Ponyville. Over a year since Trixie remembered setting hoof in the small earth pony town. It was a year since she was chased out and had to live off the streets since. But who was to blame but herself.
She tried blaming others. Snips and Snails, the elements of harmony, the gods, and Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle more than the others. She blamed them for her having to spend all of her time in the freezing cold, trying to survive. But shew grew tired of that, of blaming them. All blame now rested her and her alone.
She grew to apreciate the few things she took for granted only a year before. Food, water, shelter, and forgivness. The latter is what helped drive her in the snowy winter night she found herself in. And a little extra.
Trixie could feel her blood freezing in the cold, her body trembling violently as she searched for her destination ahead. Her breath shook and herbeye sight blurred. It was almost a miracle that the mare was even alive and breathing. She should have been dead, and she knew this.
She broke out of her thought as she walked headlong into the side of a building. She looked up to find herself staring at a large oak tree, windows cut into it in intervals. She smiled at the building for a second before stumblin around for the front door.
It took her six minutes to trump through the snow and reach the purple door that led inside. Her numb hooves stuck to the mat as she prepared to knock, trying to find the energy to lift her hooves.
She barely got her right forehoof off the ground when the rest collapsed from under her, smashing her head into the door with a solid THUD. Stars danced in her eyes as she hit the snow, her face starting to turn purple from the cold.
She barely heard the library door open and couldn't feel the tingle of magic around her body, she couldn't even see that she was being moved. She was gone in a sense. It was only as she was being laid down that she had finally blacked out.
For years, Trixie had lived in the cold. Waking up in her wagon freezing. Then for another year she lived in the open air. And, for the first time since who knows when, Trixie Lulamoon woke in the warmth of a proper bed in a heated building.
The azure unicorn sat there, letting the warmth of the heavy blankets and heat of the room warm her cold bones and soul. She could almost feel it melting inside her. The unicorn gaze a content sigh as she slowly opened her eyes.
She must have been brought in shortly after her collapse as she found herself in the living area of what she could tell was a library and the obvious home of Twilight Sparkle. It almost killed her, but she made it.
Said unicorn made her way into the living room, her ears instantly perking up as she saw Trixie. "Oh, you're awake." said Twilight with a smile. She walked around the bed to the fireplace that Trixie had now just noticed. She pulled a pot from over the fire and set it on the ground next to her.
"F-food." said Trixie quietly. She hated having to beg for food, she hated it before and she definitly hated it now. It wasn't because of pride, but it didn't feel right begging from the mare who saved her life.
Twilight nodded and hurried off. Trixie could faintly hear another voice arguing with Twilight before the sounds of something being prepared reached her ears. She could occasionally hear the male voice telling off Twilight for some obscure reason. It was amusing to the bed ridden mare.
After about half an hour, the male voice turned from scolding to praising. She could hear. Twilight squee happily, causing butterflies to form in her stomach. She watched as Trixie hopped into the room with a bowl sustained in her aura.
"Sorry it took so long, I, uh, am not much of a cook." She pulled a tray from the corner of the room and set it in front of Trixie, placing the soup it. Trixie smiled at the site as she struggled to lift herself in reach of it. She became weaker as the sudden heat began to relax her muscles after they had been in the cold so long. She barely got her hooves to the bowl when Twilight interrupted her.
"Why don't you use your magic?" Asked the lavender alicorn with the tilt of her head. Trixie tried to answer but her throat was still hoarse. She opted for just trying to use it, her magic barely filling an eighth of her horn before sparking out.
"Oh." Twilight's ears splayed out before perking up again. "Do you want me to feed you? I'm okay with doing that." Trixie's ears perked up. She didn't need to be asked twice as she nodded her head as fast as she could.
Twilight let out a giggle as she took the spoon in her magic grasp, leading it to Trixie's mouth. Trixie readily accepted it. Let out a content sigh as she swallowed. She winced as her stomach attempted to adjust to the sudden presence of food. Once she was ready, she opened her mouth for more.
For the next hour, Twilight fed Trixie the large soup spoonful by spoonful. Spike stood in the door way, eyeing them. He did not completely trust Trixie, but he still had to help her. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let somepony freeze to death because of something a long time ago.
The drake sighed as he sat on the floor. He watched as Twilight finished giving Trixie the soup. The mare quickly grabbed a towl and dipped it into the still warm water by the bed before draping it over her head. Twilight spoke quietly to Trixie before wishing her sweet dreams and walking back to Spike.
"Still don't trust her." said Spike once the door was closed. Twilight sighed and made her way up the stairs.
"You saw her, Spike. She couldn't even light her horn. She is no threat and you still believe she is up to something." She looked back at him with a stern look. "Holding grudges this long are dangerous, Spike. I advise you drop it before you do something you regret later in life."
Spike grumbled. "Still doesn't change what she did." muttered the drake. Twilight casted a glare before entering her room. Spike stuck his tongue out before following her. That evening no goodnight's were said as the two vented in their respective beds.
Trixie sat in her bed, staring up at the wooden ceiling of her new room, watching the red glow of the fire illuminate the grain in the wood. Her eyes traced the lines and twists and curves as she let her mind wnder.
The past few hours have been a dream to Trixie. She had a warm bed, a warm home of a sorts, a nice warm, proper meal, and a mare to serve it to her. A deep blush crossed her cheeks at the last part, but she smiled nonetheless.
Yes, it was perfect. It was bliss. But would it last? Trixie closed her eyes with a sigh. No, she couldn't think of that. She has had so few happy moments in her life to think about such dark thoughts right now. Right now, she had to rest. She had to dream of how this could get any better.
Author's Note
It lives! It really lives!
The sound of shouting jolted Trixie awake from her sleep. She looked around to find fresh pancakes sitting on her tray. Spike sat on the couch, rubbing his temples as he listened to the shouting outside. Trixie could make out Twilight, but there was another mare there she couldn't figure out.
"Wh-what's g-going on?" asked Trixie in a hoarse voice. Spike's head shot up, relaxing slightly as he saw Trixie.
"Rainbow Dash came in, saw you, and attempted to kick your flank while you were sleeping. They are now having a shouting match over you," said Spike in a bored, annoyed tone. The dragon stood and grabbed the plate of pancakes. He sliced off a piece and held it out to her. "Don't thank me. I am not happy about this."
Trixie gulped before opening her mouth, taking the bite. For the next half hour, Spike fed Trixie with an annoyed expression as the shouting match continued. It wasn't until Spike finished and set the plate to the side did the door kick open. A cyan Pegasus that was obviously Rainbow Dash by the colour of her mane stormed in, Twilight not far behind.
"I don't care if she is on her death bed, I will not let her stay here in Ponyville after what she did!" said Rainbow Dash as she stormed toward Trixie. The azure mare couldn't do anything more than shrink into her covers for protection against the pegasus.
Twilight stepped in front of her. "No, Rainbow! She is in my home and is in my custody. I don't care what you have against her, but you are not throwing her out! She is too weak as it is that she will probably die within minutes out there."
"And maybe she deserves it!" shouted Rainbow. Twilight froze. A pure blank expression across her face. Rainbow grew slightly concerned by this change and behavior. "Twi-"
SLAP!
Rainbow stood in complete shock as she grabbed her cheek. She turned to look at Twilight, finding the lavender unicorn staring at her behind eyes of pure rage.
"No pony, no matter what they have done, deserves to die like that. I will not have you saying things like that. Not in my library, not ANYWHERE!" shouted the unicorn, her mane billowing in an imaginary wind. Rainbow shrank away from her while the other two occupants of the room stood in shock.
"I-I'm just going to put this plate away," said Spike, slowly backing away to the door. Neither mare except Trixie seemed to hear him. The azure mare silently begged him not to leave her alone with the two others. The drake shrugged with a sheepish smile before closing the door behind him.
Trixie's glance darted between the two occupants in the room. One who looked like she could vaporize whoever looked at her wrong at the moment and the other who cowered in the corner, fearing what may happen to her.
"M-may somepony stir my fire?" Asked Trixie, hoping to break the tension. She sighed in relief as Twilight's mane went back to normal, the mare taking a deep breathe before trotting over to the fire with a light smile.
Rainbow blinked at the sudden change in mood. She turned to Trixie for an explanation, the azure mare shrugging back at her. "S-so Trixie....h-how have you been?" asked Rainbow, shifting in her spot a bit.
Trixie swallowed a bit to wet her throat for the task of speaking. "F-fine. The y-year could have b-been better, b-but oh well." Trixie shivered as a wave of cold air blew through the library, a sign of the front door opening.
"Twilight!" Three filly voices called out. Twilight and Rainbow visibly winced at the sound.
"Rainbow, can you keep an eye on Trixie while I go make sure they do not come back here? I don't want other ponies finding out about her until she is of good health." The lavender unicorn sighed as she made her way around Trixie's bed and towards the door.
The two mares sat there in relative silence, Rainbow shaking out a wing every now and then. "I am sorry about what I did the last few times I was here," said Trixie, staring at the pattern on her blanket. Purple stars of a certain unicorn's cutie mark adorned the square quilt work.
"Sure you are," mumbled Rainbow Dash.
"What? Crawling to the doorstep of my supposed 'worst enemy' while on my death bed is not enough of an apology?" asked Trixie before she started into a coughing fit, using the blankets to muffle the sound of her coughing.
"Well..." Rainbow looked away, her ears splaying back. "I guess it is." She let out a long sigh. "I...still do not trust you, though. Not after what you did. But, I guess I can be okay with you being here, for now."
Trixie sighed before giving her a small smile. "That is all I ask for. Though, I am hesitant on leaving once I am healed and back to my normal self in a week," said Trixie, looking off to the side.
"I don't see why you don't want to go back to whatever you do." Rainbow shrugged. "I mean, travelling all over Equestria must be awesome! I hardly ever leave Ponyville."
"Because Trixie is not wanted," said Trixie darkly. "I made one mistake, and that mistake caused me to get rejected." She growled. "It didn't help that before the mistake, I was called out and humiliated for a simple business trick that everyone knows! Build your fake character and not be afraid to hold it up high because it represents what you are for. Others took my character, my advertisment, too literal. A group of ponies at one of my shows started it." Rainbow's ears splayed back as she realized she was talking about her.
"The whole Ursa Major thing was just to attract ponies?" asked Rainbow.
"Yes. I would bring ponies, and then tell the tale of how 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' defeated an Ursa Major. Once it was all done, I would go back and see how many bits I made off from telling a story. I am not a magician, Rainbow Dash, I am a storyteller. I tell the stories of a fictional character based off what I would like to accomplish. You and your friends, however, refused to see this." Trixie sighed as she stared at ceiling. A small smirk appeared on her face. "Obviously, I'm so good at my craft, I made The Great and Powerful Trixie seem more real than she was."
"I...guess you're kinda cool," said Dash, scratching behind her head. Trixie laughed.
"Don't force yourself now." The azure pushed herself up so she was facing Rainbow. "All that was over a year ago. All my bitterness is not directed at any of you, but more to me for acting so stupid and thinking myself as Holier Than Thou. My fictional character got to my head and created this whole mess. Its my fault and my fault alone." Trixie sighed as she laid back down. “I’m going to go to bed, tell Twilight not to disturb me when you get the chance,” she said, closing her eyes.
Rainbow nodded as she stood. She made her way out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Once in the lobby, she looked to see Twilight rubbing her temples as the CMC zoomed around the room, checking out the shelves.
Walking up to her, Rainbow leaned into her ear. “Trixie wants to be alone for awhile to sleep.” Twilight’s ears perked as she turned to her.
“Sleeping, already?” She scratched her chin. “Well, our fight must have exhausted her or something. Well, I’ll just have Spike bring some water in and set it next to her bed for her.” Rainbow nodded as she turned to look at the fillies running around the room. "They're trying to find a book to help get a cutie mark. I decided to just tune them out," said Twilight with a sigh.
Rainbow laughed. "That's the best thing to do when it comes to those three." She sighed. "I'm going to head off to work. I'll let you tell the girls whenever you want," said Rainbow as she walked towards the door. Twilight smiled and waved goodbye. She let out a small chuckle as she turned to see what the girls were doing.
She froze as she watched Scootaloo balance herself on a large stack of books, swaying side to side as she attempted to keep upright. She let out a scream as the books fell out from under her, getting tossed all over the room as well as the shelf of books she was looking in.
"Better tell Spike he has to reorganize," said Twilight with a sigh.
