A Little Lost Magic

“This is the guest bedroom, Miss Unicorn. You have all the necessary commodities, as well as-” Cherry Jubilee was cut off by a faint voice.
“We’ll be… sharing a room?” a trembling Trixie just managed to say. She had pulled back a bit and was only peeking into the room from around the door jam. Cherry Jubilee looked down at Trixie, a bit shocked to hear the unicorn speak. She fumbled with her words trying to form a response. “Er, well, no, sweetheart. I have my own bedro-”
“I don’t mind… but… don’t you and your friends hate me?” Trixie said in the same muffled tone, her head lowered as she took a step into the bedroom, but her eyes were still looking in the direction of the foot of the bed. Cherry Jubilee was cut off again from the combination of Trixie speaking and her own disbelief. “Well, no Miss Unicorn… I…”
Cherry Jubilee cut herself off as she watched Trixie walk up to the doll she had just purchased for her new guest an hour ago. She finally realized it. The lost unicorn was talking to the doll just as she spoke to the doll in the window back in town. Cherry Jubilee was at a loss. She could only watch the little blue unicorn as she sat down on the floor in front of the doll. Cherry gave a deep sigh of frustration and pity and backed out of the room, closing the door. She stood in the hallway outside of Trixie’s room just listening with an ear to the door:

“I’m… really sorry Twilight. About Ponyville; and I don’t expect you or your friends to forgive me or anything…”
“…”
“No… it won’t. I… I gave up magic. I can’t do it, anyway. You are the ‘most magical unicorn in all of Equestria’, not me. Even your cutie mark is all about magic.”
“…”
“No, it’s just a wand… I can do pathetic parlor tricks; no real serious magic, like you. All the years I spent studying alone without a single friend, and I got nothing.”
“…”
“I was… locked away. I failed Magic Kindergarten I was so bad. Dad was a deadbeat earth pony. Mom was a famous unicorn magician years back in Canterlot. She wouldn’t have her child be the laughing stock of the city. She wouldn’t let anyone know I was only half unicorn. ‘Impure’. She locked me away most of my foalhood to study magic alone. If she saw me like this…”
“…”
“No… I… I don’t want to talk about it, anymore. I’m sorry Twilight.”
“…”
“I know…”
At this point, Cherry Jubilee was slumped on the floor, her ear still against the door. She could only assume that the long pauses between the few words Trixie was saying were the doll ‘talking’ back to her. As the conversation continued, it was apparent that Trixie was crying as she spoke.
“I know! I was wrong. I was stupid. I don’t know how to deal with other ponies… please… I’m sorry…”
“…”
“I ended up here… I… I just want to start over. Please, Twilight, I beg you, I’ll do anything… just don’t tell Miss Cherry about my past… I want to erase it…”
“…”
“I… I know it will... *sniff* I know…”
“……”

Trixie was audibly crying now, but the sound of the bed rustling could be heard. Cherry Jubilee stood up, briefly pondering the thought of going into the bedroom to comfort the little blue unicorn, but stopped herself. “What happened in Ponyville? Who is this unicorn? I really wish I could understand what was going on…” Cherry thought to herself. She spent a few moments trying to puzzle this whole situation together in her head. She paused again, putting her head back against the door to listen. There was no sound. She slowly opened the door and peeked inside. To her surprise, the doll was neatly tucked into the bed, but, the little blue unicorn was nowhere to be found. Taking a few steps into the room, Cherry let out a sigh of relief, seeing Trixie lying on the floor, curled up in a ball, asleep. Cherry’s faced curled from worry to motherly concern seeing the pitiful pony balled up on the floor. She leaned her head down and pulled the blanket off the bed and covered Trixie in it, then tip-hoofed out of the room, looking back one last time at the sleeping unicorn. She smiled and gave a whisper:
“Whatever may have happened in your past, know that you have a family here now, and into the future, little unicorn…”

Trixie’s eyes slowly opened as the rooster somewhere outside crowed. The morning sun was coming in through the window illuminating the room. Trixie yawned and looked around from her position on the floor, but stopped as her eyes met the blanketless bed. She looked down, noticing she was wrapped up in it. She looked up at the bed once again; ‘Twilight’ was lying on her side facing Trixie with the same stitched grin.
“Did you… give me your blanket? Th-thank you, Twilight…” Trixie said as she turned her head down as she could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “I… I really thought you hated me… but… Thank you.” Trixie looked back up at the doll.
“…”
“Oh, sure… I think I could do that. I’ll be back shortly.” Trixie stood up and stretched, her legs were sore from sleeping on the wooden floor. She made her way to the bedroom door and looked at the doorknob. She brought her hooves up and fumbled a bit trying to open it, but managed. She left it open just a crack so she wouldn’t have to do that again when she came back. Trixie looked down the hallway, but didn’t see anypony. She made her way down the stairs and to the kitchen and peeked inside. Plume was standing by a stove, working on what smelled like breakfast. Plume turned her head and saw Trixie out of the corner of her eye.

“Good morning, Miss Unicorn. I do hope you slept well.” Plume said in a quiet voice, almost as if she didn’t want to scare the skittish unicorn away. “Breakfast will be ready shortly. Is there anything I could get you in the meantime?”
“Tea, please.” Trixie said, nearly inaudible, not even looking at the housekeeper. Plume had to catch her bearings hearing that little voice for the first time. She smiled as bright as the sun as she made a cup of tea for the little blue unicorn, hoping that the house guest was actually getting out of the miserable funk she was in yesterday. After pouring the hot cup of tea for Trixie, Plume set the cup on the kitchen table in front of Trixie, then turned back to the stove.
Trixie looked at the cup with a stern, yet puzzled look on her face. She had never really lifted a hot cup of tea, or anything for that matter, with her teeth or hooves before. Earth Ponies and Pegasi may be used to it having done it all their lived, but she had never had to thanks to the simplest of levitation spells. She leaned her head out and turned it sideways, biting the handle on the tea cup and lifting it up off the table. Plume, in the meantime, had begun to watch Trixie out of the corner of her eye, trying to figure out why she was using her mouth. Trixie took a step back from the table and turned to exit the kitchen, but her head wasn’t tilted enough and some of the hot tea spilled out onto her foreleg. She flinched as the hot tea burned her, pulling her leg back and losing her balance and falling onto her side. The teacup dropped from her mouth and shattered on the kitchen floor.

Trixie looked at the mix of spilled tea and shattered porcelain on the floor and could already feel her eyes welling up with tears from yet another failure. Plume dropped her utensil on the stove and rushed over, tossing a towel onto the spill in the process. She quickly leaned down and comforted Trixie. “Oh dear! It’s ok Miss Unicorn! It’s ok! We have plenty more cups where that came from!” Trixie stood back up and tried to help Plume clean up the mess, but only felt like she was getting in the way. After it was cleaned up, Plume brewed up another cup of tea for Trixie without even asking if she’d care for another. She placed it back on the table for her, but instead of going back to the stove, she turned to Trixie with a question.

“Why not just use magic?”

Trixie’s face was nothing but shock at the question. Plume’s face nearly matched in reaction. She thought it was just a simple innocent question, but she apparently hit a nerve. Trixie was once again staring at the floor, looking as if she was going to cry once again. “Oh, Miss Unicorn, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything. Here. Try this.” Plume said, pulling out a saucer and putting the teacup on it. She lifted the saucer with her teeth and moved it from the table to the countertop, almost in demonstration. “That should make it much easier for you to lift. Be careful!” she said with a smile. The faintest of smiles came across Trixie’s mouth as she nodded and lifted the saucer up with her teeth. It was much easier to lift this way as Trixie made her way very carefully up the stairs and towards the guestroom.

Cherry Jubilee opened her bedroom door to start the day, giving a stretch. But her usual smile quickly revered as she saw Trixie walking down the hall with a cup of tea. She trailed Trixie down to the guest room and watched her make her way inside. Cherry moved up to the doorway and peeked inside the crack of the unclosed door. Trixie had placed the teacup down on the small table in the room and had turned towards the bed.
“I got your tea, Twilight, just like you asked. Sorry it took so long…”
“…”
“It’s sasafrass. At least that’s what the jar said. And you’re welcome.”
Suddenly the doll sat upright on the bed, then made its way over to the table and sat down in the chair. Cherry noticed a glow coming from the doll at the same time, matching that of the glow on Trixie’s horn. Cherry took a deep breath, preparing herself to go into the room in the hopes she wouldn’t cause… something…
“She levitated the doll, but not the teacup? Oh Celestia… please help me… I hope I know what I’m doing…”
And with that she pushed the door open