Twilight was making her normal evening rounds. A simple night to return home to Spike, Owlowicious, and Spike's phoenix. She never could get his name right. something involving a lot of hissing. But, as the bags she was carrying ripped, both spilling their contents, she sighed and enveloped the items, holding them above her instead. Though, something was missing. She could tell something was missing, but didn't know what. One of the items.
As it registered, the gem which she had picked up for spike rolled off. She quickly found it using magic, but found it in the bar not even five feet ahead.
"That's a really long distance."
Entering the bar, it was void. Nopony there except for her, the keeper, and another mare. There was silence except for a small sniffle, then it kicked in. Another lowly mare, probably drinking away sorrow. But not only that. She had a large bottle and the contents spilled out in front of her.
Turning in the mare's direction, Twilight saw the all too familiar purple, star decorated robes of Trixie. Her hat was on the counter. Both the robes and hat were dirty, very dirty. They hadn't been washed in a while. And above that, as Twilight got closer, she discovered Trixie hadn't had a bath in a while either.
"Hey! Miss, I told you you can't stay past closing time.", the keeper fussed.
Trixie didn't talk back or move, only sob into her front legs.
"Hey!! I'm talking to you! Why don't-"
"Butch.", Twilight stopped him.
The stallion, obviously addressed correctly turned to Twilight.
"Could you please just leave her alone? I'll see what I can do to get her out."
"Twilight. I've seen you here only twice and you know my name like a friend. I trust you. But...she needs more help than jsut getting out of this bar."
Trixie's stomach churned and she held her breath, covering her mouth with a hoof. She kept the vomit down and fell onto the counter, clearly over exhausted.
"No...No vomiting."
Twilight's ears folded back. She could see the suffering that the blue mare was going through from the start.
"Butch, can I get a bag?"
"Sure."
The stallion took a thick brown bag from in the counter shelf, opening it and setting it out for Twilight who stuffed it with her groceries.
"Thank you."
A thump sounded through the bar as Trixie passed out, falling off the high stool.
"I'll get her for you. How far is your house?"
"Not far. Just down the road. The library."
"I'll bring her there. And, true question, should we bring her...drugs?"
"No. I get what you're hinting at, but I can't do that. She needs serious help and that will make it worse."
The stallion nodded.
Waking up with the usual morning headache, Trixie didn't bother holding her head as it throbbed painfully. Removing the covers she stood on the bed, and walking forward, noticed that she was on a bed. Looking around her, she noticed the interior of the tree-library.
Twilight showed up from the stairs, holding a tray. Some correct medication and a small cup of water were to the side of a breakfast meal, a glass of orange juice in the corner of the tray.
"Twilight! You...You!!!", Trixie started.
"Hush. You're very sick and wasting your energy like that is very bad. Lay back down."
"No!!!"
"Lay down or I force you down, your choice."
Trixie did not entirely give in, mumbling as she slowly laid down.
"Now. Here is some medicine that will help with your headache and will help with everything else. The food is just food for you to eat."
"What time is it?"
"About three a.m. I stayed up all night making breakfast. It's a magic meal, gives whoever eats it proper nutrition from one single meal. All food groups. Took me a while to learn everything. About an hour to be exact."
"It's...been seven hours...it didn't work...", Trixie hung her head and tears began forming in her eyes. She sniffled a few times then wept silently.
Twilight sighed, "Here is your breakfast. You need to eat it now."
"I...*sniff*...I haven't eaten since a week ago. And even then, I was starving myself."
Twilight felt low. Taking in Trixie's features more clearly, she had taken a much thinner form. Her ribs and skeleton all showed. Her mane and tail were thin and lost their color to dark shades of gray.
Breaking off half of the bread loaf that was on the tray, Twilight levitated it over to Trixie.
"Then this is all you can currently eat. Tomorrow you will get three quarters, the day after, a full loaf. Then we'll start adding more and more."
"Why...Why are you helping me? I just...just want the suffering to ehehehend!", Trixie sobbed.
Setting the loaf on the table next to the bed, Twilight stopped before leaving, putting the orange juice next to it. Once she came downstairs, Spike looked up with sad eyes.
"She must really be in bad shape."
"Mental and physical."
Trotting into teh kitchen, Twilight got back to work.
"Spike, get to bed. I know you want to help, but this night, I get no sleep."
Spike huffed and then walked to his small bed. The soft pats of rain drops began to sound on the tree as it poured out raining outside. Trixie's sobs had silenced only a second before it started. Laying down, Spike could still barely sleep.
Waking up, Trixie could feel very unballanced, looking around at the room she thought she'd never be in, she began to rage, standing shakily she tore the bed covers, stomped the pillow, snapped the headboard, then turned to Twilight's bookshelf. Using a flare of magic, she made it burst to flames, only for it to be extinguished by Twilight as she entered.
"Calm down!"
"Why?! After you took everything from me, after you humiliated me, YOU RUINED MY LIFE!!!!", Trixie exploded.
Waiting patiently, Twilight only stared until the ligth blue mare broke into sobs again.
"I'm not the one that ruined your life. But I am responsible for what happened. If you wouldn't have started overly boasting, making yourself look so much more powerful, then you wouldn't be stuck like this now."
Approaching the mare, Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry for everything. Ok? Now, eat your breakfast, you need to get something in your stomach."
Nodding, Trixie sniffed one more time then looked at the bowl set before her. It was simple oatmeal, but she loved oatmeal, it was a third favorite. Picking up the bowl, she poured it's contents into her mouth, quickly eating it and finishing the entire bowl before laying ack down in the tattered remains of the bed.
"Do you feel better?"
Trixie nodded, but then shook her head as her stomach growled. She curled up, holding ehr stomach before throwing back up what she just ate. Fortunately, Twilight had a bucket ready and caught the mess before it spread over the covers.
"I'll see what I can do."
Trixie didn't hear, she was weak, she could barely move without shaking. She thought that it would be easier, but starving herself made it worse.
Walking into the kitchen, Twilight cleaned out teh bucket, then proceeded to mix mroe ingredients to make a meal that trixie could keep in her stomach. Thinking of the lightest bit of food, twilight baked a few biscuits, then tasted them herself. Rich, buttery, too much. Throwing that batch away, she made another, this time, no butter. They were dry, and tasteless, but no butter meant no grease, no oil. It would be light enough for the light blue mare to keep down.
Returning to the bedroom, Twilight opened the door as Trixie sat up. The mare was tired, exhausted. And seeing how she shook, made twilight feel horrible. She gave a biscuit to Trixie adn she took a small bite.
"Their tasteless, where is the butter?"
"Butter would make it too much. You need something light in your stomach."
Trixie nodded adn ate a biscuit, turning the rest down, adn laid back down.
Twilight smiled, then walked back donwstairs, puttign the biscuits on teh table and laying down on the big cushion in the middle of the room.
"Twilight?", spike asked as he woke up.
"Yes, Spike?"
"I thought you wouldn't get any sleep."
"About that, in about four hours, could you bring Trixie another biscuit? And make sure she doesn't try anything, ya know."
"Feed the pony, and keep her from suicidal actions, yes."
"Please don't give her any ideas."
Spike nodded.
