixie quickly found herself in that realm of defeat once again. It felt like every time she was beaten by this egghead, it was became more deplorable each time.

First by showing her up with better feats of magic, later by only a few words, and now with just one expression. 'Twilight's successful methods of persuasion are becoming unbelievable,' thought Trixie. Though the face Twilight made soothed the showmare's heart, she dared not show such weakness through any visual means.

"You're not letting Trixie leave, are you?" asked Trixie, displaying a blank stare with half shut eyes. The magician's tail still being held between her teeth, Twilight simply shook her head in response. Shifting her weight, Trixie tugged at her tail for Twilight to let go. The silver end was then dropped from the bookworm’s grasp. She began her protest.

“There’s no way I’m letting you go back out there when it’s this late. Where would you even go?” questioned Twilight as she walked around the mare, stopping in front of the doorway. Actually, Trixie didn’t even know herself about where she would go. To be honest, she just wanted to stay at Twilight’s house for as long as possible, yet she didn’t want to impose on her newly proclaimed best friend. The result of her departure, however, would be similar to the day before yesterday when she was living outdoors, snacking on pinecones and performing horrifying shows for the forest critters. Even vaguely knowing where she would go, Trixie just gave the silent treatment. Twilight, on the other hoof, wanted her to stay more than anything.

“You’re welcome to stay here, you know. I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you stayed longer. You don’t have anywhere in particular to go, right? Besides, we’re best friends now, so there’s plenty of room here for you to stay as long as you want,” she insisted. If Trixie didn’t have any control over herself, she would have confessed her love right then and there. She was much too grateful for the librarian’s unconditional hospitality. Plus, another day with her crush was just too exciting a concept. Luckily, she managed to suppress her outrageous happy demeanor and instead showed a polite smile.

“In that case, Trixie wouldn’t mind staying another night, Twilight Sparkle,” agreed Trixie, putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, who responded with a delighted grin of her own and a wave of relief coming over her. Their time together didn’t have to be cut short after all. In fact, this gave Twilight an idea that she couldn’t have executed the night before because of Trixie’s condition.

“Great! Ooo, that makes this a slumber party, then!” she exclaimed. Trixie could only raise a brow in response.

“What are you talking about?” queried Trixie.

“That’s what happens when you have somepony sleepover. You have a slumber party! This is going to be so much fun!” Twilight said, trotting to the bottom of the steps past Trixie. Watching her friend giggle like a young school mare, Trixie turned to face her only to be puzzled at what exactly this kind of gathering entails. Twilight would satisfy her curiosity without being asked, fortunately.

“First we’ll give each other makeovers, then we’ll tell ghost stories, and after that, truth or dare, then...” she took a moment to take in oxygen before continuing. Trixie backed up a little from the egghead’s sudden, ecstatic outburst.

“Then smores, pillow fighting, and finally, sleeping,” beamed Twilight, who only stepped closer to the retreated showmare. Staring at her reflection in Twilight’s wide, over-excited eyes, Trixie glanced over to the clock in the upper part of the room and then back. As much as she didn’t want to see that stupid smirk fade away, she knew it would be better to be honest with her. Being as late as it was, her physical constitution was wearing away from all they went through that day. Even when thinking of how to gently decline, she had to suppress a yawn from being so tired.

“Trixie is sorry, Twilight. Actually, she was hoping by staying the night that we could skip right to the sleeping part. It’s pretty late and--” she stopped when she noticed her fears were realized. That big smile turned sour as Twilight only frowned and attempted to make the same puppy eyed look she had made earlier that convinced Trixie not to leave. The same trick would prove to be less effective the second time.

“That won’t work this time, Twilight Sparkle. It’s really late and Trixie is very tire--” again, Trixie was interrupted by Twilight as her round, lavender face contorted slightly to emphasize the large size of her eyes in contrast with her big lower lip pushing out further than before. ‘This new face of hers is extremely difficult to argue with. Although, if Trixie doesn’t stand her ground now, Twilight could potentially string Trixie up as her puppet,’ contemplated Trixie. She wouldn’t completely disappoint her friend, but maybe there was a way to compromise.

“Perhaps we could do... one thing before sleeping?” she suggested. Luckily, the idea worked as expected. Twilight’s expression went back to the smile she had before. Already, she seemed to know exactly what she wanted to do.

“A pillow fight it is, then!” Her inner brows lowered, her grin now brimming with confidence. Trixie wished she had thought about what she said more carefully and picked the activity for her. Although, it was unexpected that Twilight would pick something as barbaric as fighting. Even if it was with something so soft.

“Why pillow fighting of all things?” she asked.

“Well, the last time I had a slumber party, I didn’t get the chance to participate. Now that you’re here, I can finally put my training to good use!” said Twilight with a glint in her eye. Baffled at the fact that the bookworm of all mares would practice fighting with pillows, Trixie took a quick peek around the room. The only pillow in the room she could see was the one on Twilight’s bed. Using her horn, she lifted the pillow and flung it over to her location. If Twilight really wanted to go through with this, then Trixie needed to end it quickly so she could get some sleep. The blue light coming from her horn, captivated Twilight’s gaze.

“Trixie, why is your horn glowi-- imff!” The pillow Trixie had smacked her across the face. Looking back at the culprit, she saw the snickering unicorn holding a pillow up next to her. With an arrogant glare emerging from laughter, Trixie claimed an early victory.

“Looks like Trixie wins, Sparkle. Give up while you still can!” she offered. In response, Trixie began to hear Twilight’s feeble cackling as one of the hairs on her mane broke from the herd. Immediately, Trixie was starting to regret the sneak attack. Twilight has indeed proven herself unpredictable at times like this. Especially having never challenged the powerful mare before.

“Give up? I don’t think so,” declined Twilight. The front of her body lowered into a battle stance as her horn illuminated its purple aura. Veils of the same color started appearing all around Trixie as she marveled at her surroundings. Bookshelves --that seemed built on-- flipped upside down, her bed rose and turned over, and even the stairs shuffled upwards, rotating upside down. All this resulted in the uncovering of hundreds of pillows, neatly stacked in rows and columns. Twilight’s random large abundance of fluffy projectiles made Trixie take a few steps back in pure disbelief. She abruptly pointed her hoof at the pillow hoarder, trying to keep her sanity intact.

“Why... Why do you have so many?!” she cried, hysterically. Overconfident, Twilight only gave the showmare the same glare with a mischievous smile across her face. With her ability to grab every book from the bookcase that fell on them earlier that day, she wouldn’t have any issue controlling every pillow in her room at once. Trixie knew this well and wanted to throw in the towel while she still had the chance, yet her own arrogance came into play instead. Knowing that Twilight was far more savvy when it came to magical prowess sent chills down her spine. There was one disadvantage Twilight had in this particular situation, however, and Trixie decided to keep it hidden until the timing was just right. Either way, the battle wasn’t entirely hopeless for her.

The brewing storm was close at hoof as purple lights radiated throughout the room, highlighting each pillow in order of proximity. One by one they started floating upwards and made their way toward the duo. Like vultures awaiting their prey, the white cushions swirled overhead. Trixie’s head mimicked the movement in utter horror as she thought, ‘What did Trixie get herself into? This mare is overly obsessive when it comes to anything she takes interest in! I can only imagine what it would be like if that something would be me.’ She almost chuckled at the thought of a shrine dedicated to her with pictures filling the space all over the walls. Amusement quickly turned to disgust when she interpreted the idea in a different light. Twilight being that creepy made Trixie’s body shudder. She didn’t want to be worshipped that much.

Shaking her head loose of the plagued daydream, Trixie focused back on the wicked librarian stomping her hoof down, ready to charge. ‘This is a pillow fight... right?’ she wondered, reeling back on her hind legs, rotating her forehooves in a circular motion. Landing back down, she began to gallop at the eye of the storm which happened to be the pony controlling it all. Twilight didn’t hesitate to start tearing down pillows over her, shooting them straight at the magician. With near perfect precision, Trixie jumped to the side as the cushioned like bullets struck where her body once was. Each pillow would burst into its feather contents with each collision, making it impossible for a second use. Side hopping a fifth one, Trixie’s ego was reaching its peak. Her senses sharpened with each skillful dodge and pushed her to taunt her foe about their horrible aim.

“You’re gonna have to do a lot better than that, Sparkle, if you want to hit The Great and Powerful Trixie!” she teased, managing to grab one of the incoming projectiles with her own horn. She launched it at Twilight with enough force for the blue aura around it to ripple like a blue fireball. Crouching to all four knees, Twilight evaded the attack with ease. Rising back up, she started galloping in a wide circle around Trixie, who was chasing after her. Still with plenty of ammo, Twilight flung one pillow after another behind her; their trajectories heading straight for their target. Trixie could now shift her weight slightly while running and manage to foil each magical cushion that dared to hit her. Her confidence was at its summit.

“Give it up, Twilight Sparkle! You couldn’t hit Trixie even if she was standing still for you,” bragged Trixie as she cackled at her seamless superiority. Twilight slammed her left forehoof down and slid around on its axis until she was facing the showmare. Stopped on all fours, her relentless pillow flinging came to a halt, yet the feather-filled cushions remained in the air. Trixie slowed down her pursuit as she noticed the bookworm's expression had changed. Before, it was the egotistical smirk that Trixie would typically show, but now it was more of a delightful smile with closed eyes.

“Let’s test that theory. Trixie, please stand still,” said Twilight. Predicting Trixie would simply reject, she positioned her large mass of soft pillows in front of her and began firing. Trixie’s legs trembled as she wanted to rely on her reflexes to avoid getting hit, but she couldn’t move from what she saw. Shots on the right kept her from moving in that direction while more from the left had her pinned to where she was. Unable to pinpoint the pillows’ paths, she became stunned and shut her eyes, anticipating an inevitable hit to the head. She could hear the magic-propelled cushions whiz past her ears, but not one had hit her. Cautiously she peaked with one eye to make sure there wasn’t one heading for her.

Her fears were unfounded as she saw all the pillows coming toward her were missing her effortlessly. Was Twilight that bad of a shot? With only eight pillows in front of Twilight remaining, Trixie saw her friend panting after her failed barrage on her. To her, Twilight’s first problem was blocking her vision with all her ammo. The second was expecting The Great and Powerful Trixie would just stand still --which she did-- as commanded. Finally, the third was Trixie’s ace in the hole which she would explain to her exhausted friend.

“Looks like Trixie has bested your challenge, Twilight Sparkle. There was no doubt that you wouldn’t be able to best The Great and Powerful Trixie!” She exclaimed, with her front hoof held high in a triumphant pose. Coming down from her overzealous victory stance, she noticed Twilight only stood there, gasping for oxygen as if she had finished a marathon at full speed. There was a pause where neither of them said a word. Trixie decided that her gloating would continue, in this case.

“You fell for Trixie’s trap, Twilight! See she knew you would tire yourself out faster than usual due to my exhausting of your body earlier. I used that as my advantage. Making you move around and constantly use your magic was too much for your body to take. Especially when you wanted to ‘test your theory’ against Trixie and still managed to miss her when she stood perfectly in place. How’s that, Sparkle?! Give up, now?” she teased, pointing out each flaw in Twilight’s battle strategy. Glancing to see her defeated friend made her raise a brow instead. Instead of a woeful, depressed Twilight Sparkle, she saw a smile instead? A big, confident grin at that.

“Wrong, Trixie. You fell for my trap!” Twilight snickered. Eyes widening in disbelief, Trixie stood there with a gaping mouth.

“Wha-What?! Your trap?” She questioned, blind-sighted by her friends bold revelation. Twilight merely explained her trap in three simple words.

“Look around you,” she said while waving her right forehoof around, in front of her face. The magician scoffed at her friend’s meaningless suggestion. Her eyes wandered to the side as she saw a pillow floating in mid air a few feet off the ground. Two more pillows appeared above that one and five more were around that pair. Following the trail of the sudden abundance of pillows suspended in space and looking over her shoulder to see the same blockade pattern behind her. Trixie gulped in realization of what exactly Twilight’s ‘trap’ was. She was completely surrounded by pillows in every direction. Twilight took note that Trixie finally caught on to what was happening and explained herself in a similar manner that the showmare did before.

“You see, Trixie, I knew I was going to get tired easily, thanks to you, so I devised an idea that resulted in what’s around you. I intentionally made you think I was just missing you the entire time, when in fact I was only setting you up,” pointed out Twilight. Most of it was still confusing to Trixie, though, so she wanted more answers.

“Trixie stayed perfectly still! You could have easily hit her without being able to see behind that giant pillow wall you made,” she argued. If Twilight really had missed her with every pillow on purpose, then she was extremely lucky not to have gotten hit by now. The egghead knew better, however, as she continued exposing her clever scheme.

“You’re right, I could have hit you no problem. I mean, I have all these pillows that can move at my leisure. I just thought it would be more fun if I put an evasion spell on all of them so they would all miss you. Even if you stayed perfectly still. Of course I had you beat from the very beginning,” boasted Twilight, tapping her right forehoof on the ground as her plan was successful. Trixie was dumbfounded at her crush’s brilliance, as her back knees buckled from the shock, forcing her to sit.

Pleading to herself to find a way out of this corner, Trixie’s horn lit up in a blue aura to try to take control of any of the cushions that surrounded her. It was impossible for her to overlap her blue veil over the pillow’s purple one. Watching her friend struggle to find a way out, Twilight thought she better end it now.

“Well, ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie, it looks like I win this fight. It was very fun for me! Thank you,” she beamed.

“What? Wait... No! Trixie hasn’t lost!” yelled Trixie as she tried once more to seek escape from her feathery prison. Her horn sparked and fizzed with no results. It was too late now, as the horde of pillows that surrounded her were closing in fast. With one final push Twilight smashed all the pillows together at once, causing them all to burst in a huge flash of white feathers. The remains of each cushion showered the room as the torn pieces of fabric touched the ground first, followed by the soft contents swaying back and forth above. A single feather landed on the top of Twilight’s nose. The battle was over.

***

Author’s Notes:

Okay, okay. Once again... Vyreinos kind of dropped me the idea of a pillow fight and my mind blew up in excitement. I couldn’t wait to write it and I had fun typing in every word. Just a bit nervous on how the actual fight will be reacted to (Being that it’s been a pretty light-hearted story so far, but c’mon! Pillows are light, aren’t they?) or how Twilight’s trolling would take. I honestly, truly liked what I was typing in. In retrospect, pillow fights are fun. I just wanted some action in mine, so I’m justified.

Who am I kidding? I’m totally getting a paddlin’ for that Dragon Ball Z move. Heck, I’d get a paddlin’ just for mentioning the name Dragon Ball Z. That’s a... That’s two paddlin’s, folks. Get to it.

I don’t know, what do you think, Trevor?

Erm... Trevor thinks that with how long it took him to proof this chapter, he’s willing to call it square, actually... But have fun with that paddlin ‘causeIgottagoBye! *Disappears in a cloud of smoke*

The Tenth Chapter Whereas The Battle Concluded

Chapter 10: Whereas The Battle Concluded

Ten chapters? Jeez, how long is this story anyway? How can you read this stuff? Look at what they’ve done so far. Trixie drops dead on Twilight’s porch, they eat pancakes, read books, watch Trixie put on a show, cook more food, swap bodies, Trixie makes out with a mirror, they have some awkward kiss, become best friends, and have a ridiculous pillow fight! All in one day! Can you really read this and say you’ve enjoyed it? Well, I won’t judge you. If you can read up to here and say, “Yeah, I’m reading this and I’m okay with it,” then you, reader, deserve a medal. And since there’s a bunch of you, I’m sorry to say that there aren’t enough medals to go around, since Trevor stole all of the replicas.

In fact, there’s only one medal. Its current location is resting around my neck-- Can’t catch me!

***

The Worn and Bamboozled Trixie became engulfed in a white light. Hordes of pillows clashed, ripped, and tore asunder, leaving their feathery innards to shower over the entire room. Twilight watched as her best friend was completely overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of fluffy projectiles. Shielding her eyes from the collision’s brilliant flash, she wondered if perhaps she had gone too far with the entire pillow fight. Trixie seemed to take it all just as seriously as she did, which made the egghead feel a little better about beating her. Then again, it was her intimidating, enormous collection of cushions that might have engaged Trixie’s competitive spirit. Either way, she had won the fight tonight, and it was time for some well deserved sleep.

Gazing back at the point of the feather blast, Twilight could see through the sprinkled pillow contents. She noticed the biggest pile of feathers indicating the central area where the blast happened, but did not see any sign of Trixie. Alarmed, she galloped over to the spot and began frantically kicking away at the piles, trying to locate the spot where the showmare might be. After exhausting every possible place around the explosion’s origin, her fears got the best of her. ‘What if her body couldn’t take the force of all those pillows at one time? I could have... No...’ her thoughts remained grounded to one theory. A hypothesis so dark that the tear ducts in her eyes immediately opened their flood gates.

Clear liquid flowing down each cheek, Twilight’s lower eyelids moved up in an attempt to hold the fluid in. With no sign of Trixie, however, there was no such way to suppress her sorrow. With her body too focused on producing tears, she sniffed and let out a small squeak while trying to inhale. Her air intakes were quick and plentiful, yet exhaling took ten times longer and included a quiet, choppy whine. She just couldn’t believe what she saw was true anymore, as if it was another dream; in this case, a nightmare. There was no way Twilight could think of that could argue a way for Trixie to escape her collapsed fortress of pillows. With hope being lost in the dark, regret filled the bookworm’s heart.

‘I shouldn’t have started this whole thing! Trixie said she wanted to leave and if I had let her... If only I had confessed my feelings for her, then something different could have happened, good or bad,' she thought painfully. Not finding an illusion through reality, Twilight continued to mourn over her love’s unknown fate. Suddenly, a familiar groan seeped into her ear, which made both of them perk up in response. Another small cry was heard to confirm her suspicions as she slowly turned her head around to capture the source of the noise. Out of the corner of her sight, she could already see a blur of an azure color. Her heart forgetting what a beat was for a second, her neck picked up speed, clarifying the smudged, cerulean blue color.

Of course, this vivid complexion only belongs to one unicorn, but Trixie wasn’t all blue at the moment. Parts of her figure were smudged with a burnt black. A dark grey puff of smoke escaped her lungs, her legs trembled, and she started mumbling nonsensically like a patient diagnosed with dementia. Her eyes started shifting in different directions, scanning the room. With a violent shake of her head, her mental state was reverted back to normal. Twilight could only watch Trixie for the moment as she contemplated how she could have possibly ended up a distance away of where the attack took place. ‘She appeared in a different location in a split second! That can only mean... Trixie teleported?’ wondered Twilight with an amazed stare.

Though it was simple for her to initiate a teleportation spell, she never expected that Trixie of all unicorns could pull it off. Her efforts in using higher levels of magic before always seemed to wear her out. Of course, this accomplished feat wasn’t without its consequences, seeing as her body was covered in soot. Still, from how she reacted to Trixie’s possible disintegration, this was an overwhelming relief. Her momentary lapse of reason had ended and her tear stained face met with leaks from her bottom eyelids once again. Looking back at her was a confident grin from The Great and Powerful Trixie who just evaded certain defeat; her boastful attitude was still intact.

“H-Hah! Trixie was able to copy your teleportation spell in just the nick of time!” she bragged, while deep inside, she actually had no clue how she triggered the spell, having little-to-no knowledge of how it really worked. Nonetheless, she luckily dodged Twilight’s trap and was now able to continue the fight she started. With Twilight’s energy dwindling, Trixie could move back to her former strategy and use the librarian’s weariness against her. Now all she needed was a pillow to combat her with. She turned her head left and right, looking past all the feathers on the floor to locate a singe cushion. Also knowing Twilight might try to ambush her if she found one first, Trixie distracted her with conversation.

“Now that Trixie has returned, she will def--” A squealing voice interrupted her.

“Trixie! You’re okay!” cried Twilight, running towards her best friend. Her tears were still flowing --out of happiness this time-- and a broad smile came across her face as she leaped towards her friend from the ease of her worries. In mid flight, Twilight could only think about how happy she was that her crush remained safe, and that they could just forget about the whole pillow fight. Her vision was suddenly blinded however, and the momentum of her body seemed to reverse in direction.

Whatever hit her head didn’t seem to cause any real harm. Though it was a soft impact, it still forced her jump to take an opposite path. Colliding with the hard wood floor, she opened her eyes to see the object that struck her face. In a blue aura, a pillow rose off of her while a showmare appeared over her. Apparently, Trixie still thought the battle was still ongoing.

“Haha, take that, Sparkle! Now you’re trapped and will have no choice but to surrender!” she exclaimed. When she said trapped, she was referring to how she sat over Twilight’s back legs to keep her bottom half from moving. Lifting the pillow she found in the air above her, she readied her next attack. Twilight, on the other hoof, was too distracted by her emotions to follow what Trixie was doing. She promptly sat up and threw her arms around the magician, pulling her back down to the ground in a crushing hug. The single pillow that Trixie carried dropped to the ground. Confused by the gesture, Trixie tried to figure out what exactly it meant.

‘She’s hugging Trixie as if she hadn’t seen her in years, but Trixie has been here the whole time. This must be some sort of trap! That’s it! Another trick schemed up by Twilight Sparkle. Though you won’t fool Trixie this time,’ she declared to herself. Planting her hooves on both sides of her clinging friend, she pushed herself up, struggling to break the lavender chains that grounded her. Trixie’s squirming made Twilight realize that her actions were immoral to the friendship she was trying to maintain with her. Having the showmare prying away from her, Twilight snapped her hooves back. The sudden release forced Trixie’s body to reel back halfway, yet she managed to catch herself before falling backwards.

Finding herself free from her foe’s tight grip, she lifted up the pillow she had dropped before. Raising the weapon over her head again, she wasted no time in preparing the final blow. She glanced back down at her victim’s face, only to see a thought-breaking expression. Looking more closely, she hadn’t noticed Twilight’s face was glistening from moisture coming from her eyes or that her mouth was gaping open in a regretful frown. Why had the mare made such a depressing look at her? ‘Is this just another trick? No... not even Twilight is that good of an actor,’ thought Trixie. This new understanding of what was going on eased the tense showmare as she lowered the pillow down to her side. Twilight finally spoke up to her with a nasally voice since her sinuses were still congested from her slight breakdown before.

“I’m sorry, Trixie. I don’t want to play anymore. I just...” she choked on her words, not knowing what to say or how to express how she felt. Not being able to find Trixie after her attack spooked her out of fighting. Finding that she was okay made Twilight feel a little better, yet she didn’t want the consequences of what happened first to become reality. Trixie, however, was beginning to figure it all out. Her sudden disappearance might have caused a bit of a misunderstanding. Well okay... a big misunderstanding, but looking at Twilight’s tear-stained face, it was easy to tell that she was really worried about Trixie. This isn’t the first time, either. The egghead showed concern for her after their re-acquaintance that very morning, and occasionally throughout the day.

Out of all those times, though, this was easily the worst Trixie has seen her. ‘Why would you cry over Trixie? Do you really think of her as your best friend? This just isn’t fair. You’re not fair, Twilight Sparkle!’ pondered Trixie. The latter of her thoughts referred to the battle they were still in. Showing that kind of face to Trixie drove her crazy. The pillow shot up into the air again as Trixie made a menacing glare at the mare below. Surprised with eyes widening, Twilight stared back, anticipating Trixie to strike her and claim victory. After a while she noticed Trixie had not really moved from her attack position. In fact, her scornful expression drooped to a melancholy one. Why wasn’t she finishing Twilight off? Actually, Trixie was too busy trying to hold back her own tears. As eager as she was to beat Twilight, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Comprehending what this all would end with, Trixie jerked her head back and eased it forward with a disappointed sigh. A straight, blank look on her face, she took the pillow she was holding and slammed it into her head. The soft smack to her cheek only made Trixie wince in preparation of a larger pain, but the blow to the head didn’t hurt at all. She tossed the cushion away and tapped into her inner actress. Twilight only watched in bewilderment while the showmare performed her melodramatic act of surrender. Putting her right front calf over her forehead and tilting her head back while doing so, Trixie wailed in a whimsical manner.

“Oh, you have defeated The Great and Powerful Trixie. Your powers are just too much for her, Twilight Sparkle!” she cried, pretending to collapse from exhaustion by falling over on top of Twilight, who reacted with a deep crimson hue across her muzzle. Trixie felt so silly and embarrassed, letting Twilight win the entire thing, yet she just couldn’t stand seeing her so upset over her. All she wanted was for her to be happy and grace her vision with that sweet, innocent smile. Committing metaphorical suicide seemed like the quickest and most satisfying way to comfort her crush. For some reason, she felt warm and there was a fluttering in her stomach as if she were embracing euphoria. What made her feel so good? Was it the light-hearted action she acted, or perhaps the consolation of Twilight that got her in such a dreamy mood?

She also questioned the second heartbeat she felt next to her own, picking up speed. In Trixie’s amusing show of self-destruction, she was distracted from what exactly she fell on top of. Out of the corner of her left eye she could see a familiar striped mane flowing on the ground to her side. Cautious, Trixie slowly pushed herself back up for a better view of the owner of said mane. There was no surprise here, however; it was obviously Twilight, yet Trixie wanted to believe otherwise. Looking down at her, Trixie saw her friend completely flushed with eyes wildly staring at her. It wasn’t long for the magician to perfectly mirror the expression back at her. She knew what she did was out of bounds for their friendship, even though their friendship had to be the weirdest she’s ever known.

Every hour of that day seemed to include one or two heart throbbing moments for them, like their relationship grew ten steps with each moment. Never did Trixie pay attention to how much their distances closed in, or what she was really doing in this situation for that matter. Her mind was blank and her heart caught in a moment. Afraid of saying something weird, her mouth only hung open a little, trembling to find the right words. Below her, Twilight found herself speechless as well. Trixie forfeited the fight for her, something she thought an arrogant mare like her couldn’t really do, especially since it was kind of tense on both of them. This made the blush spread over her face, painting it red.

Her heart was thumping against her chest and made it twitch against Trixie’s. Through her love and emotions, half of her wanted to pull her down and let their faces press passionately, yet the other half --being her brain-- didn’t want to do something hasty that she would regret. Nevertheless, her lavender hooves moved on their own, reaching for Trixie’s backside in order to pull her closer. Before she could accomplish her momentary desire, her logic spoke out first.

“You’re just a little bit heavy, Trixie,” her hooves changed trajectories and quickly covered up her mouth in a gasp. ‘Out of all the stupid, inconsiderate things I could have said, why did I say that?’ she frantically wondered. Trixie kept her gaze on Twilight, but she couldn’t stop her mouth from opening in shock. However, this was her opportunity to back out, which she did by jumping back and scrambling to her hooves. Her feelings were mixed with components of insulted, grateful, and disdain. The emotion she chose to show would be decided based upon how Twilight would act. Sitting up and leaning forward to stand on all fours, the bookworm immediately started to make amends of her mistake.

“I’m sorry, Trixie, that’s not what I meant to say! It was only that you were crushing my pelvis an-- ugh, No!” She stomped her right forehoof, frustrated with herself. Luckily, Trixie could perceive from Twilight’s stammering that she didn’t mean to offend her. With that in mind, she covered Twilight’s lips with her own hoof to prevent any further damage.

“It's alright, Twilight. Trixie's weight is strictly all muscle, so it's no surprise that she was a tad heavy for you," she boasted, using the hoof she silenced Twilight with to flex her leg muscles. Her statement melded with that justified gesture seemed to pull the laughter right out of the librarian. Trixie was extremely satisfied to see her friend showing one of her happier expressions. Unable to control her snickering, Twilight's infectious giggling eventually had the showmare join in with her. Though she stayed by her proclaimed facts, sharing a comedic moment with Twilight lifted the awkward pressure of the situation.

Soon they calmed simultaneously as their loud laughter transitioned into small chuckles. They finished with their gleeful fits and only gazed at each other with sincere smiles. With the pillow fight ending on such a good note, they could feel the atmosphere of the room uplifting. Twilight decided to speak first, lest the pause between them become awkward again.

"So... Maybe it's time we actually got to the sleeping part of the slumber party?" suggested Twilight with a sheepish grin. At that time, Trixie remembered that it was midnight the last time they looked at the clock. Glancing back at it now, it read one twenty-three in the morning, meaning the entire event lasted over an hour. Her eyelids feeling heavy, Trixie’s bones had a weary sensation with the desire to embrace a soft surface. She expressed her agreement to her friend as they made their way to the stairway leading up to the where the beds were.

"Come to think of it, Trixie is exhausted from all that fighting," commented Trixie as she began walking up the steps with her head lowered in fatigue. Along side her, Twilight perceived a similar depletion of her energy, although she was actually tired even before they tussled with pillows. She moved ahead of Trixie as she made way for her own bed near the end of the room’s upper level. Approaching her bed, Twilight’s head spun around to see her friend was still behind her. Trixie stopped once she found out she was still following the egghead. Before she could correct her mistake by heading for the other bed, Twilight moved her entire body to properly face the showmare. Staring at her quizically, Twilight had locked Trixie in a gaze.

“Something wrong, Trixie?” she asked as she leaned forward to study her love’s face. It was easy to see there was an anxious frown across her face, as if she had been caught doing something wrong. In actuality, Trixie wasn’t even paying attention to the fact she was still walking right behind her. The only reason she was nervous was because Twilight was looking at her profusely and it made her face glow a hot scarlet color. That and her voice was somewhat shaky when she spoke.

“N-Nothing! Nothing at a-all, Twilight! Trixie just blanked out, that’s all,” stammered Trixie, as she tried to gather her wits back. The statement should have put her friend at ease, but for some reason Twilight saw something that she wasn’t even aware that she was showing.

“Are you hiding something from me?” she inquired. If Trixie’s thoughts could make a sound, it would be an ear splitting scream. She was, in fact, hiding her feelings from Twilight, but there was no way she would spill the beans now.

“No, of course, not! Trixie would never hide anything. She assures you that Trixie has been perfectly honest with you the entire day,” she lied with a big assuring smile, her brows still lowered. Unfortunately, Twilight was only getting more suspicious as she only saw an uneasy unicorn with sweat beading down her face. How a simple mind blank-out shifted into a misunderstanding that secrets were being hidden, Trixie couldn’t figure out. Keeping that troubled smirk on her face, she could only wait for Twilight’s response while the non-existent spotlight on her got brighter. Twilight, who leaned closer in inspection of her friend, could see right through her. Of course, she didn’t want to be too prying of Trixie.

“Trixie...?” She said with a growling tone, implying that she wanted the truth. If Trixie wanted to get out of this interrogation before it could potentially hurt Twilight’s trust, she would need to tell the honest truth.

“Trixie is sorry, Twilight,” she apologized, her head in a sulk. Standing back up straight, Twilight had a surprised look on her face. Just what was Trixie not telling her? It’s not very often her friend would apologize to anypony. Putting a hoof up to her chin, she took a moment to count how many times Trixie has actually said such a thing to her. Surprisingly, she could recall at least five times of it occurring that day. So perhaps this is starting to become a habit for Trixie. Either way, Twilight listened in on her friend’s revelation.

“The truth is...” Trixie began, while Twilight could only stare in preparation of what the secret could possibly be. Lifting her head back up, the magician met those violet eyes with her own as she was ready to let her mouth move again.

“Trixie was just in some kind of daze, so she didn’t realize that she was following you, and I mean, you turned around so quickly that it sort of surprised Trixie, that’s all,” admitted Trixie, completely emptying her lungs which prompted her to inhale loudly to make up for it. Twilight’s head fell a bit while her expression turned sour in disappointment. All that built up hype as well as the adrenaline that kept her very much awake vanished with Trixie’s anticlimactic reasoning. ‘Then again, what was I expecting? It’s not like she was going to admit her love to me,’ she thought. With that mess out of the way, Twilight turned to her bed, completely ignoring what just happened. Her mind only grew numb of the roller coaster her day has been.

“W-Wait?!” Trixie cried out, touching her friend’s shoulder with her hoof. Cranking her head towards the showmare, Twilight gave her an irritated, cranky grimace. She saw an azure hoof softly clawing at the ground. Annoyed herself, Trixie stomped her hoof down to put a stop on her suddenly timid nature. Though when she looked back up to that round lavender face she grew accustomed to, her chest’s contents would just dissolve, forcing herself back into a shy nature. She knew that Twilight wanted to hear something better than the excuse that was given, but it was the honest truth, after all. At any rate, she just wanted to wish the librarian --who gave her such nice hospitality-- a good night.

“Good night, Twilight,” she said calmly. Twilight felt her face loosened up as well as her tensed up legs relaxed.

“Oh, good night Trixie,” replied the lavender mare, turning back away to hide her red-hued face. While Twilight was pulling her covers back to hop on her bed, Trixie began taking slow, light steps back to her bed. She could only wish that she would be able to tell the bookworm to have a good night, every night. Perhaps one day to follow it with a mutual display of affection. How long would this dream last for her, anyway? Trixie contemplated what would have happened had she just confessed her feelings just then.

‘Would she have just kicked Trixie out? Or politely reject her?’ she wondered. For Trixie, any result ending in rejection seemed to just shatter her well being. Being with Twilight for an entire day was definitely something she never expected to take place. What if all of this turned out to be one big dream and she woke up back on the cold hard ground outdoors? No, she shook that harsh way of thinking from her head. The last thing she wanted was to be depressed about an abrupt ending to her fantasy. She should only be focused on living in the now which was actually with Twilight, at the moment.

Climbing into the other bed, Trixie had frequent flashbacks of that day move through her subconscious. Collapsing on a doorstep that just so happened to be Twilight’s house and having pancakes for breakfast that next day. Reading her favorite book while she held Trixie from behind, then saving her from a falling bookcase that the egghead could have lifted with ease. She gave the mare a private show and even cooked her dinner, which turned out to be a body switching potion. ‘The time in Twilight’s body was... interesting, to say the least,’ she thought as she started to get comfortable.

Her stiffened muscles melted over the silky, soft mattress. Before covering herself she sat up to take a gander at her friend in the other bed. It seemed Twilight was already fast asleep, her covers wrapping tightly around her like a cocoon. Trixie wanted to see her face while she was sleeping, but of course from her distance, she could only see a striped mane poke out of the covers. Unexpectedly, Twilight rose her head up with the same motive. What she got instead was two purple eyes gazing back at her. They mimicked each other’s shocked expressions and simultaneously made the same thud sound as they snapped their heads back to their pillows.

Trixie pulled the covers over her body in a speedy manner with magic. As long as they were both quiet about getting caught, they wouldn’t question the other’s actions. Today has already been filled with enough strange, awkward tensions between them. Shifting over on her side, Trixie focused back on herself, pulling the covers closer to her. Her mind was restless, along with her legs that would sway back and forth under the comforter. Getting sleep wouldn't be easy if she couldn't calm her thoughts. The weight of the entire day's incidents kept her head at work. Impatient, Trixie shuffled to face the other direction, struggling to keep herself at peace. It was then, however, she remember the kiss they had shared before.

Whether they had to or not, she never expected to experience such a wonderful feeling... Especially with a mare that she used to only dream about. In fact, she found it hard to believe that any of today's happenings occurred. At first, they were practically only subjects of each other's competition, yet now they were proclaimed best friends. Could their relationship grow past that? 'Is it possible for Twilight to fall in love with me and feel the way I do about her?' Trixie pondered. Reflecting on how much she desired the librarian and the affection she would show her if the opportunity presented itself, the only answer that could be reached at this point was that it wasn't all that possible.

Trixie's train of thought was derailed at the sound of shuffling from across the room. Though her ear rotated slightly to hear the noise, she kept her head on the pillow to prevent the sudden eye contact that happened before. Out of nowhere, a small push was felt on her upper back that alerted her heart to jump in fear. Switching the direction she faced in order to spot the source of her brief paranoia, she saw a pillow being held with a purple light encasing it. Above that was the top half of a lavender head with a striped mane draped over, covering the pony's eyes. The illumination faded away as a pair of hooves clutched the pillow tightly, keeping the bottom part of her face concealed.

Tilting her head a bit, two violet irises could be seen glowing faintly from the moonlight shining through the window. It wasn't any surprise to Trixie who this mare was, though why this mare was standing on her bedside, she didn't have a clue.

"Twilight, what's wrong?" asked Trixie. The currently timid bookworm had heavy words she needed to push off her chest. Twilight paused for a moment to gather what she wanted to say.

***

Author's Notes:
I’m being told that the chapter you just read is very decent. Me myself, however, feels a bit iffy on it. It’s practically a transition of the previous cliffhanger into the next event via cliffhanger... Which I’ve done before, but this one seems more filler-ish. I just think I’ve had better transitions. With time constraints on the story, it would be a bit weird to squeeze another event in there. Actually the pillow fight was practically the squeeze-in activity so... Ugh, I’m sick of being all ‘Mr. Pessimist.’ Just make your own opinion of it and post a comment if you want. I survive on those, by the way.

Also, I’m looking for a couple more pre-readers to help out on upcoming chapters and the re-writes of the first three chapters. My number one and only editor is on vacation next week for obvious reasons, but also, lately I’ve been getting comments with corrections in them. I’d like to see if I can get some help to iron out as many wrinkles as possible. Of course those interested won’t be paid... I suppose I can only offer an early reading of a chapter long before it’s published as some sort of... payment.

Anyway, see you guys next chapter. I’m very excited about it!

The Twelfth Chapter-- Wait... Twilight Has What?

Chapter 12: Wait... Twilight Has What?!

You know what? I have a confession to make. In the story, there seems to be a hint at a mystical force that drives these two ponies together and puts them through pure misery anytime they believe their love has been realized. Well, needless to say, that force is me, the author. I know it’s quite shocking to everyone, but I do indeed tease both these characters half to death. Although, I don’t think I should be the enemy, here. For those of you reading this, I blame you. That’s right! You’re reading whatever this story is and guffawing at its teasing demeanor! You should be ashamed! Wait... doesn’t that mean we both like it? So, there isn’t really a problem...

Oh, I lost track of what the joke was! You guys stink! Oh well... Have your tease of a story be put in front of you. Happy reading?

***

The Just and Enamored Trixie relinquished her laughter filled struggle with her arch nemesis turned best friend, Twilight Sparkle. As she laid her head back, the perspective of the room from her eyes had flipped upside down. Almost forgetting her crush was right on top of her, something on the other side of the room locked her gaze. Above the curious mare, Twilight was distracted by her own thoughts of her self-declaration from the night before. ‘This silence seems like a good opportunity to tell Trixie how I feel,’ she thought.

“Hey, Trixie? I... have something to tell you,” she began, averting her eyes to avoid making contact with her friend’s. However, the showmare below her didn’t respond in any way as she was currently fixated on something else. It took a moment for Twilight to realize she was being ignored before she looked back and noticed Trixie was staring at something. Following her line of sight, Twilight noticed a small protrusion from under the comforter draped onto the floor.

Knowing the things she kept under her bed caused Twilight’s heart to submerge. Suddenly, a purple light enveloped the space around the box and was shoved back underneath the bed. Having done this on impulse, the egghead knew Trixie wasn’t going to just pretend it didn’t happen. In fact, her head propped back up to see Twilight’s guilty expression, right on cue. There was something the magician saw that her friend didn’t want her to see.

“What was that... box under your bed, Twilight?” she asked, easily able to identify what it must have been. Regardless of predicting the mare’s interrogation, the bookworm’s head was drenched instantly with perspiration. She knew exactly what was beneath that star-patterned bed of hers and it was something she could never let this particular unicorn see. It could easily be verified as passionate research that she would take to the grave with her. Nopony had ever grasped a hint of such possessions, nor would they ever be curious enough to search her bedroom. Her supreme organization cloaked the room perfectly, invisible from any suspicion.

Unfortunately, one mare’s keen eye was able to spot a flaw in her precise structure which only resulted from Twilight’s laziness from pushing a simple box further into darkened space. ‘Come to think of it, when Trixie and I landed on the ground, the whole room shook. Was that just enough force to jolt the box into view?’ pondered the librarian. Either way, she needed to come up with a lie quickly, in order to dismiss any further investigation.

“Nothing!” she said with a questionable inflection. Though she was clever in avoiding conversation with strangers, getting past this showmare was going to prove no easy feat.

“Liar,” responded Trixie, contorting her face into a disapproving grimace. It was obvious Twilight was hiding something from her. Scrambling from underneath the lavender bind, she promptly made a crawl towards the questionable object’s resting place. After only a few steps, her progress was tugged at from behind, bringing her to a stop. Looking over her shoulder was a view she remembered from before, except this time the tail-clenching mare was far more desperate. Before speaking, she winced in pain from being pulled back by the silver hairs on her posterior.

“Let Trixie go, Twilight Sparkle!” she cried as she attempted to halt her reverse progression by slamming her forehooves down in front of her. Twilight drew the magician back with all her might, making a muffled sound of disagreement. Slowly the backwards momentum of Trixie’s body ground to a point where movement ceased and both ends tugged to gain control. Surprised at the strength of the egghead’s jaw, Trixie could only lift her behind up in a struggling attempt to free herself. Neither side could make any stride and eventually, both of them caved in simultaneously, wheezing through dilating nostrils.

“Fine! If you won’t let Trixie get closer to that thing, than she will just bring it to her!” declared Trixie. Almost instantly, the dark depths of where the object sat was illuminated in a blue glow, which slid out a magic-veiled box made of cardboard. Twilight dropped the tail she had a hold of with a shocked gasp once her secret container was revealed. Bringing it up to eye level, Trixie examined the case and easily figured its original use could have been to house a pony’s shoes. Due to Twilight’s reaction though, it was far too suspicious for the box to have those kinds of contents.

“Twilight, what are you hiding from Trixie in this box?” she asked, turning to face the over-anxious mare who’s jaw was misaligned. The bookworm’s body only trembled as her mind was being torn apart with contemplations of Trixie’s various negative reactions. Sure, she had wanted to tell her how she liked mares as well as liking the magician, but this wasn’t the proper way of showing it. In fact, the contents of the container could only result in a complete misunderstanding of her ulterior motives.

What if Trixie thought the reason she had such things were to imitate the images with her? With that heart-stopping question crossing her mind, she knew right then that she needed to get that box as far away from her friend as possible. Unfortunately, that friend only looked at the pondering mare with an indifferent look.

“If you won’t tell Trixie, then she will find out for herself,” announced the magician while lifting the cover off. Knowing she couldn’t stop the magical aura with her own, Twilight lunged with her forehoof extended. The top of the box was slammed back into place by a lavender hoof, while the other hoof helped grasp it by pushing up from the bottom. From there, Twilight tried to pry the glowing encasement from her friend’s magical hold.

“Twilight! What are you doing? Give. Trixie. The. Box!” Trixie demanded, gritting her teeth as she pulled back with her horn.

“No! I refuse to let you see what’s inside!” replied the librarian as she tugged the box back closer to her.

“Let your best friend see what’s in it!” shouted back the showmare, dragging it back to her side.

“No!” Twilight yelled while jerking it over to her end again. This was getting nowhere for either of them. Keeping her mystical hold on the box they fought over, Trixie brought her forehooves to either side of it.

“Let... go!” she cried, tearing away the cardboard case from Twilight’s firm clasp, which caused said mare to dive forward, having lost her hold so swiftly. Now, with her back turned facing her friend, Trixie became the sole holder of the secret container once again.

“There. Now let’s see what’s in here...” she commented, relieved from the stressful wrestling. She began to raise the top of the box and anticipated its tempting secrets inside. Her attempt was thwarted yet again, from what sounded like a battle cry just behind her. Losing complete control over the suspicious object resulted from a lavender figure landing on top of it from above. Trixie fell back, catching herself with her forehooves as she watched the bookworm guard the case with her entire body.

Before she could even make an argument against Twilight’s reckless tactics, she saw the body that covered the box brighten in a purple veil, surrounding it. She was then engulfed herself in the brilliant light and found her weight to be nonexistent as she left the ground. The hold around her tightened quickly, preventing her from moving any of her limbs. So much so that she felt as if a rope was constricting her, making her grunt in pain. Opening one of her eyes to catch glimpse of the egghead, she saw the pupils from her eyes had vanished, and white light seeped from her gaze.

“Twilight... please... it hurts!” she pleaded to the enraged mare below. Twilight, who was blinded by her desperation at that moment, heard her friend’s cry and promptly vanquished the magical grip around her. Her violet irises appeared in her eyes again as she made a frightful expression to what she had done. Watching Trixie pick herself up from the hardwood floor, she could feel her tear ducts giving way.

“Trixie, I don’t know what came over me. I’m so sor--” her apology cut short by Trixie’s abrupt action. Distracted from the reason she got so upset in the first place, she had momentarily forgotten what she was supposed to protect. In one hasty move, the box under Twilight’s frame was plucked from underneath her. With its forward movement halted, the side facing Twilight began to rise upwards. Frame by frame, the container shifted over on its side with the cover losing its snug place and flying above the box’s trajectory. The topless box finished its transition as the entire contents of it spilled out.

The sight of her desires pouring onto the floor in front of her, plunged her heart down as it caused Twilight's body to drop down with it. Intrigued by what fell from the opened box, Trixie cautiously approached it. Across from her, the librarian could only watch in fear as her friend picked the object up with a magical blue glow. Once the item was in plain sight, Twilight's tense structure softened as her fears were unrealized. Unfolding the star patterned fabric, the magician couldn't help but smile at her cape's cheeky design.

"This is... my old cape," she said in slight disbelief. Peering further into the cardboard case, she was able to pull out another item of clothing, this time a pointed hat with the same scheme as the cape. She placed the blue-veiled accessory neatly over her silver mane and glowing horn.

"Where did you find these?" asked Trixie, keeping the same grin. At ease now, Twilight felt better that it wasn't those unmentionables she stowed away underneath the same bed. In fact, she was surprised that she didn't take into consideration the possibility of the hat and cape being the box's contents in the first place. Becoming so worked up over the worst of the pair must have distracted her from any positive reasoning. Still, now that the storm had blown over, she could now continue pursuit of her love for the cerulean blue unicorn. She began by answering the question the mare gave with wholehearted honesty.

"I found them in the wreckage of your caravan. It wasn't easy to find, since it was so much wood to go through, but I still managed to salvage it. Also, the fabric was torn in a few places, so I sewed the holes up and cleaned the filth that was on it," she explained, excited to reveal her great find. As much as Trixie was joyful that her friend went through all the trouble of finding and fixing part of her property, she felt amiss as to why she went out of her way for her.

“I really appreciate it, Twilight, but why all this for me?” asked the magician, slightly confused. At this point, confessing to the mare would have been all too easy for Twilight, yet she somehow missed the opportunity by saying something misleading instead.

“Because we’re best friends?” she replied, questioning herself at the same time with a sheepish smirk. Even she knew that statement didn’t make any sense in this context.

“But, we weren’t best friends until yesterday. When did you actually find this stuff?” questioned Trixie.

“A week ago...?” Twilight attempted to remember when exactly she found the clothes herself. She only knew it was some time after her day and night research about the feelings she developed. Still, the truth was beginning to come out, but not in the way she had wanted.

“So before we were even reacquainted, you went to Trixie’s destroyed mobile home and took her hat and cape? Washed it, fixed it, and then put it in a box under your bed?” inquired the azure mare, implying something wasn’t right with her friend’s actions. The argument took Twilight aback as it made her sound like some creepy stalker pony.

“W-Well I mean sure, bu--” Trying to defend herself, she was caught off-guard by even more curious words.

“Also, you were protecting this box like your life depended on it. Yet now, you’re suddenly okay with Trixie having it? Twilight, what’s going on?” Trixie questioned further, pointing at the empty box they fought over. In fact, the entire fight made it seem like the showmare’s garments were extremely precious to Twilight. While this was true, it didn’t exactly cast her in a positive light. The whole overprotective nature of a few pieces of clothing made the librarian seem very obsessive. It was all over now; she was a creepy stalker pony. Regardless, she would fight back with points of her own that she gathered throughout the previous day.

“Well... you collapsed on my doorstep!” she blurted out, narrowing her eyes and making a justified step towards the Trixie. Her debate was quickly vanquished, however.

“Not on purpose. Trixie had no idea where she was or where you lived for that matter.” admitted Trixie, factually. That one hoof that made a step toward her now rose in the air in slight shock. After a few seconds elapsed, it went right back down as more of the past day’s fishy events came flooding back.

“Well you hugged me only minutes after we met again,” Twilight pointed out, making Trixie tread backwards a bit. The bookworm only closed the distance by walking closer to her, stopping but a foot away, and continuing her verbal attack.

“You also fainted after I barely touched you,” she argued.

“Trixie thought you licked her cheek!” Trixie stepped forward, keeping her guard up.

“What? I would never do that. What about when you pushed me down so a bookcase wouldn’t fall on me?” Twilight also edged closer, practically butting heads.

“You mean the same bookcase you could have easily lifted in the first place?” rebutted Trixie. Twilight’s head reeled back in reaction, yet still snapped back, ready to deliver more.

“Your private show?” she continued the dispute.

“A ‘thank you’ for your hospitality,” Trixie mocked another weak point. From there the quarrel only continued, going back and forth between the two, with Twilight staying on the offensive.

“You asked me to tell you how I really felt about you while I was under a trance!”

“You mean, you pretended to be hypnotized?”

“Uh... well-- Your show was named after me, or should I say a very obvious substitute of me.”

“Oh yeah? What about your favorite book? You know, the one about two mares falling in love?”

“You knew? You still read it with me, though...”

“And how you held Trixie from behind provocatively?”

“You said your neck hurt!”

***

Lashing their brutal accusations at one another, eventually they began to wither out. Coming to the end of it all, their foreheads rested on each other’s, horns crossed, and faces beaded with sweat.

"You grabbed me in your sleep and wouldn't let go..." murmured Twilight, lying about the fact she didn't actually struggle during that ordeal.

"Trixie was asleep... She can't help her sleeping habits, Twilight," mumbled Trixie, leaving the truth out that she actually dreamed of the lavender mare last night.

"Besides, you were all over me this morning," she added with a hue of red coming across her cheeks. Twilight mimicked her rosy glow as the debate came to a stalemate.

"What were we fighting about, again?" asked the librarian, changing the subject.

"Actually, Trixie doesn't remember herself. She only knows that we've been at it for several minutes," Trixie replied. Looking into each other’s eyes closely, they easily became distracted by their heart’s calling. Becoming lost in the vivid colors of their irises, their faces unknowingly drew the other in. Once the tip of their noses touched, however, they both snapped out of it and ceased their subconscious movement. The pair made a distance between themselves as Twilight sat back on the hardwood floor, soon followed by Trixie. An awkward silence befell them as the ticking of the clock over by the bedside was the only audible sound that could be heard.

Having a moment to reflect on the details of their debacle, both of the mares couldn’t deny the other’s unexplained faithfulness. Truthfully, both of them had dropped hints of their feelings all throughout the day, though, it was only now when the events bundled up that it was clearly understood. The pair would sneak glances at each other before looking away, avoiding complete eye contact. Eventually, Trixie spoke up, breaking the muted air with the same piercing words she first inquired.

“Twilight... Why do you have Trixie’s clothes hidden under your bed?” she asked for the second time. Meeting her friend’s concerned gaze, the bookworm bit her lip as anxiety coerced her to respond with another question.

“Why did you want to know how I felt about you?” Knowing this might lead to a repeat of the previous fight, Trixie gave in and chose to answer this time, instead.

“Perhaps, Trixie was curious if you felt something...” the magician hesitated how the word she was going to use would be interpreted.

“Special.” She grimaced as her brows lowered in fear of immediate rejection.

“Special? You wondered if I felt something unique about you?” pried Twilight, making sure she understood the inquiry correctly.

“Y-Yes?” Trixie gulped, shutting her eyes, anticipating to be struck down this time. However, the egghead finally caught on and comprehended the opportunity to move ahead with how she really felt. Even with her sudden strength, though, it wasn’t easy as pie to just blurt out everything at once. This would have to be done slowly and thoroughly for the smoothest transition.

“I do think of you as somepony sp-- spec... shh shh,” stuttered Twilight, wrestling the words out of her mouth. An ear perked up off of Trixie’s head, since she picked up on the unicorn’s stumbling words. Glancing at the head-scratching mare, she decided to help out with her pronunciation.

“You think of Trixie as somepony special?” she guessed easily. The egghead nodded furiously upon hearing the correct words being spoken so fluently. Upon opening her eyes, her head flew back a couple inches from how quickly Trixie shortened the distance between them. The showmare’s eyes were glimmering with energy as her thousand wishes were beginning to be granted at once.

“Really?! How special? How special is Trixie to you, Twilight?” The enthusiastic unicorn beamed. As she stretched her head forward with a huge grin, the bookworm’s head strained back, nervous. After swallowing a lump in her throat, she forced a smile and continued to encourage her friend’s sudden burst of life.

“Very special!” she exclaimed, peeking behind her to ensure she could back up if needed. Trixie reverted to her sitting position, however, so there wouldn’t be any test of how far their necks could extend out. Looking at her now, Twilight saw her crush looked disappointed for some reason. She gave her a bemused expression to hint at her confusion, yet the magician simply upturned her nose in response.

“Was that it, Twilight Sparkle? Just ‘very special’ is how you consider Trixie?” she complained with her head in the same position. Apparently, she wanted to be more than really unique and Twilight wasn’t too sure on how to deliver that. Sliding closer to the magician, she attempted to tell her in the most honest way she could.

“Well okay, you are... the most special,” said Twilight, putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. Trixie snapped back with a scarlet glow on her muzzle since she didn’t expect that kind of response.

“Do you really mean that?” she asked with slight disbelief in her eyes.

“O-Of course, I do! What about you? How special am I, to you?” replied Twilight, hoping for a mutual response. For such a question, though, Trixie’s mouth easily scrunched up, mirroring the egghead’s previous uncertainty. Luckily, her friend already admitted to it, easing some of the weight off of her.

“There is no other pony more special to Trixie,” she admitted with a slight cringe at how cheesy she must have sounded. Fortunately the lavender mare in front of her didn’t seem negatively affected by it. In fact, she grew a deeper blush than what Trixie already had, hanging her head in deep thought. In a blue envelopment, the star-patterned hat moved from a silver maned head and rested softly upon Twilight’s head. The hat budged the mare’s straight bangs down as she tilted her head back up, her eyes covered by her striped hair.

“Do you like Trixie?” questioned Trixie as she lifted her friend’s mane to reveal those shimmering violet irises. Averting her gaze, Twilight found it difficult to confirm her truthful words under the pressure of the showmare’s stare. A pair of azure hooves brought her face back to that eye contact, having the need to spot any inconsistencies her expression might have. Thinking about it now, the librarian found confessing to her friend wasn’t as easy as she previously imagined.

“I-I do,” she said simply. Trixie’s eyes broadened for a moment as her stomach fluttered and heart sang.

“Do you like me, Trixie?” Twilight asked, frantically searching her crush’s face for any subtle reactions. The magician’s emotions weren’t up for display, but could be heard in the sound of her voice.

“Yes,” she replied, suppressing her jaw from stuttering. Twilight grabbed Trixie’s face as she did hers recently and kept their eyes locked in combat.

“Please, say it better than that,” she pleaded, with dilated pupils complimenting her flushed face. Having the past day flashing through her mind, she found it hard to believe that those events would eventually lead to this. Her lips quivered from dehydration as her chest wanted to burst from the quick thumping that took place inside.

“T-Trix-- No, The Great and Powerful Trixie really likes you, Twilight Sparkle!” shouted Trixie, her eyelids snapped shut from the impact of her own words leaving her body. Slightly unfolding one eye, she peered through to catch a glimpse of her crush with a clear fluid welling up in her eyes. Before she would let the tears roll down her cheeks, Twilight put her newly found admirer to the test.

“Well, I really, really like you,” she argued, as her tear ducts begun to flow out.

“Trixie really, really, really likes you!” Trixie prodded back, escalating the moisture in her own eyes to break out.

“Then I really, really, really, re--” Twilight’s declaration was cut short from the two blue hooves moving behind her and pulling her into an embrace with the showmare. Their bodies flared and broke in sweat as their internal temperatures were raised to a fever pitch. Trixie’s mouth moved up to graze the egghead’s ear with the quiet coo of her true affection.

“I love you,” she whispered. Hearing this made Twilight’s forehooves form a tight bond around the mare’s back.

“I love you too, Trixie,” she murmured back. In response, Trixie pulled her closer, coercing the lavender unicorn to grace her entire figure with her own. Mending their hearts with the quiet sobs of supreme joy, their linked frames kept their tight grip. Both fearful of letting go lest this reality they’ve uncovered prove to be false. Trixie, herself, was far more terrified of it as she broke the union to clarify her concern.

“Wait...” she began, keeping the mare she adored at forelegs length.

“Trixie doesn’t want this to be another silly dream! She’s already been confessed by you once before and it would break Trixie’s heart if this one proved to be false as well. How does she know this isn’t all imaginary?” Trixie voiced her utmost worry while begging for ensuring comfort. What she saw was the corners of her admirer’s mouth lift up in a tiny smile, knowing exactly how to hush her painful woes of insecurity. Using one of the forehooves that she held the showmare with, Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and cleared her own runny nose with a sniff. She took a deep stare into Trixie’s purple eyes, and made a throwback to something she said before.

“Let’s test that theory then,” she suggested, poking the end of her nose on the magician’s. She drew Trixie to her, finally closing the distance they had once before. Edging closer, her lips impatiently yet carefully ventured forward. Eventually, a familiar feeling signaled her gaping mouth to close onto hers. But only for a second as she slowly broke away, bringing that smirk back from before. Trixie's face was whimsical at first, before it turned to a confident sneer.

"What is it?" asked the perplexed bookworm.

"Hmmm-- Nope, that just won't do, Twilight. Trixie still doesn't believe this is real life," Trixie teased, clasping the mare's shoulders in order to keep her still. Before Twilight could let a question breach her lips, they were covered again as Trixie pressed against her again. She only meant it as a quick burst of passion, yet as she pulled away, the magnetism of her lips seemed to thrust Twilight's back into them. Fastened in pure ecstasy, a blue hoof stroked the back of the egghead's striped mane, uncurling it from its side. Unfortunately, that same mare moaned slightly, giving the sign that she needed to take in oxygen as her lungs choked. Separating again, Twilight began to catch her breath; Trixie failed to suppress a chuckle.

"What's wrong? Don't know how to breathe through your nose?" she vexed playfully. Once Twilight stabilized herself, she shot back an annoyed glare back and curled her bottom lip up in a pout.

"Okay, that is the cutest face you've ever made. Trixie is quite pleased with this one!" Trixie complimented her and lifted the hat off of her head so she could pet her gently. This caused Twilight to develop a hue of red, again, hiding her bliss-filled eyes behind her dark violet bangs. Soon the hoof left her head as silence enveloped their space again. Laying her eyes back onto the showmare, she saw the same concerned look from before.

"Now what's wrong Trixie? Do you still think this is a dream?" asked Twilight, worried herself.

"Trixie isn't sure, Twilight... About us being this way, I mean. We've only really had one day to get to know each other. Doesn't this seem a bit rushed?" queried the troubled magician. Her love responded first with a tender, loving smile, then with words they would stick to from days to come.

"Who cares? I think it's the quality of the time we've spent with each other that's important. Even if it's just been one day, I've felt like I've known you my whole life," she declared. The room was quiet for a moment while the bookworm's words seem to bounce off the walls and fill each crevice with calm serenity. At least, until Trixie began bursting out in laughter, making Twilight's brows lower again.

"I'm sorry, Twilight, that was just too cheesy for Trixie. She does appreciate your comfort, though," said the magician, pulling her love into another loving embrace. Their love finally realized and all their internal conflict resolved, they both could now revel in each other's company as Celestia's sun rose high above the tree structured library.

***

Author’s Notes:

Okay, here it comes... "I knew it, I knew it," just get it all out of your system! To be honest when I set this chapter up, I didn't really expect anypony to even remember the hat and cape stowed away under the bed. It wasn't mentioned that often, so I thought I could get away with it. Yet here I am, caught in the headlights in one big shrug. Oh well, at least I tried. Hopefully the second half was worth all that. I'm sure my pre-readers all have different opinions besides tearing apart every sentence and scolding me to tears. (Okay, only Trevor did that, but I wanted everypony to feel sorry for me). There is such a thing as the next chapter. As I said before though... Once they're shipped... (Cliffhanger in the Author’s notes)

Pre-reader’s Notes: (Seriously?)

Figures that Dasheh would have the chapter done right as I’m trying to finish the second chapter of Filly Fantasy VI... Hope it was worth it, readers! I gave up time to spend on satisfying my own readers to satisfy you, so no complaining! Enjoy and comment!
~ Moonstone, Minstrel of Equestria

You’re actually lucky you have a chapter to read. Dash destroyed the entire chapter with a flaming chainsword at one point, it was awful - Earl Grey

Prologue or Summary In More Words

Prologue

One of the greatest things ever, you know what that is? Dreams. They allow your mind to wander in a unique mixture of memories, experiences, and desires. In this case... mostly desires. See Trixie, ahem, The Great and Powerful Trixie is having one of those dreams right now. Now the desire part I emphasized only two sentences ago? That's the kind of dream she was having. Get what I mean? Now are you curious of this dream's contents? Wait... no? Well either way, I won't be describing any of those images. I'd like to keep this narration a bit clean. Let's just say she's dreaming about some mare and it's just getting really good. That mare... being Twilight. Oops! Sorry that was a spoiler alert! It's not like the story is about Trixie and Twilight getting together. Where'd you get that idea? Onto the story.

***

The Great and Powerful Trixie was having the most wonderful of dreams. She'd squeezed her pillow and kicked the blanket around her. The equine's face was full of love and joy. She giggled playfully as if somepony was "tickling" her. What could you say about this dream she was having? If this braggart of a unicorn could talk to you right now, she wouldn't tell you anything. Was she dreaming of that egghead, Twilight Sparkle? The showmare's reaction to such a question would be a lowered brow and a swift buck to the face. So yes, she is dreaming of Twilight Sparkle. The lovely pony who fled when challenged by the arrogant but inferior Trixie. The lavender mare that lulled the Ursa Minor to sleep, carried it back for miles and put it into its cave. She basically showed up the infamous mare who was at their worst at that moment.

After those love sparking events, Trixie actually began to think about this pony a lot, in a good way. You could call it a friendship of sorts, but it's really just a crush. Something this stubborn mule would never admit to anyone. She would say something like, "Trixie respects Twilight's...magic." A short and simple way to show what denial looks like. Still at this point, Trixie was moving about in her bed that she only imagined was there. The pillow was really a bed of leaves and the blanket was the starry sky of night. She was lying on the grassy pasture, not too far off from the dirt path she traveled on. Trixie tossed and turned some more with the most smug grin on her face. Apparently the "tickling" was over. Something unmentionable is happening in her dream now.

***

After Trixie ran away from Ponyville, she had nowhere to go. Her caravan was destroyed and her beloved cape and hat along with it. She was left with just the mane on her head and the tail on her plot. She has survived for weeks on just eating pine cones. Which are very nutritious! Makes that coat smooth and shiny! Her path made of Equestria's soil was her only direction. There weren't any other travelers on this same path. She past countless trees and saw many little critters scurrying away at the mere sight of her. Trixie didn't think she was that intimidating or anything. What she didn't know was the look on her face could be considered something to be afraid of. Her eyes were red rimmed, always wildly staring at the never ending road in front of her. Nose and mouth were never moving. It made Trixie look like a mechanical, psychotic alien. Her constant thoughts on past events kept her awake. There were times that she would sleep, but most of the days were full of insomnia.

The Great and Powerful mind of Trixie went through many changes on this journey to who cares. Her initial thoughts were that of anger. To express this, she spoke out loud to herself. No one would hear her anyway.

"That inconsiderate unicorn! How dare she! Shying that horn of hers. Holding that much power! Coming out of left field with her... amazing feats of magic," her last words making her head bow and anger dissipate. She only kept up her appearance at the end of the day. Never was her anger toward Twilight genuine. As a few days passed by, her thoughts took a southern dip into near depression.

"Couldn't that mare have said something before? Trixie doesn't mean any hostility. She just wants people to love her and chant her name. Does Trixie ask for too much? What does Twilight really think of her?" This day was short lived. Trixie could show weakness when there were no other ponies around. It made her feel secure about showing it without ridicule. With the striped mane unicorn on the brain, her emotions seem to be drawn closer to her.

"Trixie wonders how Twilight is doing... what do you think little bunny?" The bunny thought that she was going to be somepony's dinner. Its back was pinned to a tree, its whole body shaking.

"Who knew Trixie could fall in love with such a friendly mare. She thought she was destined for a royal stallion! Smart and Considerate Twilight Sparkle stole Trixie's heart." She found herself picking petals off a small dandelion. As clichéd as it felt it was exactly that. The last petal picked gave the isolated mare some hope. Trixie still could not go back to Ponyville. With so many witnesses to her arrogance came so many enemies.

'Nopony likes a boasting unicorn,' she thought.

***

In the chill of the night, the most powerful equine of all Equestria snapped up, with eyes broadened, and body glistening with cold sweat. Her head pivoted to the left and to the right. She could have sworn she had heard something. Perhaps it was the cold night air. As she rose up to her hooves, memories of her dream's contents floated back to her. You would think she would mimic that silly grin from when she was sleeping. Instead, reality had hit her. She wasn't anywhere close to the lavender pony and her feelings are still one-sided at this point. So instead of that uplifting crease in her lips, it headed south instead. Tears in her eyes, she held back her sobs. At first, she was okay with being away from Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle. As the days have passed, she's learned about her feelings and began to wish on expressing them. Who knew how far she was from that place by now. She could be miles away, by now.

She drifted across the empty and never ending road. Travelling on hoof should be considered suicide when considering how isolated Ponyville is. She has been walking this path for weeks. Without her caravan she couldn't travel very far. Remember, Ponyville is like some backwater town with nothing in around it for miles. Trixie won't die from this journey, however. There isn't a Tragedy tag on this story. The sleep deprived and aching mare trudged for what seemed like forever, like most of her days had went. Her thoughts being on only one pony. It was almost sad how she only thought of this one pony and not of her situation. Did she not care for herself?

That would be the complete one-eighty of the real Trixie. She couldn't help it, though. A mare with such raw power as Twilight Sparkle could attract any power loving pony. Trixie was one of them. Her love for Twilight was impressive for not even 5 minutes of show each other’s feats and exchanging few words. A good comparison would be another story with a darker and rigged lining. This Trixie would be driven to suicide. With a noose wrapped around her neck, she was stopped by another. A unicorn named Twilight. How she convinced the troubled mare was amazing. She was very persuasive! The mare so close to death would stay by her rescuer's side forever. Until the latter, being Twilight, decided to raise their dead ancestor. That last part wasn't part of the comparison by the way.

Trixie was still limping towards a town she could see in the distance. Civilization was a great relief! Her front hoof that was injured for no real reason could now heal a lot better. The O' Great One closed in on the entrance to these groups of houses and huts. She was lifted that she has made it somewhere after weeks of travelling by herself. Desperate for something to eat other than what she found on the ground. Perhaps she could stay at an inn and sleep on a real bed for the night. With how famished and pathetic she looked, she wouldn't even have to pay. Trixie formed a small smile of ease at these thoughts. Unfortunately her body wasn't up to the task of progressing any further. She had walked through the town to some degree but then collapsed from exhaustion. Just to clarify, it's a Romance story. So for the sake of that particular tag, she fell unconscious in front of a hollowed tree....

Which happens to be a library...

And somepony lives in this library...

That's a hollowed tree...

...

It's Twilight's house, obviously.

***

Remember Twilight Sparkle? The object of Trixie's affection? We're going to talk about her at this point. She's a main character so it's okay. She is currently sleeping in her bed. Having a dream of her own. Again, I can't tell you the contents of the dream! It's just too much for you to handle. If you must know something about it, it's about Trixie. Oh, yes! It's not a one sided love after all, huh? Yes, Twilight is also in love with Trixie.

***

After Twilight ran away from the show, she could never stop thinking of the silver maned mare. She researched her feelings with book after book, but couldn't find the meaning to them. This was before she encountered the Ursa Minor. Amazing what can happen when the canon doesn't explain her absence that well. She saved Trixie from the translucent beast and felt proud she could protect her. Trixie trying to still look good after this performance, announced her title, and ran off. For Twilight, she didn't need to try. Trixie always looked good to her. Since then, Twilight really missed this showmare and has never stopped invading her mind since she left. She was able to scavenge through the smashed caravan and obtain her cape and hat. She cherished these objects as if Trixie was always close to her. Occasionally she sniffed the clothes to help memorize that jasmine mint scent it gave.

She kept Trixie's clothes under her bed. This was the only thing that she would have under her bed. It's not like she keeps any kind of mare magazines stashed in a box under there. The less known about that the better. Panning up to the top of this bed at this time is the light sleeper known as Twilight Sparkle. She cooed and gave slight whines in her sleep. Her face didn't mimic the cocky grin of Trixie's. She is the sweet, innocent smiling kind of mare. She didn't want to lust after Trixie (Well ok, maybe a little). All she wanted was to have fun and spend time with her. Probably until the day she died. Like any young schoolmare stricken by love. Even if she hasn't seen her in weeks. The bookworm swayed in her sheets and covers, giggling as if she shared the same "tickling" dream from her opposite. Suddenly a thump or better yet, a thud could be heard at the door. A normal person wouldn't wake up from such a noise but as mentioned Twilight Sparkle was a very light sleeper. Cue dramatic waking up and almost falling out of bed, Twilight.

She walked down the steps from her bedroom and stopped to rub her eye.

"Who could it be this late at night," she wondered. As she opened the door, a cerulean blue hoof fell in the opening. This took Twilight back a few steps as the door continued to open. The showmare of her dreams was at her doorstop, unconscious.

...Don't even go there!

End of Prologue

***

Author's Note 11/5/11 - I have revised nearly this entire prologue. Hopefully the taste is a bit more satiable. I know my unique way of narrating came off as a bit obnoxious. I apologize. As always, I am still learning. Hopefully my style will improve with time. Thanks to all who read and showed their support through criticism! I really do appreciate the helpful input!

Author's Note: I have never written a fan fiction about ponies before and I had this one in the back of my mind for two weeks. I usually don't write fan fictions at all so this is going to be a very amateurish work. I honestly just wanted to have fun and poke at my favorite shipping. Unless you've read every other Twixie story, I'm afraid some of my jokes and/or references to other fan fictions might be missed. I wrote this mostly for me anyway... After reading the rules of submitting, I've come to understand a fear that this might be looked upon as a trollfic. (Which wasn't my intention at all) I'm not to sure what kind of fanfiction this is... I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

Not sure if I'll continue but, hey if you guys like it or something it would probably give me the motivation to continue. Just saying.

The Eleventh Chapter Without An Ounce of Sleep

Chapter 11: Without An Ounce of Sleep

What’s this? A lot of ponies are complaining about my cliffhangers! Well actually, it’s in a good way, but I’m gonna pretend it’s not for absolutely no reason, okay?

Ahem, anyway, since I keep putting in these lame cliffhangers, I thought I’d make you guys a gift! Y’know, for all the “torment” I seem to put you guys under. Just so you know, it could be much worse! What if I just suddenly went on hiatus? Hah, you all know that would be so much more horrible. Even more cruel... I went on hiatus for a day and then came back just to troll you! Ooo, you’re all steaming mad! Wait... I’m suppose to be giving you guys a gift. Oops, got off track there! So sorry! Like I was saying, I got a gift for all of you to see. I kind of, sort of drew a Twixie picture. It’s suppose to be a scene from chapter eight. So... Um... I like don’t draw ponies at all so...

Here ya go!

...What? I really did draw it! It’s exclusive to this story. No jokes or anything. You won’t find this picture anywhere else. It’s my late Christmas gift for you faithful readers... Just read the chapter, darn it.

Huh? I forgot to make a joke? FFFFFFFFFFF--

***

The Strained and Curious Trixie had a visitor at her bedside in the midst of the early morning. Of course it was none other than Twilight Sparkle, who stood on her hind legs, holding a pillow just under her nose. Her eyes darted to the left for a second and snapped back to meet the showmare’s gaze. Now sitting up, Trixie wondered what her friend’s intentions were by approaching her bed. Did she just want to talk? No, it was obvious what she wanted, yet the magician couldn’t bring herself to believe it so easily. Therefore, she repeated her question and hoped that her suspicions came true.

“Is there something wrong, Twilight?” asked Trixie, shifting over to the bedside where her friend was standing. As much as she wanted to fulfill the egghead’s wish, she needed a proper request first. Twilight, on the other hoof, wasn’t sure how to ask such a question. It wasn’t every night she got up like this and started bugging other ponies in bed. This was something she desired since the night before, and now that Trixie was conscious this time, she could seek this kind of comfort. Slightly moving the pillow down, uncovering her mouth, she was ready to carry out her choice.

“I had a bad dream. Do you think I could s-sleep with you?” she requested, her excuse being nothing more than a fib. In reality, she was only laying in bed, attached to her thoughts about the cerulean blue unicorn. At one point, she sat up in her own bed to catch a glimpse of her sleeping, but instead found Trixie in a similar position, prompting them both to slam their heads back down to their pillows below. Back to the question at hand, Trixie contemplated on how Twilight could have had a nightmare so quickly when they haven’t been laying down that long to begin with. Rather than investigating further into that, she shimmied over to the other side of the bed.

Without saying a word, Trixie granted her proposition by patting the opposite side with her forehoof. Acknowledging her friend’s motion of approval, a purple glow took hold of Twilight’s pillow as she placed it neatly on the spot next to the showmare’s head. Cautiously climbing into bed, she made sure not to carelessly touch any part of Trixie’s body with her own. The back of her head met with the pillow she had carried over, and soon a comforter engulfed in a blue light came over her and covered her up to her neck. Both of them laying face up now, unpleasant thoughts came to both of their minds.

Sleeping in the same bed was a strange event for the two of them. While other ponies could probably be blissfully ignorant about occupying the same surface, this pair of friends couldn’t stop their minds from noticing the other’s location. Proximity played a role in their thoughts as how it could affect their friendship. Though they desired each other deeply --Trixie more so than Twilight-- the other’s comfort was always taken into careful consideration. The last thing they wanted was their relationship to revert back to what it once was: only being able to fantasize about one another. Going back to that seemed like living in an eternal prison filled with lava and roaring flames.

So keeping their distance was very important to the both of them, at this point. The only problem was that this was a twin bed meant for only one pony. Having both of them in that small of a space made the respect for each other’s privacy bubble harder to keep. If the length of the gap between them were to be measured, it could come down to a few centimeters. Both of them were very aware of this fact and they wondered if all this was okay with their friend. Trixie was the one to actually ask about it, as Twilight was too anxious at the moment.

“D-do best friends sleep in the same bed?” she questioned, keeping her head and neck from turning, lest a close encounter with the bookworm’s face were to happen again.

“There’s nothing wrong with friends sleeping together,” replied Twilight. She wasn’t sure at first if that statement was widely considered true, but a sparked recollection of a past event confirmed her theory for her. Her heart rose in the excitement of remembering that past event and being able to reinforce what she just said.

“In fact, at my last slumber party, two of my friends slept in the same bed. It’s definitely okay,” she said, tilting her head to the side, facing her friend. Trixie felt the gaze on her and twisted her neck so her eyes could meet up with Twilight’s. Before getting lost in the librarian’s wonderful violet eyes, her focus moved back a bit and caught the mare’s lips curled up in smile. It was an expression so beautiful to her that her mouth couldn’t help but mimic the same pose. For a small lapse of time, she thought it would be easy to reach over and pull the lavender mare into a tender embrace.

However, it was a thought easily distinguished by the fact that she would only be able to accomplish it in a dream. A thought the magician wished she didn’t regret, yet felt at ease as the target of Twilight’s friendly demeanor. Either way, she didn’t move any of her hooves and kept her brief rush of feelings to herself. Eventually, she spoke back to her smirking friend who was waiting for a response.

“Well as long as you’re okay with it, Twilight, Trixie doesn’t have a problem,” she agreed. With that being said, the awkward tension between the two mares dissolved. Only to the point that they could sleep without worry, since the other’s personal space was still very dominant in their minds. However, those thoughts would vanish under the weight of their heavy eyelids. Before her mind could wander off into the depths of unconsciousness, Trixie felt it was important to dismiss their small talk positively in order to avoid a clumsy departure of silence, but was beaten to the punch.

“Good night, Trixie,” Twilight beamed, rotating her body away from the showmare.

“Good night, Twilight,” replied Trixie, keeping her position since it was the most comfortable at that time. A quiet, empty feeling filled the room as both mares could now sink into their own slumbers. The egghead stretched her hind legs before bending them toward her. Sticking her left front hoof under her pillow, she was now ready to finally end her conscious hours with the mare she loved and anticipate what tomorrow would bring. Her eyelids now coming to a close, she waited patiently for the fade to black.

Twilight’s eyes flashed back open to the sound of a loud sustained snort. Glancing over her shoulder, the sleeping face of The Great and Powerful Trixie could be seen with her mouth slightly hanging open, inhaling through her mouth in a snore. ‘She’s a really fast sleeper,’ thought Twilight, turning back to the position she was in. With the magician knocked out, she felt more secure about letting herself do the same. A thought of taking advantage of Trixie’s dormant state waltzed by, but she ignored it reluctantly as she needed to preserve their unestablished rules as friends.

That, and it wasn’t her nature to do such a thing anyway. Although, the mere contemplation forced a slight chuckle out of the librarian’s mouth. Suddenly, something grazed her back which made her body twitch in reaction as well as grabbing the mare’s attention. Lifting the covers, Twilight quickly inspected the sensation’s source. The culprit she noticed was an azure hoof, moving over her side.

“Trixie, what are you doi--” she attempted to speak, yet the caressing hoof had already made its way onto her stomach and pulled her body back, interrupting Twilight’s sentence. Soon her back met with the front of an azure body as another hoof snuck under her left side to meet with the other one. Pressed against Trixie’s chest now, the bookworm’s face quickly illuminated into a crimson red, wondering what exactly was going on in that moment. Opening her mouth to speak, she was quickly silenced by the hooves around her, tightening their hold.

Anxious of her friend’s sudden affection, her head turned to seek the magician’s current expression. She failed in a way she didn’t expect. Shifting her weight on her left shoulder was taken advantage of by Trixie, whose right forehoof used the momentum to completely flip Twilight’s position, horizontally. Surprised yet again by the bold actions of her friend, the lavender unicorn could only stare into the darkness with broadened eyes. Her head was now tucked under the covers, succumbing to the pressure of being so close to the mare she loved.

The situation was now the exact opposite of the one before, whereas they would be mindful of each other’s privacy and stay a reasonable distance apart. Now that respect was like a mask being removed, revealing their true intentions. Had Trixie planned this from the start? The thought didn’t cross Twilight’s mind as outer body temperature was raising to the point of perspiration. Pressed onto a source of heat while the covers prevented its escape, causing the mare to get uncomfortable and push up in order to embrace the crisp fresh air.

Poking her head out of the covers, she was greeted by an instant puff of cold air which soothed her moist head nicely. She could feel the bottom of Trixie’s chin on the top of her head with her horn resting softly on the side of the showmare’s neck. Unable to relax, the blush on her face never left. Her heart was thrashing about being so close to her crush and still not knowing why. She tilted up her head a little bit --since her figure was constricted from most movement-- and tried to get her friend’s attention.

“Trixie...?” whispered Twilight, wondering if the mare was awake. After the initial five seconds of expecting a response, she still heard nothing but muted breath. Though disappointed, she did eventually hear a voice coming from above her.

“Please, don’t leave Trixie,” the voice begged. The restless body of Twilight became still instantly while she took in those words in deep consideration. Extending her forehooves out, she wrapped them around the magician’s waist.

“I-I... I won’t leave you, ever,” she promised, closing her eyes and nuzzling Trixie’s neck. Tugging at her love’s body to move closer, she found all her limbs were comfortable and snug surrounded by Trixie’s plush structure. Of course, now that she was at ease about being scooped up, her attention focused on the beneficial scent that her partner gave off. Never before had she gotten a dose of this strength. If she were to intentionally inhale it, the pure bliss her body would feel might potentially knock her out. Just by breathing normally, she was already drunk from the fumes and began grinning like a foal.

In her intoxication, a series of doubts rolled into her head. Though she was happy at this development, an itching thought she couldn’t quite scratch just wouldn’t leave her at peace. Trixie had said the same line before; in fact, it was when she had blacked out after breakfast, so the idea remained that the showmare could still be asleep, and all of this miraculous treatment could very well be just moving in her sleep. Afraid she may have already overstepped her bounds, she pushed back away from Trixie, enough to be able to look up at her friend’s face and examine her behavior.

“Is this really okay? To hold you li--” again Twilight was interrupted by yet another simple action from Trixie. Only now, instead of her body being squeezed against the other’s again, her forehead was graced by a gentle, moist pressure. With the magician’s lips pressed under her horn, the egghead’s mouth was easily ceased from movement. All the doubts she had melted away along with the contents of her chest. Slowly closing both eyes, her focus was solely on the lovely sensation happening above. Euphoria filled her soul, distilling her mind for the moment.

To her displeasure, however, all good things must come to an end as Trixie slowly broke away and hugged her tightly as she did before. With her negativity sucked from her body, the serenity of her embrace consumed her completely. Adding to her tranquility, one of the azure hooves that held her began stroking her the back of her mane in such slow, loving intervals that it could lull the bookworm to sleep. It was only natural that all this affection would start unlocking Twilight’s own love for the mare. Her heart fluttering, she lifted her head and met Trixie’s cheek with her own.

Her mind was in hysteria as she rubbed her cheek against her crush’s, and eventually upturned it to meet the latter with her lips. The taste reminded her of the aftermath of the previous encounter and how sweet the flavor was. Moving away, she wondered if re-exploring that past union would be going too far. She didn’t think about it for long, though, as her current self was entranced by passion. Bending her head back, she would easily press her mouth against Trixie’s to relieve her emotions.

However, her love-induced daze was broken by a familiar sound. That same noise had woken her up before all this happened. Opening her eyes, her deepest fears were realized. Trixie’s face drooped against her pillow in a slow breathing pattern, letting out another as she took in air through her mouth. Suddenly, all of Twilight’s happiness spiraled down, colliding with her beating heart, and forcing it to sink. Every tender event leading up to this point was all false interpretation. Why was fate this cruel to her?

Nevertheless, she kept her hooves around the sleeping mare and refused to let go. Breaking free from her heart’s temporary control, its glass foundation was found cracked in result. She thought her desires for Trixie were finally becoming realized. Instead, the reality of the situation made that preferred fantasy seem like miles away. The revelation’s gravity was enough to make Twilight see the difference between being best friends and being a couple. Being able to pour those emotions from a bottle she kept sealed for so long was relieving and satisfying to her.

Repressing those feelings again would prove to be difficult, as she has already expressed some of them. This was why she couldn’t take her hooves off the showmare, even when she knows that she should. Becoming friends with her in just one day was an accomplishment, at best. In fact, they were best friends, and were even able to sleep in the same bed. Unfortunately, there was a problem with all of that: Twilight just wasn’t happy. All the time they’ve spent together, or even a single second with one another delighted the bookworm, yet she felt her positive outlook on their friendship was only a cover.

Being stuck in the friend zone forever wasn’t Twilight’s intention. Obviously, her ulterior motive was to be with Trixie as a couple, rather than just companions. It was only now that this understanding became very clear to her, and she came to an important decision. Regardless of the short time they’ve been friends or what the magician thought about her, she needed to remove this strain from her chest. Grasping the azure mare as if it would be the last time she could ever again, Twilight decided the only way she could be at peace with herself is if she were to tell Trixie everything.

Maybe not all at once, but enough that she would get the idea and decide for herself if she felt the same way. Of course, there was a worst case scenario where Trixie would not only reject her, but dismiss their entire friendship as a mistake. Feeling the ecstasy of her showmare’s love, only for it to be taken away so quickly made a clear watery substance swell up in Twilight’s eyes, but she held her tears back. It sparked her fighting spirit and motivated her to pursue this relationship more aggressively.

She edged closer to the showmare and kept her hooves around her waist. After all the confusion and newly found determination, Twilight couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Resting her head up against her friend, the last of her energy slowly seeped out of her as both eyes slowly closed shut. Her head still resting up against Trixie’s chin, her consciousness faded away as she fell into a deep slumber. A new day would soon arise and the opportunity to confess to the mare she loved would present itself.

***

For Trixie, it was another peaceful night of sleeping on a warm, soft bed, and at Twilight’s house no less. Her mind awoke from her wonderful dream of holding her love close and whispering tender feelings into her ear. Before opening her eyes, she noticed that her left foreleg was completely numb for some reason. Contorting her expression in discomfort, she pulled on it gently to find it was under something heavy. Actually, she realized that she held the other part of the object with her other foreleg. Did she start holding a pillow while she was asleep?

Rubbing with her right forehoof, she tried to make out the material of the cushion she held. Though it felt silky smooth, it wasn’t exactly cotton, but instead a rougher texture. One she has definitely touched before, yet she was still too drowsy to explain the familiarity. She slightly opened her left eye, but quickly shut it in defense of a blinding light. From the window in the bedroom sat the bright sun, rising in the distance, shining into the room. Blocking her eyes with her right forehoof, she could unfold her eyelids halfway.

Immediately she felt something restricting her body tensely and a hard object grazing her neck. Trixie could tell whatever was touching her were protrusions from what she was holding. Memories of last night flooded back to her as she caressed the fabric towards the top until, eventually, she felt a hair-like softness come around her hoof. Her first guess is that she was holding Twilight Sparkle for some silly reason. Lowering her sight, her suspicions became true when a pink and purple striped mane came into view.

She began nodding to herself, complimenting her self esteem, since she was always correct in her assumptions. Resting her head back on the pillow, she snuggled her cheek against the top of Twilight’s head. Momentarily at peace, glass could be heard shattering as Trixie’s eyes burst open with her pupils pea-sized. Her head reeled back, scanning the lavender mare she held up and down for immediate clarification. Holding her close, melodramatically, Trixie was fully awake now with her doziness doused by fear and disbelief.

“Why is Trixie holding Twilight Sparkle?!” She cried out loud, inserting a hoof into her mouth, instantly, to prevent further words from exiting.

“Mmrr... Trixie?” questioned a sleepy Twilight, rubbing her left eye. In a swift, panicky nature, Trixie performed a technique she had no remembrance of learning. Grabbing her friend swiftly, the showmare rolled her over to the right side of the bed as she spun in the opposite direction. Since the motion had no thought put into it --like the fact that it was a single bed-- Trixie found her self plummeting to the floor and landed with a thud. Slowly turning face up, her pupils swirled around because of her head being discombobulated from the collision.

Soon her vision focused and the blurriness dissipated as she noticed a two violet eyes were staring down at her. Trixie swore she saw those eyes shoot a dreamy gaze at her for a second, but corrected herself when they flip-flopped into a glare. A voice she knew well came from the penetrating stare.

“What are you doing down there, Trixie?” asked Twilight. The magician came up with a lie which even she couldn’t believe to be true.

“What are you talking about, Twilight? Trixie always falls on her back as a morning exercise!” she explained. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on her side as Twilight looked at her semi-amused.

“You can just tell me you fell off the bed by accident. I won’t laugh,” promised the bookworm with a sincere tone. Trixie bit her lip, anxious in admitting something so embarrassing. Her trust in Twilight up to this point felt right, so it wasn’t hard to believe her honesty.

“Trixie... fell off the bed?” she admitted with a questioning inflection, wondering if saying such was okay or not. Weakness must have came over Twilight as she let out a chuckle in response.

“Hey!” Trixie objected, her timid expression turning to a scowl. This only tickled her friend into letting out a much louder giggle.

“Cut it out! Nopony laughs at The Great and Powerful Trixie!” declared the showmare as she rolled onto her belly and stood to her hooves. Twilight, on the other hoof, was only getting more riled up as she threw her body back in full out laughter. It was so infectious that the insulted Trixie formed a bittersweet grin with a plan of revenge coming to mind. Climbing back onto the bed and over the body of the hysterical unicorn, the magician only sneered while Twilight looked back up at her with her laughter calming down to a heartbeat. She had no idea of Trixie’s incoming attack and only thought the position she was in as being suggestive.

“So Twilight Sparkle wants to laugh, huh?” she inquired the silenced unicorn below her. Raising her hooves high into the air above her, Trixie’s face turned mischievous.

“Well then... Laugh at this!” yelled the azure mare as her hooves rained down at Twilight with ferocious speed. Immediately upon contact, the egghead began roaring with laughter as Trixie wiggled the end of her hooves back and forth over her friend’s sides. Joyful audio flowing through Trixie's ears, encouraged her to mimic the same sounds. Twilight's legs flailed about and tried pushing her attacker away in a gleeful fit. The magician evaded her friend's playful shoves with ease and retaliated with relentless tickling motions.

This was one moment where Trixie completely dominated the egghead. Before the showmare could be completely triumphant, Twilight switched her tactics from defensive to offensive. Extending her hooves, she quickly rubbed Trixie's sides in similar movements that were applied to her. To her delight, the basic strategy seemed to be effective as the unicorn above her started losing control and began bellowing with her own laughter. Shifting her victim’s weight, Twilight managed to topple Trixie over on her side as she continued her tickling assault.

“I didn’t know The Great and Powerful Trixie was ticklish!” she teased. Becoming more perceptive to her friend’s pattern, Trixie predicted the next point of attack and grabbed the hoof via magic. With the lavender hoof suspended in air, Twilight easily became distracted since she couldn't move it. Once she looked to the side , she felt a tingling sensation come from her side that restarted her flow of tears as her chortling began again. Continuing with her clever assault, the magician took hold of her other forehoof with a veil of blue light as well and slipped her hoof underneath to raid the bookworm's opposite side.

"Looks like Trixie still has the upper hand, Twilight Sparkle! There's no escape from me now!" exclaimed the overconfident unicorn. However, it was easy to see that Twilight had a horn of her own, which she promptly used to freeze Trixie's body completely in a light violet glow. Struggling to break free, the imprisoned mare could only clench her teeth as she exerted herself from trying budge her stone-stiff structure.

"Argh! Hey, this isn't fair, Twilight! How am I suppose to tickle you if--" Her voice was caught off from what her eyes darted upon. She watched in disbelief as the egghead stomped her right front hoof in a backwards motion. A small puff of smoke shot out from her nostrils while she displayed half a grin with brows lowering inward.

"Twilight... What are you doing?" Trixie asked, anxious of her friend's violent intentions. The mare didn't respond, however, while she continuously beat the end of her hoof back on the bed.

"Twilight...?" squeaked the magician. Without another second of preparation, the librarian charged into attack. Galloping only a short way, she lunged and tackled through the dispelled barrier into Trixie. Off the bed and to the hardwood ground below, the duo smashed to the ground causing a small tremor, causing the furniture to stir askew. Landing hard on her back, the cerulean blue mare's eyes burst open in pain to see a round lavender face above hers.

Staring back at her was the same smirk Twilight gave before. Trying to get her muscles to comply, her vision darted to where her hooves were. She found each hoof was covered by another, resulting in her entire body being pinned down by Twilight Sparkle towering over her. Soon after realizing her position, her body had a purple light appear over it, gently swaying and sweeping over her, signaling her to uproar with laughter once again.

"Do you give up, Trixie? Does the Great and Powerful Trixie surrender?!" Twilight beamed at the helplessly hysterical unicorn.

"Hahaha, Yes! Yes! You win!" she yelled between short, gleeful breaths. On cue, the illumination slowly vanished and Twilight released her prisoner from the tortures of giggling half to death. Finally free, Trixie reeled her head back in a large sigh of relief. Being defeated yet again, it wasn't strange that she was used to it at this point. 'Is Trixie losing her mind? She's okay with being beaten by Twilight Sparkle?' she wondered.

Then again, it happened almost every other hour of the previous day. At this point, it was as common as fireworks with color. With her head rested all the way back, she spotted something peculiar in the distance. She tilted her head to the side and her eyes squinted to try to make out what it was, but unfortunately, a closer inspection was required.

***

Author Notes:

Don’t I stop at the strangest parts? Let the speculation begin! Is it a teddy bear? A tuba? Scootaloo? Magical Trevor breaking the fourth wall? Go ahead, I’ll enjoy reading each one as I laugh on my high horse, knowing the true event will never be discovered. Though I know one pony among you can read me like a book... Hmmm, strange pun, but anyway! I had fun with the majority of the chapter. The tickle fight at the end (seriously this story is getting ridiculous) was another ‘idea’ dropped by Vyreinos that sparked in my head while writing.

My question is: Can ponies really tickle? I think so. Wait... are ponies ticklish? Ugh, I shouldn’t be debunking my own scenes. That would just be self-parody!

Aren’t I just full of contradictions? Oh! Almost forgot! That one scene from Chapter 9 where Twilight holds Trixie’s tail in her mouth? Totally got some nifty fanart for it. I feel so special right now. Luckily my ego will never affect my way of writing!

Now come back and read this super, bo-ta-bulous, awesome, lovable story of mine when I upload the next chapter!!! Haha! Contradiction.

I had to clean this up with a chainsword and fire.
Also, I’m pretty sure the title is a LIE. I spied some sleeping going on there. - Pui

Trevor would like to argue that the title is still true, as an ounce is a measurement of weight, and since sleep isn’t measured in weight, but in time, the title is still technically true! HA! Smart-flanked! ~ Moonstone, Minstrel of Equestria