Of Rocks and Showmares

Chapter 2

trixie

Trixie adjusted to farm life over the next few days. She learned to never make the cardinal mistake of wearing her cape and hat anywhere but her room. Styling her mane and tail weren’t out of the question, but pretty much futile. After a few hours of work she resembled the rest of them.

She still wore her trademark garb when she was alone though. They were comforting and when she was lonely, she could feel the warmth of the mare who gave them to her. That miniscule, insignificant comfort made her feel whole after a long of being ripped into by Inkie of the rest of the family. After particularly hard days, she’d wrap herself up in them and cry herself to sleep. The first day was one of those days.

At first it bothered her, crying so much. Every pony she told her nightly ritual to would immediately try to comfort her. They told her no pony should be so sad as to cry so often. She didn’t mind it after awhile. It was morbid, but crying herself to sleep became the one thing she looked forward to every day.

As the days went on, she learnt the jobs and various tasks of the work. True to Inkie’s words, they gave her jobs better suited for a magician. She was tasked with levitating large quantities of small rocks around. It was the sort of job that would take an earth pony hours of tedious work to do, but she could do it in ways that seemed almost unfair.

Still, she was good at something looked forward to that solitary moment at the end of the day where Clyde seemed to forget they had a unicorn on staff and saw her work. There was a fleeting sparkle in his eye and smile on his face. It wasn’t much and he never commented on it, but Trixie took what she could get.

Trixie also followed Inkie’s advice, along with the general consensus of the household, and kept her mouth shut. The only time she spoke was when spoken to or she had work related questions. Mostly, she’d go to Inkie with her questions and receive short, minimalist answers, often receiving little more than pointing or gesturing.

Both of them figured that the less they talked, the less likely it would be that they’d end up arguing and yelling. So for that, Trixie endured the silence.

They were working out in the fields, transporting rocks from one rotation to another. A recent streak of fortune had put the family in a good mood. They didn’t tell her what exactly happened, but somehow it compelled Inkie to talk to her first.

“Ya know, Trix, if ya ever wanna just talk, it ain’t gonna bother nopony...” she said, breaking the age-old silence of the farm.

“I thought you wanted me to keep my big mouth shut...” Trixie bit back.

“Yeah I do, but that don’t mean you can’t talk, just don’t be a loudmouth.”

Trixie’s brow furrowed. “Maybe I don’t want to talk.”

She raised her voice. “What’s your problem? I’m tryin’ to be friendly here.”

The volume was picking up again.

“Why? I complained and I kept talking in third person. No one likes me, so why should you?!”

Inkie grit her teeth and glared at Trixie. Trixie met her glare and they stood there at total odds with one another. She didn’t want to argue again. She wanted to talk about something, maybe have a conversation, but part of her didn’t care what Inkie said. Inkie had shut her up, and unless something had changed, Trixie wouldn’t give her anything after being told she didn’t matter.

Inkie let out a deep, aggravated, ‘I’m-only-going-to-give-you-one-more-chance-so-don’t-blow-it’, sort of sigh.

“You know what? You stopped talking like that and I haven’t heard a single complaint since,” admitted Inkie.

Trixie threw the rocks in the cart a little harder, listening intently to her words.

“It seems like a good amount of improvement and—” Inkie forced out her next words almost grimacing as she said them. “I want to tell you that you’re doing a good job, okay?”

Trixie’s expression softened and she looked into Inkie’s eyes. She knew when a pony was lying and Inkie looked pretty genuine.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not sayin’, ‘let’s be friends’, but if we’re gonna spend ten hours a day in the field workin’ our tails off, it’d be nice to have some sort of friendly work environment.” She cocked her head to the side as if agreeing with herself. “It’s good for safety or somethin’ like that.”

Trixie considered it. She didn’t know what to make of Inkie being nice to her. Technically, there wasn’t anything for either of them to lose by being pleasant to each other. Talking made the day go by faster and the work feel easier, but she wasn’t convinced. Just because she couldn’t see a reason for a pony to turn something into a cruel joke, didn’t mean there wasn’t one.

Still, here was an honest pony trying to be friendly to her and she wasn’t about to turn that down. Maybe before she would have, but not now. Staring at her empty letters each night was getting harder and harder.

A seismic vibration coursed through the ground, letting them know that it was time for one of their breaks. Inkie threw off the yoke.

“Well, there’s the bell. Hey, instead of going back to your room, maybe you could spend the break with me and we can pretend like we don’t hate each other,” Inkie suggested.

Trixie watched her more closely, reading every twitch of her expression. Some ponies could hide dishonesty well. It’s not like she thought a rock farmer would be some sort of acting prodigy who could trick a lie detector, but she might as well be thorough. Inkie looked from side to side, her pupils shrinking a bit.

“Yeah, okay...” agreed Trixie.

The two mares sat at a preplaced ring of boulders alone. Their silence had given way to the clearing of throats and uncomfortable shifting. After an excruciatingly long minute, Trixie was already wishing she hadn’t agreed to it. The break lasted for fifteen minutes, but that was turning out to be fourteen minutes too long.

“So uh...” began Inkie.

“Yeah?”

“Ya got like a coltfriend back home or something?”

“Oh... no, not exactly... Why?”

“Just wonderin’...”

They shared more awkward silence.

“Why, do you have one?” reflected Trixie.

“Shoot, no, all the stallions in town are knuckleheads.” Inkie kicked a rock. “I just thought that a pretty, city mare such as yourself...  ‘d ya know...?”

“I’m flattered...”

More silence followed. Inkie was busy fidgeting and Trixie had suddenly found the featureless sky incredibly interesting.

“Just tryin’ to make conversation here, I don’t know what you unicorns talk ‘bout all day.”

Trixie looked down at the farmer. “Well, we don’t only talk about colts.”

“Yeah?” Inkie flashed a weak smile that disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. “I’m just goin’ off what I read, I don’t really know. Whataya’ll talk about anyway?”

“Yes, well some of us are into fashion, some are into politics, some literature,” Trixie went on, “Artsy things in general, science, academics, stallions of course, mares, and one very specific unicorn, books, and humiliating other unicorns.”

“Wait, what was was that last one?” Inkie asked.

“Oh, that one?! Her name is Twilight Sparkle, the book reading, house destroying devil of a unicorn—” Trixie eagerly jumped.

“Nah, I mean the one before that.”

Trixie thought for a moment.

“Mares?”

“Yeah, that one. Ya tellin’ me that you unicorns are fillyfoolers?”

Trixie thought she snuck that one past her.

“Well—not all of them by any means. Some are, yes. Why do you ask?” \

Inkie chuckled to herself.

“You’re kind’s real weird, Trix. Buncha fillyfoolers. Shoot, I had no idea. Learn something new everyday.”

Trixie felt the light burning of embarrassment in her face.“Something wrong with being interested in mares?” she snapped.

“Next to bein’ a little weird? Nothin’. But I’m not here to judge.”

Bored, Inkie kicked up a rock from her sitting position and bounced it between her rear hooves, keeping it airbourne.

“Why? You one of them fillyfoolin’ unicorns? You’re gettin’ awful defensive,” she prodded, eyes glued to the rock bouncing between her hooves.

Trixie gawked at the blunt, forthcoming question.

“Trixie thinks you’re being a bit prying. Who are you to ask such personal questions?” she protested, blush blooming across her face.

“You’re doin’ it again...” she warned, catching the rock. “The third-person thing?” They stared each other down, before Inkie went back to juggling the rock. “No need to get all defensive, Trix. If ya are, if you’re not, doesn’t matter to me. Could be into trees for all I care.”

Her blush intensified,

“Trees!? Does every conversation you have find its way to such personal topics?”

“Nope, just this one so far.” Inkie smirked. “Maybe it’s your weird fillyfoolin’ vibe that’s makin’ me get all personal.”

“I seriously doubt that!”

“So, ya are one then?”

Trixie almost screamed. “I never said that!”

“So... ya aren’t?” Inkie pressed slyly, an amused smile curling up her face.

“No, I mean—!” Trixie was bright red now.

“It’s a yes or no question, Trix. Ain’t that hard to answer.”

“Oh. My. Goodness...” Trixie trembled in anger. “You are truly an infuriating pony, Inkie.”

“Relax, Trix, I’m just playin’.”

“No, don’t tell Trixie to relax. She is perfectly relaxed. She is just having an impasse with an intolerable mare. Excuse her.” Trixie got up and stormed off.

Inkie frowned. “Ah come on! I didn’t mean it! Honest!” she called out after Trixie.

The rest of the day, Trixie didn’t say a single word to Inkie, despite Inkie’s many attempts at apologizing. Every time she went up to Trixie to apologize, Trixie would turn her head and ignore her. Eventually it wore thin on both of them and neither of them made any attempt to speak to the other. Supper passed with the usual silence, but unbeknownst to the rest of the family, intensity hid behind their well-mannered faces.

Later that night, the events of the day had washed away and Trixie found herself enthralled in one of her favourite romantic novels. It was a love story about two mares who were shipwrecked on an island. They found love in each other, but were eventually rescued and forced to return to their normal lives on other sides of the world.

A light blush had steadily worked its way across Trixie’s face as she raced through the novel. The imagery and description poured off the pages, putting her right in the middle of the steamy love story. Trixie liked to imagine herself on a tropical island with a choice pony and all the time in the world to fall in love.

She was almost to chapter nineteen, the reunion. Trixie couldn’t help but notice her heart beat a little faster and the warmth spread to other parts of her body as she read of their passion.

She had worked up so much tension over the day that she needed something to help relax and this book was just the solution.

There was a heavy knock on Trixie’s door. She squeaked when she heard it. Trixie could tell by the weight of the hoof that it was Clyde. She dashed the book under her pillow and doused her blush.

“Just one moment! Y-yes, come in!”

He peeked through. “Miss Lulamoon, I was hoping to talk to you ‘bout somethin.”

“Yes, what is it, Mr. Pie?”

“Inkie’s mighty upset ‘bout somethin’ and I’m under the impression that you know what that somethin’ is.”

Trixie crossed her arms and furrowed her brow.

“Oh, that. I may know something about that...” she pouted.

“I don’t like pullin’ the business card, but we got work to do and I can’t have you two not talkin’.”

Trixie considered Clyde’s words. Maybe she had been too harsh with Inkie.

“What’s this all about?” asked Clyde. “I might be able to talk some sense into her, but she’s being a brick wall right now and won’t say anything. It’s my fault cause I raised her that way, but we work to do.” His eyes were genuine and strangely compassionate. Something about the way he looked at her made Trixie want to tell him.

She took a deep breath and met his eyes head on.

“She called me a fillyfooler...” she said quietly.

His compassion fell flat and unamused.

“What?” he said in disbelief.

Trixie was taken abac. “She uhh— called me a fillyfooler...?” she iterated.

“That’s what this is all about?” He shook his head and swore angry words under his breath. “I swear I’m dealin’ with a couple foals still...”

“Wh-what...?”

“Inkie!” he bellowed.

Within seconds, his daughter had peeked around the edge of Trixie’s door.

“Yes, Pa?” she squeaked

“Here at the Pie Rock Farm we are an equal opportunity employer,” he said with authority, “who does not discriminate based on species, race, ethnicity, sex, occupation, marital status, nationality, or sexual orientation. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Pa.”

“I just had a nice chat with Trix here and since ya two are so worried about being fillyfoolers, I’m gonna make both your days. Both of you get to spend the next week workin’ the trenches, startin’ tomorrow.” He stomped. “All alone, just the two best friends that you are. I hear one moan or gripe, you tack on another day. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Inkie replied.

Clyde looked to Trixie expectantly.

“Y-yes, sir,” she parroted.

The “trenches” were what the Pie’s used to refer to the mines. Dark, dank, stuffy tunnels winding down to the center of the earth. There, they searched for rocks to integrate into the farm and any gems they could sell for quick cash.

It was one of those punishment chores. Devoid of any internal infrastructure, the only source of light would be mining helmets. They’d also be forced to manually remove the excess dirt since minecarts hadn’t been set up. At the core of the job, they were tasked with deepening the mines and hacking away at the wall with pickaxes. The trenches were the reason why the Pie daughters were so well-behaved and disciplined.

The trenches were just beyond the edge of the farm, beginning on the side of a small mountain. The two had to wake up an extra half hour early just to compensate for the walk. Inkie and Trixie glared at each other over breakfast the next morning and packed their lunches in silence. The silence continued until they were clear of earshot.

Trixie followed Inkie’s lead out past the farm.

“Can’t believe I got dragged down with ya...” muttered Inkie.

“Oh me? Now it’s my fault?”

“Yeah, ‘course it is. I tried apologizin’ like eighty times. If ya just accepted my apology, none of this woulda happened.”

“Well, I’m sorry I teased you so incessantly on a topic that was clearly making you uncomfortable! Oh, wait no, that was you. My apologies,” Trixie sneered. “How foolish of me to forget.”

“Trix, you are a serious pain in the rear...”

“Likewise...”

They approached the trenches. A few dozen large piles of dirt sat outside a small, dark opening. Several wagons flanked the entrance and a small shed sat a few feet to the left. Inside, they found some mining picks and a few flashlight helmets.

After suiting themselves up, both of them let out a deep sigh and plunged into darkness. Inkie pulled the cart in while Trixie led the way. She lit her horn for light and the entire cave lit up in the magical luminescence

“Hey, look at that,” said Inkie as soon as the unicorn turned her horn on. “You ain’t so useless after all. Job’s not half bad when you can see what you’re doin’.”

Inkie spun around, taking in the sights of the cave. Stalactite formations littered the ceiling, coming down on them like a giant spiked wall. Tiny, hidden gems sparkled faintly off the unicorn’s light, scattered throughout the spacious cavern. Coupled with the drifting dust that hung in the air, the mine took on a twinkling, dreamy appearance.

“Shoot, I ain’t never seen the whole trench lit up at once. Darned helmets can’t never do this.”

“Impressed by the fillyfooler, are we?” chided Trixie.

“Hey now, let’s not get on that again. Now, that we hafta work together, we need to be friendly or we ain’t gonna get squat done,” Inkie warned.

Trixie smirked.

“I’ve been meaning to ask ya. So, fillyfoolin’ is something we can’t talk about. Anything else I should know of? I don’t wanna get on any touchy subjects.”

“Wheels. I don’t trust them,” Trixie replied shortly, holding her chin up in disgust at the thought.

“Wait, what?! Wheels? You serious?” Inkie burst out laughing. “Oh no, you can’t just say you don’t trust wheels. Come on, ya hafta tell me what’s goin’ on with that!”

Trixie turned around and glared at the mare.

“Okay, okay! No wheels. No fillyfoolin’.” She held up her hooves and backed off. “Good to know, I’ll try and lay off them topics.”

There was silence for a moment.

“So...” started Trixie. “Anything you don’t want me to talk about around you?”

Inkie scratched her chin. “Not that I can think of. I guess... Just try and not take me too seriously. I ain’t ever mean on purpose unless I gotta good reason to be.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

They walked for a few minutes in silence, following the path deeper in the earth. Trixie caught Inkie cocking her head around as she walked, taking in the sights of the cave. She smiled to herself. If a simple cave had this pony awestruck, she wondered what one of her shows would do to her.

She imagined Inkie falling over and going into cardiac arrest at the sight of a single firework. By the end of the show, the simple farmer would probably be left gasping for breath, unable to walk. Trixie giggled to herself.

“What’re you laughin’ at?” Inkie asked.

“You.”

Inkie smiled. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“You’re gawking at a cave. Trixie finds it oh so endearing.”

“Yeah, well I’m a rock farmer and it’s neat. Got a problem with that?”

“Not at all! Trixie would actually like to watch the cave seduce you further. You’re face is so adorable when rock formations turn you into a drooling mess,” played Trixie, batting her lashes at the mare.

Inkie smiled, shaking her head at Trixie’s weirdness. She stopped and gestured towards the wall. “Just start mining ya crazy unicorn.”

Inkie took a pickaxe out of the cart and handed it to her. Together they went to work, chiseling away at the wall. Inkie grunted with each swing, putting the full force of her back into the motion. Meanwhile, Trixie let her magic do the work. Swing after swing they slowly cut through the rock.

*

Some time later Inkie wiped her brow and stuck her axe in the ground. Trixie watched her and looked at the status of the tunnel they had been deepening. THey had made it through a few feet of rock in a short time. She afforded a small smile. At least they were getting the work done they needed to. Inkie turned around and Trixie made sure to be looking at her when she did. Trixie leaned casually against a wall and licked her lips.

“What’re you lookin’ at?” asked Inkie, a little estranged. “Come on, get to work.”

“Trixie is working.” She gestured over at the moving pickaxe in her levitation. “You are the one who isn’t working.”

“Uhh right—My bad.” Inkie went back to hacking away, still looking over her shoulder at the her. “You’re actin’ weird, Trix. Keep on lookin’ at me all funny.”

“Am I? Trixie supposes you’re just making her a little... curious.” Trixie winked at her.

Inkie’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “Beggin’ your pardon...?”

Trixie strutted over to the mare, smiling warmly and batting her lashes at her. Inkie gulped and backed up.

“Whoa there, Trix, we uh—should probably get back to work, don’t ya think?”

“But Trixie want’s to work on something else, or shall she say, somepony else?”

Inkie back up further,her back nearly to the wall of the small tunnel. “What the? What’re you talkin’ about?!”

“Don’t be shy. Trixie knows what desire looks like, and it’s written all over your face.” It was true, Trixie was a master of spotting emotion in ponies.

It had been her job. She saw the way Inkie’s eyes came to rest on her more supple features. She could hear the slight hesitation in her voice, the way she seemed to hold just a fraction of her breath whenever Trixie was around. Inkie was hiding something, and Trixie was sure she knew what it was.

“I ain’t got a lick of what you’re talking about! Ain’t nothin’s on my face!”

“Don’t you want Trixie to kiss you?” Trixie pouted, sticking her lips out over so slightly to catch the light of her horn.There was a beautiful, photogenic sheen across them.

“Huh?! W-w-wait j-just a moment!”

Trixie drew her hoof across Inkie’s chest, silencing the farmer. She could feel Inkie’s heart pounding beneath the dainty, girly swirl of her hoof. Inkie tried to find the words to protest, but nothing would come out. After Inkie made half a dozen different expressions of every emotion from shock to fear, Trixie held her hoof up to Inkie’s lips.

“Shhh.... Just let it happen...” Trixie cooed, moving herself closer to Inkie.

The permanently perfumed, sweet aroma of a showmare filled Inkie’s nose, and Inkie’s earthy must filled her’s. Both of them blushed scarlet as Trixie closed in. Inkie closed her eyes and puckered her lips up. Trixie smirked.

“Ah ha! You’re a fillyfooler! Trixie knew it!” she declared backing away.

Dumbfounded, Inkie pushed up and away from the wall.

“Wh-what—?!”

“Trixie knew it! She just knew it! Oh, it feels so good to be right!”

“N-now hold on a second!”

“Inkie’s a fillyfooler! Inkie’s a fillyfooler!” she chanted. She trotted excitedly in place and giggled.

“Wait, no! Ya just— got me really confused is all!” Inkie hid behind her mane.

“Oh, don’t be coy with Trixie. Inkie Pie, you are a fillyfooler and you know it. Don’t worry, Trixie won’t tell anypony your weirdo, little secret.”

“Secret?! There ain’t no secret! I’m bein’ serious! And I ain’t no weirdo!”

“Really...?” Trixie batted her lashes again and put on the same blush. “What if I told you I was a fillyfooler too...?” Her eyes grew wide and innocent. She took a step towards Inkie.

“Wh-what?!”

Trixie held her hooves up to cover her embarrassment. “Well, I was...” Trixie bit her lip. “... just seeing if you were one. Now that I know you are, I can’t help but think of kissing you...”

“Now, wait a minute! Just give me like—fifteen seconds! Ya keep on sayin’ one crazy thing after another and it’s makin’ my head hurt!” Inkie waved her hooves to stop the advancing unicorn. Trixie held off and Inkie took about a dozen deep breaths. “Now, what are you goin’ on about?”

“I’m a fillyfooler, Inkie. I knew you were one too, but I just wanted to make sure,” Trixie explained. “I like you, Inkie...”

Inkie cracked an awkward, bashful smile. The closeness and cusp of passion from only moments before was still alive in her heart. “Yeah ok, I got that. Kinda obvious really. The way you got all defensive about it. And what was the rest of that?”

“You like me, you have a crush on me and you want to kiss me... I feel the same way.”

Inkie looked down to the ground as her blush intensified, hiding behind her mane. She made no attempt to challenge Trixie’s accusations. Trixie reached behind Inkie’s mane and tipped her chin up. Their eyes met. Trixie gave her a devious, expecting smile.

“Well? What about my kiss?”

“Aww shucks, Trix...” Inkie scratched at the dirt. “Pretty mare like yourself... who could say no to that? Just uhh... don’t tell anypony...”

Trixie leaned in and Inkie followed suit. She was almost surprised by how willing Inkie was. She was completely into it, her lips puckered, moving forward slightly, craving that kiss. it was priceless and she couldn’t contain her laughter. As soon as she laughed, Inkie’s eye peeked open. Once she knew what happened, she flushed bright red.

Trixie wiped a tear from her eye. “You are too easy, Inkie! The same trick twice?”

Inkie blinked. In the face of this embarrassment, the option of impaling her temples on the pickaxe suddenly held great appeal.

“I hate ya so much, Trix...” she said in her already soft voice.

“Actually, you don’t. You wish to kiss Trixie and she finds it wonderfully adorable and most flattering. Ahhh! Payback is so refreshing. That is what you get for making Trixie cry.”

Finally Clyde’s seismic bell resonated through the cave. Inkie and Trixie threw their pickaxes in the cart, not working a second past four. They both slumped down to their rumps, panting and groaning. Inkie sat down and massaged her aching legs. Despite being used to doing hard labour all day, mining was something else entirely. Even Trixie was worn out from practicing levitation for so long. At least the day went by quickly with somepony to semi-flirt and have casual conversation with.

“Ya think if Pa saw us kiss, he’d let us out of the trenches?” Inkie complained. “I mean, he sent us down here to be friends. Kissin’ is like bein’ friends.”

Trixie forced out a laugh. “Hahahaha! Yeah, no. Something tells Trixie that he wouldn’t be okay with that. Isn’t it against farm policy or something to fraternize with co-workers?”

“It’s family owned, so... uhh...” Inkie thought. “I have no idea.”

“It’s okay dear, Trixie knows you just want to kiss her. We’ve been over this.”

“Pfft, kiss you? I’d rather kiss a cow. Just...” She massaged her flank and thigh. “I’d do anything to not have to do this tomorrow.”

“Excuses. Excuses.”

Inkie smirked. “Oh yeah? I’ma roll a wheel at ya.”

“You wouldn’t dare... Trixie will turn the lights out. Good luck finding your way out.”

“Oh Trix, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Turning off all the lights...” Inkie tried a clumsy attempt at Trixie’s trained ‘fluttering eyelash’.

“Not as much as you would if Trixie was a cow.”

Both of them laughed and Inkie held her hooves up in surrender. “Ya got me, just don’t tell anypony how much I’m into cows.”

“Only if you become Trixie’s servant for approximately eternity. Hey, as much as Trixie adores sitting in a dusty cave, she elects that we vacate.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They collected the rest of their tools and dumped them in the cart. After leaving the trench, they both took a massive breath of fresh air. They shielded their adjusting eyes from the bright, afternoon sun. Trixie finally powered down her horn and rubbed it. No matter how much she massaged it, she was certain that she had worked a permanent knot into it from all her magic use.

“So, uh— what’re you doin’ after work?”

“Oh... Trixie was probably just going to catch up on some reading...” Trixie replied half-heartedly.

“Instead of that, wanna do something fun?”

“Like what?” Trixie perked up, a small smile cracking across her face.

“Maybe if it was earlier I could take ya to town, but I could show ya around the other farms,” Inkie suggested smoothly.

Trixie’s ears drooped down and she bit her lip. “Oh um, no thank you... The book I’ve been reading just got to a really good part and I sort want to know how it ends... I’ll see you later though.”

Trixie trotted off, leaving Inkie to put their tools away alone.

“Yeah, okay. See ya around.” Next Chapter: Chapter 3 Estimated time remaining: 27 Minutes