Teardrops and Snowflakes

Chapter 8

Twilight gaped in awe. Manehattan was huge! Not even Canterlot could compare to the sheer size of the city and the vast number of ponies that traveled the streets. Sure, Canterlot had been much more extravagant than Manehattan was, but at least Twilight felt bigger than a bug in Canterlot.

“Done gawking yet, Twilight?” asked a teasing voice that Twilight had become very familiar with over the past few days.

Twilight turned, meeting Trixie’s amused gaze with her own. “Hey! You may be used to these gigantic cities, but I’m not! Even Canterlot wasn’t this huge and it certainly wasn’t as crowded.”

Trixie just giggled. “Well, we won’t be going far into the city anyway. I’m supposed to set up my stage on the edge of the city. They don’t trust that my magic won’t make a building fall down or something.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “You’d think they would trust me a little more. It’s only the fourth time I’ve performed here.”

A cold wind blew over the hill that Trixie’s trailer was sitting on, chilling both mares. Twilight huddled deeper into the blanket that was draped across her. “Well, let’s go ahead and set up down there; I’m freezing.”

Trixie’s horn lit up as she moved the wheels of the trailer magically. She gave Twilight a sympathetic glance. “You can go inside the trailer, you know. It won’t hurt my feelings; I don’t think you should be sitting out here anyway. You’re still not fully healed.”

Twilight shot her a glance that Trixie had become very familiar with recently. It was a look that said: ‘I know exactly what I’m doing and if you know what’s good for you, you won’t question me.’ Trixie held up her hooves in defeat. “Alright! Alright! I was just trying to be nice. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you end up getting a cold.”

Twilight stuck out her tongue but stayed silent. Her thoughts went back over the last six days.

They had been much more interesting than Twilight had expected. Trixie had talked to her every day, and Twilight found that she and Trixie had a lot of interests in common. Trixie wasn’t quite the bookworm that Twilight was, but she still enjoyed some of the sciences like astronomy and psychology. They both enjoyed music, and had spent hours talking about the newest songs from Octavia and DJ Pon3. Mostly Twilight had talked about her past: her time in Canterlot, her apprenticeship to Celestia, how she came to be in Ponyville. Trixie had been awed and told Twilight as much, but Twilight had denied being anything special. She just wanted others to treat her as a normal pony.

Twilight had spent a ton of time trying to walk again. She had succeeded, but sported multiple new bruises from where she had fallen over and over again. Trixie had wanted to help her, but Twilight had refused. Foolish as it was, Twilight had wanted to get back on her feet by herself. She had succeeded, mostly. She still had to hobble like an old grandmother, but at least she could walk.

Her magic was a completely different matter. Attempting to use it for anything gave her an agonizing burning pain right behind her horn. Trixie wanted to take her to the hospital but Twilight wouldn’t let her; not yet at least.

Twilight came back to the present as Trixie brought the trailer to a stop. They really were at the edge of the city. There weren’t even sidewalks going to and from the area Trixie had been assigned to perform in. The fact made Twilight a little indignant. Trixie, however, was not so perturbed. “Alright then!” She exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. “Setting up won’t take long, then we can explore the city.”

Twilight looked at her sidelong, surprised that she wasn’t annoyed with the performing area. ‘She really has changed,’ Twilight thought, a small smile lighting her face up. Turning, she hopped down from the trailer without thinking and landed with a grunt, collapsing to her knees.

She heard a gasp from behind her. “Twilight! Are you okay?” Trixie was by her side almost instantly, a concerned look on her face.

Twilight slowly stood, grimacing from the pain. She gave Trixie a weak, wobbly smile. “I’m okay, just didn’t think before I jumped off.” Trixie hesitated, worry still etched on her face. Twilight took a breath, composing herself, and gave Trixie a reassuring look. “Really, I’m fine. Go set up the stage.” Trixie hesitated a moment longer, then nodded and trotted off towards the stage and began disconnecting it from the other two trailers.

Twilight marveled at the speed and ease with which Trixie set up the stage. It was connected to the other trailer by a single, thick wooden beam that latched onto the back of it. The stage’s wheels had a contraption attached to them that connected them to the other trailer’s wheels, much like a train. It was how Trixie was able to move all of the trailers with minimum effort. The trailer that the stage connected to was connected to the main trailer that Twilight and Trixie had been sitting on in the same way.

Trixie set up the stage quickly, her movements precise and practiced.  When she was finished, Twilight couldn’t tell that the stage had once been connected to the trailer at all. Wooden slats came down on all four sides, hiding the wheels and making the bottom of the stage look solid. A wooden scaffold was suspended on either side by wooden beams and held the mechanism for the curtains. The curtains themselves were a soft magenta color and made out of a light silk. Thick enough to hide whatever was behind it, but light enough to flow and ripple in the wind. Designs and patterns on the curtain gave it a shimmering, ethereal look when it did ripple.

Trixie gave her work a final, appraising look before nodding, satisfied. Turning, she smiled at Twilight. “Ready to see Manehattan?”

Twilight nodded eagerly; she wanted to see what the city had to offer. Trixie began to walk towards the city, but glanced at Twilight and frowned. “Hang on a second,” she said, heading towards the main trailer. “I forgot something.”

She returned a few moments later wearing a light purple sweater that complimented her coat wonderfully. She was magically floating another sweater next to her, this one a dark grey. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Trixie, you do know that I’m not eight, right?”

Trixie just flashed Twilight her sweetest, most condescending smile. “Yeah, but you’re still wearing this. I don’t need you to have a cold on top of hobbling around like an old pony.”

Twilight scowled but consented. Outwardly, Twilight kept up a façade of annoyance, but in reality her heart was fluttering. Could Trixie feel the same way? Twilight shook her head violently, pushing the thoughts away into the deepest recesses of her mind. She couldn’t stand to think about that; it was foolish.

They picked a random street and started down it, walking side-by-side; Trixie matching Twilight’s slow gait with her own. “So, what do you want to see first?” Trixie asked, looking at Twilight sidelong.

Twilight shrugged. “I don’t even know where to begin. It seems like there’s so much to see. I’ll just follow you.”

Trixie rolled her eyes, sighing. “Twilight, you really need to stop being so selfless. Remember, I’ve been here many times and have seen most of the city. Just think about somewhere you want to go. I’ll handle getting there.”

Twilight stopped, thinking. “Well… how about the library?”

Trixie giggled. “I figured you would say that. C’mon, it’s this way.”

The two mares set off, Trixie slightly in the lead. They walked in companionable silence, Twilight being too enthralled to keep up a conversation. They reached the library after a half-hour, and Trixie noticed Twilight stop next to her. Turning, she had to hold her hoof over her mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter.

Twilight was standing in place, frozen. Her mouth was open in awe and her eyes were as big as the plates she had been eating off of for the past week. The Manehattan Public Library was the biggest library she had ever seen. Its three stories promised enough books to keep Twilight entertained for years! Trixie could have sworn that a little drool dripped from the edge of Twilight’s mouth, but perhaps it was just a trick of the light.

At first, Trixie thought Twilight was just exaggerating, but as the minutes ticked by she became genuinely worried. “Um… Twilight? Are you okay?” She waved a hoof in front of the stunned mare’s face. Twilight didn’t respond.

Trixie sighed and face-hoofed. She knew that Twilight was into books, but jeez! She hated to have to do this but desperate times call for desperate measures. Trixie’s horn lit up and a single tiny thread of electricity jumped from it to Twilight, stinging her on the flank. Painful, but effective.

Twilight jumped into the air, yelping loudly. Bystanders on the street stopped what they were doing to glance up, but it wasn’t the oddest thing they had seen on the streets of Manehattan, so they went back to their own business.

Twilight flushed. Whether from embarrassment or anger, nopony knew, not even Twilight. “What did you do that for!?”

“Twilight, you were drooling,” Trixie replied dryly, turning and walking towards the library.

Twilight reached up to feel the corner of her mouth and her blush deepened. Rather than respond, she followed Trixie up the stairs and into the library as quickly as possible. Trixie waited for her just inside.

The library was even more magnificent inside. The walls were layered with dark planks of ebony and the floor was a soft, red carpet. The entire library was set up in a circle, with the books lining the walls all the way around. Only the ground floor had traditional rectangular shelves. The other two floors were open in the center. Twilight would have squealed in joy if she hadn’t been in a library.

Trixie watched Twilight’s face for a moment, then turned to survey the library herself. “Now Twilight, don’t take too long in here. I know you love libraries, but it’s already kind of late, and I do have a show tomorrow, alright?” Trixie turned to see if Twilight had heard her, only to find that the space her friend had occupied was empty. Trixie face-hoofed again. There was no way they were seeing anything else in the city today.

Trixie thought about going after Twilight, but soon realized that it would be futile. Even crippled, Twilight could navigate a library faster than she could. Trixie took a seat next to the checkout desk and just relaxed. Twilight would come around soon. At least, she hoped so.

Two hours later, Trixie was in a zen state. She wasn’t quite asleep, but she wasn’t awake either. Her mind was filled with images of the tricks she would perform during her show the next night, the faces of her audience, the sounds of their awe. Performing was Trixie’s life, and she loved it with every fiber of her being.

The images evaporated when a hoof gently shook her. She opened her eyes to see a very ashamed-looking Twilight Sparkle. The purple mare wouldn’t even meet her eyes.

“I… I’m sorry Trixie. I didn’t mean to get so... absorbed.” Twilight shifted on her hooves, embarrassed that she had made her love wait for so long.

Trixie blinked and stretched out her stiff limbs, hearing them creak and pop. She smiled lazily, still half in her zen state. “It’s fine, Twilight. This evening was for you, after all.”

Twilight finally looked Trixie in the eyes. There was no trace of the annoyance she had expected there, much to Twilight’s surprise. “I… I guess. Are you ready to head back?”

Trixie nodded. “If you are, I am; what time is it? I don’t want to be up too late. I do have my show tomorrow, after all.”

Twilight glanced around for a clock. She found one above the desk. “It’s eight-thirty. If we hurry, we can make it back to the trailer in half the time it took us to get here.”

Twilight thought she saw sympathy flash in Trixie’s eyes for a moment, but if she did, it was gone instantly. Trixie just nodded and the pair walked out of the library, heading for the place they called home.

Twilight was exhausted. Seeing the massive amount of knowledge stored in the library had given her a burst of energy, but now that she was outside, all of that energy had left her. Her muscles felt tired and flimsy, like overcooked noodles; she knew that she had overdone it.

Her exhaustion made it hard to walk in a straight line, and she often caught herself leaning on Trixie. At first she was able to catch herself before she put too much weight on the mare she loved, but it slowly got more and more difficult to stay upright. When she thought she couldn’t handle it anymore, Trixie leaned against her on her own, saying nothing. Twilight simply blushed, grateful.

The journey back to the trailer took the pair longer than it had earlier that evening, but Twilight hardly noticed. By the time they arrived at the trailer, she might as well have been sleep-walking. Only Trixie kept her from falling to the ground. Trixie lifted Twilight into bed, a small smile on her face. She joined her not long afterwards. They were both extremely tired, and tomorrow night was Trixie’s show.

Twilight woke to find herself back in Trixie’s bed. She didn’t remember how she got there but that wasn’t surprising. She had gotten used to not remembering getting in bed. She did, however, remember the library, and how she had slighted Trixie. She still felt bad about that. Then she noticed that she was holding something very warm and very soft.

Twilight froze. She knew exactly what she was holding; she just didn’t want to admit it to herself. Opening her eyes, her worst fears were confirmed: Trixie was asleep in her arms. Twilight became conflicted. On the one hoof, having Trixie in her arms fulfilled so many fantasies she had dreamt about since she had started traveling with her. On the other hoof, not only was it wrong to hold her while she was asleep, but if she woke up it would be extremely awkward. With a gentle, regretful sigh, Twilight slowly released Trixie. The showmare didn’t stir.

Relieved, Twilight got up slowly. Her limbs ached fiercely and she could barely walk, but it got easier every day. She tried to levitate a book that she had apparently left on the floor before she had left yesterday. The searing pain still affected her. She dashed away her tears angrily. Why couldn’t she use magic!? Why!? She shook with helplessness.

A month ago, Twilight would have said she was unable to live without magic. Now, she was forced to. It wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, she rationalized; after all, she could be dead. Twilight grimaced as her tears dried. If she was dead, she couldn’t be with Trixie. She wouldn’t —couldn’t— let that happen.

Trixie awoke a short time later to the smell of blueberries. She smiled, her eyes still closed. Blueberries were her favorite and only one pony could be fixing them. She opened her eyes and followed Twilight as she paused to read a cookbook, then put what she had read into action. “You don’t have to fix breakfast for me, you know,” she said, sleepy humor in her voice.

Twilight jumped. “Trixie! You weren’t supposed to wake up till I had this ready!” She took a breath and smiled. “And yes, I do. You’ve fixed breakfast for me for the last week. The least I can do is fix it when you have a show to do.”

Trixie thought about insisting, but something made her stop. Some… sixth sense told her that Twilight really wanted to do this. Who was she to complain? She simply stayed silent and smiled.

Twilight painstakingly followed the cookbook to the letter, determined to make the best pancakes she could. When they were finished, she brought them over the Trixie, effectively serving her breakfast in bed. She waited nervously for Trixie to take a bite.

“Mm… these are really good, Twilight!” Trixie paused just long enough to praise Twilight, and then dug in. She was ravenous.

Twilight let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding. She had been so nervous that her cooking skills wouldn’t be good enough. She was glad it had paid off. She put two pancakes on her own plate and climbed onto the bed, digging into the delicious pancakes herself.

After finishing her breakfast, Trixie began to make her final preparations. Her show might not be for hours, but she had learned from experience that preparing early saved her more trouble than it caused. Twilight did the best she could to help.

Eventually, both mares ran out of things to do. Everything was as perfect as it could be, so they relaxed, alternating between talking to each other, reading, or simply relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet.

As the hours passed, however, Trixie began to pace and mutter. She went over her mental checklist at least four times, making sure she had forgotten nothing. Twilight noticed and couldn’t help teasing her. “I don’t believe it,” she started. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is nervous!? I never would have guessed!”

Trixie stopped in the middle of her pacing, an absent look on her face. “I am not nervous, Twilight Sparkle. I am simply… ensuring that everything will go as planned.” She began her pacing again, faster than ever.

Twilight had spent enough time around Trixie in the past week to know that she was extremely nervous. She walked over and stopped Trixie’s pacing herself, placing a hoof on the showmare’s shoulder. She spoke softly: “Trixie, you’re the best showpony I know. You’ve gone over everything at least ten times. Everything is going to turn out fine. Your show is going to be a huge success. I promise.”

Trixie sighed and sank to the floor, “I know Twilight; you’re right. I just can’t shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen. I just know that I’m going to mess up a trick or forget a line or something. I… I guess I’m scared.”

Twilight smirked, a gleam in her eye. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I’m out there then. You would never let me see you mess up, would you? I wouldn’t ever let you forget it, either.”

Trixie’s eyes flashed. She knew a challenge when she heard one. “Oh, you’re on, Twilight Sparkle. I’m going to put on the best show ever and make you eat those words.”

Twilight grinned; she knew that would work. Trixie always responded to challenges. What she didn’t know is what Trixie would say next. “Thanks, Twilight. That really did help. You’re a good friend. The best.”

The words cut Twilight to the core. They made her endlessly happy and eternally miserable all at the same time. She felt the heat of tears welling up behind her eyes, and hurried to the bathroom in the other trailer. On the one hoof, Trixie thought of her as her best friend. On the other, Trixie only thought of Twilight as her best friend. Nothing more. She allowed herself to cry for five minutes before deciding that enough was enough. She washed her face, erasing any trace of tears, and headed back to the main trailer where the pair simply talked away the few hours left until show time.

Twilight was, luckily, at the front of a massive crowd. Apparently, Trixie was extremely popular with the residents of Manehattan. The field was absolutely packed. Somepony had even set up bleachers in the back so the unfortunate ponies that had arrived late could still see the show. She could feel the crowd’s tension behind her and could hear the jostling of ponies. She was so relieved to be in the front row, away from the press of bodies. The view of the show would be great, too.

Finally, it was showtime. The lights all around the field dimmed to black, and a glowing smoke began to roll over the stage, illuminating it and giving off an air of mystique. A bright purple flash blinded the crowd, and when they looked again, Trixie was standing there, wrapped in her hat and cape, head bowed. Trixie didn’t move a muscle, but a deep, resounding voice resonated across the entire field, seemingly shaking the world:

“Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, Mares and stallions! You are here tonight for one reason and one reason only: to be amazed!” The crowd roared its approval, but was cut off as the voice continued. “Watch in awe and wonderment as the one, the only, The Great and Powerful Trixie tricks your senses and takes you to a world where conventional laws are turned on their heads! Welcome to the world of Magic!” The crowd roared again, deafening Twilight. She hardly noticed though; she was entranced.

Suddenly, a spark appeared on the outer edge of the smoke, catching it on fire. The fire burned quickly, heading towards Trixie hungrily. As it drew closer it changed colors, going from a crimson red to a mystic purple. Just when the crowd thought she would be engulfed, Trixie shot out a magical bubble around her, extinguishing the flames and causing them to turn into sparkling, ethereal butterflies. The crowd ooh’d and aah’d. Twilight would have joined them, had she not been speechless; the act was beautiful.

Trixie floated into the air and looked down on the crowd. Her eyes glowed a bright, icy blue. She slowly raised her hooves to her sides. When they were perpendicular to her body, she opened her mouth, and out of it came pure snow; it streamed over the audience, too high to touch them, and then fell all at once. Some ponies in the crowd screamed, but when the flakes touched the crowd, they vanished. It was an illusion of the highest caliber and flawlessly performed. Twilight couldn’t take her eyes off of Trixie.

Trixie floated back down and hovered a foot above the stage. She curled herself into a ball and waited there, seemingly doing nothing. When the crowd began to murmur, she quickly unfurled, unleashing a gigantic sphere of magic from all around. Its fiery hue lit up the night sky, masking the very stars themselves from sight. As the sphere touched each pony, they glowed. No pony was the same color as another, and a thousand conversations broke out at once as friends and family conversed about what color they were. Twilight glowed a brilliant, icy blue that radiated from her form as if she were made of light. Many ponies around her had to shield their eyes so they weren’t blinded.

As she waited for the audience to die down, Trixie floated back to the surface of the stage, losing all color and returning to her normal form. She closed her eyes and began to hum. It was quiet at first, easily absorbed by the noise of the crowd, but after a moment, the sound grew to overpower even the loudest pony. The curtain behind Trixie began to slowly flutter even though there was no wind, and suddenly the stars and patterns that covered the curtain came to life and began to race around the audience, leaving trails of gold and silver in their wake. Twilight was the only pony focused on Trixie and not the patterns weaving around her head. That’s when she noticed something was wrong.

She heard a groaning noise and at first thought it was Trixie herself, caught up in the humming that made the patterns come alive, but she soon realized that it was something much less enthralling than that. The groaning sounded like wood. Twilight glanced above Trixie and swore she saw the wood moving. She wondered momentarily if it was part of Trixie’s act, but dismissed the idea. As much as she loved Trixie, she still wasn’t that powerful. She could only handle one illusion at a time, no matter how amazing they were.

Twilight was so focused on the beam that when the worst happened, her body acted instinctively. The beam fell. Hundreds of pounds of weight threatened to crush Trixie’s bones. Twilight’s horn lit up brightly, putting Trixie’s illusion to shame. The searing pain hit her like a knife to the forehead, but she didn’t stop as she had before. If she did, then Trixie was dead.

She heard herself scream Trixie's name even as her magic strained to hold the beams. She felt a liquid run from the base of her horn down her face. It was only when it reached her mouth and she tasted metal that should could identify the liquid.

Blood.

It felt like Celestia’s sun was right behind Twilight’s horn. The pain was the most intense she had ever experienced. She collapsed to her knees and felt her tears mix with the blood running down her face. She still held the spell. She heard herself scream Trixie’s name again, but had no idea whether or not she heard. Her eyes were shut tight with the pain.

She fought the pain and the blackness that came with it until the end. She had to keep the beam suspended or Trixie was dead. She felt herself fall to her side and felt her head slam to the ground. She still held the spell.  The pain moved from behind her horn to encompass her entire body. It felt like she was being burned alive. She still held the spell. Only when the blackness grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into unconsciousness did she release the spell. Even then, she heard herself cry out Trixie’s name one, final time.