Another town, another show. That’s all it was to Trixie lately, just… going through the motions. For whatever reason, she found no joy in her usual routines. Perhaps it was the bitter winter cold biting into her fur, making her shows joyless in their execution. Perhaps it was because she’d done everything over and over, adding nothing new to the formula. Making it stale, if you will.
Whatever the reason, it showed in Trixie’s performances. Even now, as she did the old rabbit from a hat trick, her tone was not it’s usual boastful and excited one. The tone she always used to egg the audience on, keep them wanting for more.
“And now, the Great and Powerful Trixie shall pull a rabbit, from my hat,” she said dully. If you could, you might be able to compare her tone to her being Discorded, lacking emotion in any form. Pinkie Pie’s Discorded form might have been the most accurate of comparisons. “Trust me folks, not as easy as it looks.”
Trixie reached down into her star-spangled wizard’s hat, and with a sigh, pulled out a rabbit from within it. “See, it can be done, with the right amount of effort,” Trixie said, sounding rather bored. And her tone carried over to the audience, them looking not particularly enthusiastic by her trick.
“Come on Trix, you know you can do better than this! You know you can put a little more… pizzazz into your shows!” the mare chastised herself. “So, question is, why aren’t you doing it?”
Trixie’s horn glowed in its usual light magenta color, as she pulled up a box with three cabinets onto the makeshift stage. The stage, it had been designed specifically to be set up or torn down at a moment’s notice. Each cabinet was decked out in her cutie mark of a light blue wand against a sparkling crescent moon.
Sparkling, that word or phrase stuck out in Trixie’s mind. She didn’t quite know why at the time, but it did bring her the slightest bit of joy.
“And now, the Great and Powerful Trixie shall request a volunteer from the audience!” Trixie shouted, some of her old spirit, her old fire, returning to her. “Come now, Trixie’s Puzzle Box isn’t that scary!”
Nervously, one pony -Earth blue and with a lightning yellow mane, somewhat thin- shakily walked up on stage and Trixie, with a glow of her horn, threw open the cabinet doors all at once. The pony walked inside, and soon found himself in darkness as the doors shut behind him.
“And now, when he comes out, he shall not be the same!” Trixie proclaimed and began fiddling with the box. The goal was for the audience to see the pony’s body parts in the wrong order, through a form of illusion magic. But in reality, the pony was actually completely fine. At least, that’s how things were supposed to go. Key phrase here, supposed to go.
Sadly, when Trixie reopened her ‘Magic Puzzle Box’, the illusion magic had not taken affect and Trixie was greeted with a sea of laughter. In her unenthusiastic state, Trixie had forgotten to cast the spell.
“You… You may go,” Trixie whispered and gestured for the pony to leave her box. Her voice was beginning to crack and quiver, as she became close to tears. Laughter, she always hated that whenever it was directed at her. Hated it ever since she, in complete disgrace, was chased out of Ponyville by an angry populace who now knew her to be a complete fraud with some of her boastings. “J-Just… Just go…”
It wasn’t even a few minutes later that Trixie called it quits, and began packing up her show and got ready to leave. Bah, who needed this town and their ungrateful populace anyways?
Snow fell down gently on Trixie’s form, as she pulled her caravan up a frosty path. Biting wings cut into her fur like a knife, and she shivered from the cold and pulled her cloak closer to her.
On rare occasions, the clouds parted to reveal a moonlit sky, the stars glittering and sparkling.
Sparkle, that’s what had done it. That’s what allowed Trixie to regain some of herself in that one brief moment on stage. That name. Trixie laughed joylessly, glad the owner of that name wasn’t here to see here in that town today.
She’d have probably laughed at her, mocking her just like the rest. Heroes of Equestria they may have both been in their own rights, for various reasons, but that didn’t mean they were infallible.
The road went on for miles, as hours passed for what seemed like what must have seemed like an eternity.
At some point during her journey, the wind picked up and Trixie had to physically fight against the weather. By now, the snow had changed into that of a freezing, bitter rain. Pulling her caravan up a huge hill, a heavy load in tow, Trixie fought back tears.
The Great and Powerful Trixie never cried, no sir!
It wasn’t long before Trixie finally gave up, and for a brief moment, just sobbed and gave into her misery, letting it flow out of her like a deluge. Her cape’s wet fabric clung to her shivering form, her only form of protection against the bitter, slashing, form of weather.
Tugging her soaked jewel clasp, she pulled her cape closer to her form and continued on. She knew where she had to go, -and whom she had to go to for a cure for her ails- but the problem was making it through this storm and getting there. Getting to her.
Thunder exploded in her eardrums, and lightning lit up the sky in a show of color against the otherwise grey cloud cover that seemed to go on forever.
Trixie wheezed, before letting out a cough. Trixie actually laughed at that.
“Of course, pneumonia! Of course, I’m getting sick with pneumonia!” She shouted to nobody in particular. “As if my day couldn’t get any worse!”
Just the last nail in the coffin to end her trip, she supposed. One final kick to the side by the gods, in an endless sea of misery she’d been going through as of late. The fact was, everything was all so perfectly, terribly miserable, she just had to laugh once more.
It didn’t help, but at least she could boast that she got the last laugh over the day’s events. After all, not like anything could get any more horrid, right?
And then she saw it as she slowly trudged over the crest of the hill. A castle seemingly made of pure crystal, glittering and glintering in the night. The six-pointed star atop it shown like a beacon of hope, not just over the small town it towered over, but to Trixie as well.
Home, that’s what it was to Trixie. Relief, and a warm fireplace to curl up by after such a long journey. A warm bed, to snuggle up under the covers with her loved one.
With renewed strength and will, Trixie with one great pull, carried her cart all the way down the hill and into town. Lights were strung up around poles, and in spite of the cold, a festive cheer filled the air.
If the rain bothered the ponies in the street, they didn't show it in the slightest. And then Trixie realized exactly why. She no longer felt it biting away at her already soaked to the bone fur.
Clouds were beginning to clear, and the moon began to shine down. In windows were trees, decorated in tinsel and lights. On doors hung green wreaths with crimson red bows.
Trixie began to feel that festive cheer in her spirit as well, and felt like joining in on the door to door carolers. But as she cast her gaze forwards, she saw her. A lavender alicorn, with a dark purple mane with magenta streaks. A relieved smile rested upon her face.
“Just one hoof in front of the other, Trixie,” the showmare told herself. “One step at a time, you can make it. Not much longer…”
Trixie let out another wheezing cough, and she found her cart being unhitched, and her being brought into a warm, comforting hug. All of this was done by the same purple shade of magic. A head nuzzled Trixie’s own as she found herself walked inside by a mare she thought about practically every night.
“Come on Trixie,” Sparkle said softly, in a loving tone. “Let’s get you inside, out of this cold hmm?”
“Trixie… Trixie would like that…” Trixie trailed off. She was far too tired to argue otherwise. “I missed you, Trixie wants you to know that right?”
“Believe me,” Sparkle said in return. “The feeling was only far too mutual for my liking.”
Trixie laughed in an uproarious fashion. “So you do admit you can't go a day without moi!”
Sparkle could only sigh as she led Trixie inside the warmth and comfort of her grand castle. Almost immediately, Trixie heard the distinct crackling of a fireplace. It was a splendid change from the freezing, bone-chilling cold of the outside world.
Paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and a tall tree rested in one corner of the room. Silver and gold baubles hung from it, and strings of white lights had been strung around it. Presents in many colored wrapping paper lay at the base. Two plush comfy armchairs rested nearby, perfect to take in the warmth of the fire or curl up in with a good book.
“Oh, Trixie…” Sparkle, no… Twilight -Trixie mentally corrected herself-sighed to herself, shaking her head sadly. “Why’d you have to do stubborn? You walked all this way, from Celestia knows where through that weather, just to see me. You could have sent a letter, and I could have easily have teleported to wherever you were in an instance!”
Trixie, as she was given a cup of hot cocoa and a snug blanket was wrapped around her looked at Twilight.
“Wouldn't have been the same Sparkle, just walking up to your doorstep and seeing your smile… Well, it was all worth it, in the end, Trixie supposes…” she trailed off. “Besides, you said it yourself, I'm a stubborn one.”
“Yeah, guess I did,” Twilight chuckled sadly. “But still, all the same…”
“Yeah, yeah… I know,” Trixie replied with another cough. “Trixie’s learned her lesson, so she doesn't want to be lectured okay?”
“You're a real idiot sometimes, you know that right?” Twilight admonished before kissing her on the cheek. “But you're my idiot.”
“So corny,” Trixie replied, quite unimpressed. “Your romantic lines still need a lot of work. And Trixie means a lot.”
“So does your grammar.” Twilight replied before she snuggled up to Trixie, nuzzling her head into her chest fur and pulling her in close with a wing. Trixie smiled and just rested her head atop Twilight’s.
“You’re going to get sick too, you know that right?” Trixie asked. “Looks like you’re the idiot for once, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Just shut up Trixie,” Twilight murmured and snuggled in closer, letting Trixie feel her warmth as she wrapped the blanket around the cornflower blue unicorn.
“Trixie’s shutting up now…” the showmare squeaked out, as her face flushed red. But not from the cold this time. The red flush only increased as Twilight licked the side of her face. She squirmed a bit in her chair, but Trixie didn’t resist all that much. Celestia knew this was an improvement from the freezing rain and wind from earlier in the day.
As Trixie looked towards the pile of gifts laid under the tree, each addressed to one of Twilight’s friends, or Starlight, or Spike and some even addressed to her, Trixie made up her mind. She didn’t need any of that, not really. In her mind, the greatest gift Hearth’s Warming Eve could give her… Well, it was right here by her side. Her marefriend, Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Author's Note
Okay, a bit sappy, a bit cheesy... But hey, it's Christmas time, so I'm allowed that... right?
Comments and critique welcomed!
