Teardrops and Snowflakes

Chapter 11

Twilight awoke suddenly, sweating and panicked, and called out Trixie’s name. Sweeping her gaze around the room frantically, she tried to remember where she was. Slowly recognizing her surroundings, she relaxed and realized that somepony was calling her name in a concerned voice and holding her tightly.

“Twilight! Twilight, relax! I’m right here, hush… everything is okay; it was just a bad dream.” Trixie was frightened and worried. She hadn’t slept at all that night; she had been far too distressed by the news she had received about Twilight’s condition. Luckily, Trixie found a certain kind of pleasure in watching her love sleep. It was so cute when she mumbled something dreamily or nuzzled against her. Needless to say, Twilight suddenly changing from a sleeping angel to a frightened mare shouting her name was startling.

Twilight threw her forelegs around Trixie’s neck and hugged her tightly, tears of relief streaming down her face. “Oh, it was awful, Trixie! I dreamed that I was chasing you through the Everfree Forest and… and then you fell down a cliff and you were just hanging there, screaming for help and then… and then…” Twilight sniffled and shuddered. “It was so real! I thought that I had lost you!”

Trixie smiled, stroking Twilight’s mane comfortingly. As much as she hated Twilight having a nightmare like that, it was cute that she worried about her the way she did. “It’s okay Twilight. I’m fine, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Twilight sighed, feeling the tension melt away from her body as she snuggled deeper into Trixie’s embrace. It felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “I’m glad,” she replied simply, nuzzling Trixie’s cheek. Bliss flowed through Twilight, and she closed her eyes, resting her head on Trixie’s chest and listening to her heartbeat.

They stayed like that a few moments, simply reveling in the other’s company. After Trixie was sure that Twilight had calmed down, she glanced at the clock above the door. Illuminated by the fading light of Luna’s moon, it read 6 AM. “Hey Twilight,” she began softly, “why don’t we go and watch the sunrise from the balcony?”

Twilight was already half asleep again. “Mmm… hmm?” she mumbled softly. “Yeah, that sounds good.” She wasn’t really aware of what she was agreeing to, she just knew that agreeing meant that she would be as close to Trixie as she could for as long as possible, and that’s all Twilight ever really wanted.

Grinning at the utter adorableness of the drowsy mare, Trixie carefully got out of the hospital bed and helped Twilight down, then magically gathered up two thick blankets; she had a feeling that it was going to be freezing out on the balcony.

Leaning on each other, the two mares made their way down the empty corridors. Small fluorescent lights placed periodically on either side of the hallway ensured that neither mare stumbled. Reaching the glass doors, Trixie draped both blankets around her and Twilight, who mumbled her thanks sleepily, and magically opened them. A blast of frigid air made Trixie flinch slightly, but Twilight didn’t seem to notice the cold. Pulling up the same chair the two had shared yesterday, Trixie warmed it slightly with magic and turned it to face the glowing horizon.

Wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, Twilight and Trixie snuggled together both out of a need for warmth and a need for the other’s love. Trixie could sense Twilight slowly slipping away into the throes of sleep, and softly roused her, not wanting her to miss the sunrise. “Twilight, try to stay awake sweetheart, I don’t want you to miss the sunrise.”

For a moment, nothing happened, and Trixie almost tried again, but then Twilight made a sound that could only be described as a mix between a whine, a whimper, and a moan. Yawning deeply, her voice was heavy with sleep. “Mmm… okay Trixie… I’ll try,” she mumbled, “but only because I love you.”

Trixie suppressed a giggle, and kissed Twilight on the top of her head. “I love you too, Twilight, even if you are a silly mare sometimes.”

“Hey!” Twilight protested, turning to look Trixie in the eye. “I’m not silly!”

This time, Trixie couldn’t suppress her giggle. “Of course not! Who would ever say that you were silly!?” she exclaimed.

Twilight looked as if she were about to reply, but at the last minute she thought better of it and instead quickly leaned forward, kissing Trixie deeply. Surprised at first, Trixie quickly recovered and began to kiss Twilight back, wrapping her forelegs around Twilight lovingly.

After what seemed like an eternity, Twilight broke the kiss, her lungs crying out for air. Breathing heavily, Twilight laid her head back on Trixie’s chest, basking in the afterglow of the kiss. “Trixie?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah?” Trixie answered, equally quiet. Her own breathing was heavy, and her cheeks were burning with a fierce blush.

“When I’m allowed to leave here…” Twilight began hesitantly, “will you come back to Ponyville and stay with me? Forever?” She kept her voice as neutral as she could, not wanting Trixie to know how much the question – and its answer – meant to her.

Trixie, however, wasn’t fooled. “Twilight,” she said, gingerly forcing the purple mare to meet her eyes, “I had already planned on coming back to Ponyville with you and staying there. I can’t imagine living without you anymore and…well, as long as you want me, I’ll stay with you. No matter what happens.”

Twilight closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears of joy that threatened to spill out; those words were all she had wanted to hear since she had first set out in search of Trixie, following a feeling that she couldn’t even name. Those words lifted her spirit to the highest reaches of the sky and drowned it in bliss and ecstasy. Twilight threw her forelegs around Trixie’s neck, hugging her tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered in Trixie’s ear softly. “You just made me the happiest unicorn in all of Equestria.”

Trixie chuckled softly, returning the hug. “No I didn’t, you silly mare!” she exclaimed, causing Twilight to pull back and look at her questioningly. “I’m the happiest unicorn in all of Equestria!”

Twilight stared at Trixie for a moment, then grinned mischievously at her, leaning closer. “Well, how about we just be the happiest couple in Equestria then?”

Trixie leaned in even closer, and kissed Twilight gently. Pulling away, she grinned back. “That sounds perfect, Twilight. Absolutely perfect.”

As the two kissed again, Celestia’s sun finally rose over the horizon, casting its warming rays of hope and beauty over the land of Equestria and over two caring lovers who were oblivious to the world.

Hours later, Twilight and Trixie were back inside Twilight’s hospital room, enjoying a lunch of daffodil-and-daisy sandwiches with hay fries and telling stories. Twilight was in the middle of telling Trixie about Fluttershy’s stare. “Well, she might be really timid and meek most of the time, but if one of her friends is in danger, she’ll do anything to save them. One time, we had to stop a dragon from sleeping near Ponyville because he was smoking up the air and we could barely breathe. All of us tried to stop him, but nothing seemed to work. He had us backed up against a rock, about to eat us, when out of nowhere Fluttershy comes up and just stares him down and tells him how he wasn’t going to hurt her friends. It was actually really intimidating. The dragon left almost immediately.”

Trixie swallowed the last of her sandwich and shook her head. “Wow, you have some of the most interesting friends, Twilight. Did she really stare down a dragon?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, and another time there was this cockatrice that—” A knock at the door interrupted her. “Um… come in?” she called, confused. Nopony had ever knocked on the door before; why would they start now?

The doctor walked in, glancing around the room. When his gaze fell on Twilight, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, hello Miss Sparkle. Are we doing alright today?”

Twilight shrugged. “As well as any other day, doctor. I can’t wait to go home though. Any idea when I’ll be able to?”

The doctor gave Twilight a distracted smile. “I don’t know off hoof, but I’ll look at your charts today and if everything checks out, you should be able to leave very soon.” He turned his gaze to Trixie, creasing his forehead. “Miss Trixie, may I have a word?”

Trixie stared at the doctor for a moment, and then looked at Twilight, who shrugged. Trixie sighed and placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back, okay?” Twilight nodded in response, taking a bite of her sandwich.

The doctor nodded at Trixie and led her into the hallway, taking a moment to make sure the door closed firmly behind them. Trixie opened her mouth to ask what this was all about, but the doctor silenced her with a gesture and led her into a nearby break room. He ensured that the door was firmly closed and, satisfied, sighed. “Alright, now that I’m sure nopony will be eavesdropping, I was wondering how Twilight was taking the news. It seems to be rather well from what I saw. You must be even more important to her than I thought if you could make her feel okay about such a… unique condition.”

Trixie listened to the doctor with a growing sense of dread. Eventually, she had to look away. The doctor, of course, noticed. Narrowing his eyes, his voice took on a tone of suspicious skepticism. “You… you did tell her… right?”

Trixie shifted awkwardly under his gaze. “Not… uh… not yet, no. I was waiting for the right time.” She winced as the doctor facehoofed.  

“Are you kidding me!?” he exclaimed, “I told you that the sooner she found out the better! Do you think that I don’t know what I’m talking about!?”

Trixie narrowed her own eyes, becoming indignant. “You’re asking me to ruin her life and break her heart; that’s not something I’m willing to do on a whim! I love her, and I’m not going to hurt her any more than I have to!”

The doctor sighed, rubbing his eyes with a hoof tiredly. “You’re right… I’m sorry. However, believe me when I say that the sooner a patient finds out news like this the better. It gives them more time to… to cope.”

Trixie turned away, trying to hide her fear. “Twilight will “cope” just fine… you’ll see.”

The doctor’s voice was quiet and resigned as he responded. “Would you, if you were in her place?”

Trixie was silent for a moment, and then walked to the door. “I’ll… I’ll tell her soon. Alright?” she said, her voice mournful. She didn’t bother to wait for an answer before leaving.

Walking back towards Twilight’s room, Trixie felt her heart breaking. She didn’t know exactly how Twilight would react, but she knew that she would be crushed. As she reached the door that led into Twilight’s room, a single tear slid down her cheek. She was about to crush the hopes and dreams of the one pony she had ever truly loved, and Trixie wasn’t sure she could go through with it. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her heart and opened the door.

Twilight was standing at the window, staring out over the city. Hearing the door open, she turned and, seeing that it was Trixie, beamed at her. “Did you hear the doctor Trixie!? I should be able to go home soon!”

Seeing Twilight’s broad smile almost shattered Trixie’s resolve. What right did she have to obliterate Twilight’s happiness?

“Trixie?” Twilight began, her voice full of concern, “is everything alright? Are you okay?”

Trixie looked at the ground and grit her teeth. The doctor was right, it was better to tell her now and let her begin to live with it than to wait until they were already in Ponyville. “I’m… I’m fine, Twilight,” she said, looking up and smiling at Twilight sadly. “I… I have some news for you.”

Twilight walked over and hugged Trixie. She could sense that something was wrong, she just had no idea what it was. “Alright, what is it?” she asked.

Trixie led Twilight over to the bed and gestured for her to sit down. Twilight obeyed, sliding close to Trixie and snuggling against her. Both were silent for a few moments, Trixie gathering her thoughts and steeling her resolve, Twilight allowing Trixie to move at her own pace.

Finally, Trixie sighed. It was now or never. “Twilight,” she began, “you know that I love you more than anything else in the world, right?”

Twilight giggled. “Yeah, but I bet that I love you more!”

Trixie couldn’t help but smile at Twilight’s words. She refused to be distracted though; this was too important. “And… you know that I’ll always love you, no matter what… right?”

Twilight frowned. “Um… yeah… Trixie, what’s this about? Are you okay? Is something going to happen to you!?” Twilight’s voice was panicked. The idea of anything happening to Trixie was too much to bear.

“Twilight…” Trixie’s eyes glistened, but she forced herself to continue. “Last night the doctor came to the room. You were asleep. He had the results of the blood test they performed.”

Twilight wiped away one of Trixie’s tears as it slid down her cheek and nuzzled her softly. “And? What did it say?” she asked softly.

Here was the moment of truth. “It said that… that you have no magic left in your body, Twilight. Your blood is as normal as an earth pony’s.” Trixie tensed as the words left her mouth. She didn’t know what to expect; would Twilight be angry? Would she break down into tears?”

Instead, she laughed. “So… I’m an earth pony now?” Twilight said, grinning. Her voice was full of sarcasm. “Come on Trixie, if you’re going to try and prank me, at least make it believable!” She hugged Trixie sympathetically. “It was a nice try though. Pinkie Pie would have been proud!”

More tears slid down Trixie’s face. She didn’t blame Twilight for not believing her, but she had to make Twilight understand that she wasn’t kidding. Staring at Twilight solemnly, she tried to stop herself from sobbing.

Twilight met her gaze. After a few seconds she began to tremble. “You… you’re not kidding, are you?” she asked, her voice quiet.

“No.” Trixie’s voice was barely a whisper.

Twilight began to rock back and forth slowly. “No no no no no…” she said, her voice quiet. Getting up from the bed, she turned to face Trixie. “No! You… you’re lying! You have to be!” She looked at the plate she had eaten her sandwich off of, concentrating on it. “Lift up,” she whispered, her voice desperate. “Please… lift up!

Twilight slowly sank to the floor, still staring at the plate. “Please…” she whispered, “lift up!” Tears clouded her vision and she began to silently sob. She felt Trixie embrace her and Twilight leaned into the embrace. “It’s not there,” she whispered, her voice cracking, “My… my magic… it’s just…  gone.”

Twilight felt her world shatter. Magic was everything to her. Magic was her life. Her special talent was magic! What was she supposed to do now!? Tears of agony and despair fell from her eyes as she cried into Trixie’s chest. At first she wailed, but after a few minutes her throat became sore and she sobbed silently.  What would Celestia think? Twilight was her number one student but she was nothing without magic! Would Celestia care about her anymore? Would her friends? What if they thought she was a freak? What about Trixie?

The thought made Twilight pull away from Trixie. She stared at Trixie, her eyes teary and red-rimmed. “You… you don’t think I’m a freak… do you? You still love me… right?”

Trixie reached over and brushed Twilight’s mane out of her face with a hoof, gazing at Twilight with sympathetic eyes. “You aren’t a freak Twilight,” she whispered soothingly, pulling Twilight back into her embrace, “and like I said before, I’ll always love you, no matter what.”

Hours later, Twilight had cried herself to sleep. Trixie held her gingerly, watching as her chest rose and fell. “I’m sorry Twilight,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry.” Trixie didn’t know whether or not Twilight would ever be able to get her magic back, but what she did know was that Celestia herself wouldn’t be able to make her leave Twilight, and that she would do everything in her power to make Twilight happy again.

No matter what.