Rain
*****
“That… stupid unicorn…”
Trixie stomped her hooves hard against the puddles below her, a grunt escaping from her mouth. The only things she could hear were the drone of falling raindrops and the crunching of twigs and leaves underhoof.
“She dared… defy the Great and… Powerful… Trixie…”
Trixie wheezed, making her way through the muddy pathway of the forest. She had stopped caring about her dirty hooves long ago. Her pale, blue tail was now a wet mess covered in a thin layer of mud. Her mane was no better; it was as wet as her tail, and had a few branches and leaves stuck on it. Her hooves squirmed as she trotted, making her movements trippy and clumsy. She could barely see anything in front of her.
“If Trixie ever sees her again… she will… she will…”
The thick, cold raindrops splashed against Trixie face nonstop. She squinted her eyes and shook her head, but in a matter of seconds, the rain had drenched her face again. Her face was already numb, so she didn’t care about feeling anything. Her mind was focused on something else.
“She will… she will…”
Trixie coughed. Ever since it started to rain, she had been sneezing and coughing. Her body felt weak and numb, and she would constantly sniffle, however, that was the least of her concerns. Believing it would lead the way back to Ponyville, she had entered the forest earlier that day, without the single thought that she would get lost and trot around in circles. At first, she didn’t notice, but once she saw the same dead bush three times, she knew something had gone wrong. She had tried to go back, tracking her hoofprints, but the rain had vanished them all.
“She will show her… who the best unicorn… in all of Equestria is!”
With each hoofstep Trixie took, her hooves gained extra weight. It was a shame that she had left her cape and hat behind when she fled from Ponyville; they could have kept her a bit warmer, at least. Unwilling to give up, she dragged her body, even though it hurt.
“Trixie has been wandering through this cursed forest… for hours… Where is the exit?”
She didn’t even know how long she had been lost. She only knew it had been daytime when she had first ventured into the forest, and that now it was late at night. Even though nopony was around, her pride didn’t allow her to display any sort of weakness, even if it was about her well-being If anything, the only thing somepony was going to receive from her would be praise and admiration.
“My hooves hurt… I’m hungry… I’m cold…”
Trixie wished that she had her wagon. It had not only been the stage where she performed her tricks, but her home. Ever since she had begun traveling across Equestria, her wagon had been her only shelter. Now that it was gone, she had to find other places to protect herself. She had nothing to her name.
“Trixie has lost everything… everything… And it’s all Twilight Sparkle’s fault!”
As the empty words whispered out of her mouth, Trixie stopped for a second. She tilted her head and looked down at the muddy path. For a few seconds, she wondered if what she had said was true. Was it Twilight Sparkle’s fault? The rain seemed to stop while she thought about it, but it was still pouring hard against her coat.
“It was Twilight’s fault… or… was it?”
Trixie kept dragging her hooves, even when they were begging for her to stop. Tilting her head down, she coughed once again, her body shivering as she advanced forwards.
“What has… Trixie… done with her life?”
Those words lingered in her mind. What had she done? Did her life really consist of going from town to town, entertaining ponies with magic tricks and illusions? Trixie had thought that the answer was yes, of course. After all, that’s what her life was all about. She was happy, so why did she felt like she was missing something? What happened during that trip to Ponyville that had changed her way of seeing things? Even she didn’t know.
“T-Trixie had everything... She had fans, admiration, fame… and a reputation! What didn’t she have?”
Love.
Trixie stood motionless and felt a chill running down her spine. Love? Why would she think about something as trivial as love? Never during her previous journeys had she felt any need for it, so why now, in the middle of this cold, rainy, muddy forest? She coughed once again, quite loudly this time.
“No… Trixie does not need love… Not now… not ever…”
Trixie shook her head and extended a hoof to advance, however, a dull and persistent pain began growing in her legs. Shivering, she groaned and tripped, collapsing on the ground, her face splashing with the mud below. She squealed and wiped away the mud with a hoof, clenching her teeth. The throbbing pain in her hind legs became stronger.
“N-no! T-Trixie does not… does not…”
As she wasted her breath, spitting words that nopony would hear, her eyes met with a familiar, tingling sensation. The rain easily hid the fact that tears leaked from Trixie as her gaze fixed at the road in front of her. Faint sobs replaced her weak words.
“Wh-why is Trixie crying? She is not sad… She is fine…”
If only that could be true.
“What… what has Trixie done with her life? She... she always threw the blame on others... She never took responsibility for her acts... She never cared to make friends... Trixie has always been… alone… It’s all Trixie’s fault…”
The unicorn whimpered, drowning in her own sorrow. This was supposed to be the time when somepony would show up and tell her ‘It’s not your fault’, but it wasn’t going to happen. She knew that kind of stuff only happened in books and tales. She was alone, stranded the middle of nowhere, and nopony was going to come and comfort her. Her sole companion that night was the rain.
“No friends… nopony to care for… Trixie has forgotten the meaning of the word ‘love’… and now, she’s alone…”
Her vision began to blur. The cramps no longer bothered her; she couldn’t feel her hind legs anymore. She couldn’t stand up. She was going to lay there on the mud where she belonged. Her whimpers turned into heavy panting.
“T-Twilight Sparkle… forgive Trixie for her actions… please.”
Trixie lay there, motionless; her body ceased responding. She couldn’t even tilt her head up, and her eyes felt heavy. She only thought about finding her way out of the forest, which didn’t seem to be an easy task. Trixie’s throat hurt every time that she coughed, but compared to the rest of her body it wasn’t that bad.
“Nopony loves Trixie… and she deserves it… Trixie is sorry… sorry… Trixie will be… a good filly from now on… she promises…”
Looking at the cold, harsh, yet beautiful rain splashing against her face one last time, Trixie slowly closed her eyes. She had never stopped to realize how beautiful the rain was. The shiny raindrops, sprinkling everywhere, nurturing the plants and giving life wherever they dropped, they were gorgeous. Trixie chuckled, a faint smile forming on her face. She took a soft breath and her vision faded. The world slipped away as she shut her eyes and she fell into a deep, restful slumber. It was the first time in a long time that Trixie felt this good about herself. She was calm and relaxed. She had been at peace.
Maybe… maybe Trixie will find the exit… tomorrow…
That is, of course... if tomorrow will ever come for Trixie.
