Dresses Hide Secrets
Written by TheCrimsonDM
Trixie stood inside her small stage wagon, staring at her bed, and then at the mound of blankets lying on the floor where Maud had made a makeshift bed last night. For whatever reason, although it was late outside, and far too cold for the earth pony to go home, she had adamantly refused sharing a bed with Trixie. In fact the rejection hurt her feelings; after all she was hoping to make the best of the night.
“Perhaps she doesn’t want to be intimate yet?” Trixie asked herself. “Trixie is sure that this couldn’t be a sign that Maud doesn’t like her anymore… right?”
She let out a sigh and trotted back outside and onto the rocky plains. Her memories flittered back to the atrocities she had committed in Ponyville. Although she was left with only vague or blurred memories of scattered events from that time, a side effect of the amulets corruption to be sure, Trixie had later learned that she had hurt Maud’s favorite sister; Pinkie Pie. That caused no end of grief and anxiety for the blue unicorn.
“Trixie,” a flat emotionless voice said.
Trixie faced the voice and found Maud Pie staring at her with dull uninterested eyes. Trixie looked away as the shame built up inside. “Hi there…”
“We need to talk,” Maud said.
Trixie took a nervous step back. No, she can’t be here to break up with me. I know that I’ve done bad things, and that I’m not a good listener, but she can’t be here for that… please don’t let her be here for that.
“It’s about last night,” Maud said. She paused for a minute while staring at Trixie. “Why are you shaking? Is it cold out here?”
Now conscious of the fact that her entire body was trembling, she couldn’t help but frown. “Y-yes it’s a bit nippy out this morning. Trixie should have worn a dress like yours.”
“Let’s go inside,” Maud offered, and Trixie led her marefriend back into the stage wagon.
After getting wrapped up into a blanket, which didn’t really help her stop shaking, but the fact that it appeased Maud was more than enough reason to wear it, Trixie looked at Maud and waited for her to continue. Maud sat across from Trixie’s bed. “Last night… I’m sorry that I pushed you away.”
That one sentence brought with it a world’s worth of relief for the poor unicorn. Trixie smiled at Maud and shook her head gently. “Don’t be sorry. If you aren’t ready for that, then Trixie can wait.”
“It’s more complicated,” Maud said.
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve noticed how I never take my dress off?” Maud asked. Trixie nodded. “There is a reason for that. You see I’m not what you think I am.”
Now Trixie was feeling confused. “What does that mean?”
“I’m… Trixie, this is a secret that only my family knows about. Please promise me that no matter how you decide to deal with me, you won’t tell anypony about this,” Maud asked, her frown betrayed how scared she was, something that Trixie had never seen from her stoic companion.
“Trixie… no, I would never betray you. I’ll keep your secret, Maud. I promise,” Trixie swore with conviction.
“I’m a stallion,” Maud explained.
A long, dead and oh so quiet silence followed that sentence. For the longest time, Trixie simply sat there staring in disbelief at Maud. Maud lowered her head, and averted her gaze from Trixie’s increasingly worried stare. Bit by bit Trixie’s mind began cobbling together the facts, and painting a new understanding of the mare with whom she had become so enamored with.
“Oh,” Trixie said finally.
Maud was silent.
“Okay…” Trixie tried to fish for more words but found nothing. So she asked the only question she could. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Maud looked up at Trixie and in a voice as fragile as porcelain, she asked, “I thought you would hate me… do you?”
Trixie leaned back against the wall of her wagon. “No, I don’t. I am a little frustrated, and angry, but I don’t hate you. You’ve stayed by my side when the whole world was against me, how could I ever hate you?”
“You’re angry with me for keeping this secret?” Maud asked.
With a bit of effort, Trixie pushed herself back up and stared Maud down. “No I’m not. You were scared, and I can understand that. But what makes me angry, is the fact that you are obviously ashamed of yourself, when you have no right to be.”
Maud’s eyes widened.
Trixie hopped off of her bed and onto the wooden floor in front of Maud. “You are such a kind, and gentle mare. Yet you have such strength inside of you. To be honest, I’m jealous of that. But you don’t need to be ashamed of yourself, so what if you’re a stallion dressed up as a mare, you pull it off so well that nopony would ever guess it…
“Look, Maud. I have been heckled, and made fun of my entire life for being the stage pony that I want to be. It doesn’t matter how much money I make, or how many shows I attend, or even what awards I might win. There will always be ponies who just assume that because of my stage personality, that I am some mean and spiteful creature that should be punished. But I’ll let you in on a little secret; they can’t beat me.”
Trixie looked out the window, at the early morning sun casting its golden light over the barren wastes. “I am proud of what I’ve accomplished, and of the character I’ve created. I won’t let their words affect me, because if I did that I would lose.” Trixie looked back into Maud’s eyes and finished, “That’s why I’m angry. I don’t want you to feel like you aren’t worth anything, just because you’re different. I’m as strange as they come, Maud. So don’t you dare pity yourself when I’m around… because I’m here for you.”
Maud’s lips curled up at the edges, and Trixie’s heart warmed up upon seeing her marefriend’s smile. Maud looked at the bed, and then back at Trixie. A slight giggle escaped Trixie’s lips, and she couldn’t help but to throw herself back onto the bed. “Do you want to do a retake of last night?”
Maud was silent, but her eyes lingered on Trixie’s flanks.
Feeling victorious, Trixie cleared her throat. “Maud, honey. It’s too late go outside by yourself tonight.” Even the morning sun was clearly shining through the window. “Why don’t you stay here?” Trixie patted the spot next to her. “I’ve got plenty of room for you.”
Maud’s eyes met Trixie’s. “Alright.”
The End
