Goodbye Forever: Second Chance

Autumn awoke to the sounds of young colts and fillies cheering with merriment.  Usually, this would have been a more than pleasant way to start the holiday considering the events that took place several hours ago.  Images of Trixie collapsed in the alley, her life mere minutes away from being extinguished rushed through her mind.  Pushing the thoughts from her head, Autumn focused on the sounds of the happy children outside.  She always felt a sense of inner joy whenever she witnessed a group of children who were laughing and having fun, even if they had interrupted her slumber; the happiness was always welcome.  She groggily turned towards the clock on the other side of the bed. “… 9:23 AM.  I was asleep for less than three hours ...”  Autumn yawned as she stumbled into the bathroom and used her magic to shut the door behind her.

She stared at herself in the mirror and gave a light-hearted chuckle.  Her eyes were bloodshot, her light green mane was in desperate need of a good brushing, and dark bags hung from her eyes.  It was amazing how drained she felt.  Sure, after getting less than three hours of sleep, she didn’t expect her body to have much energy, but this was insane.  All she wanted was to go back to bed, but knew this wouldn’t be possible; the sounds of the children playing in the snow would only stir her back from dream land.  “Is this how Summer feels whenever she has to get up early because of an emergency message from the Manehattan Medical Center?”  Autumn slowly climbed inside the shower.  “No wonder she’s always so angry.”

After finishing up in the bathroom, Autumn decided to go downstairs and get breakfast started.  The unicorn couldn’t think of a better way to start the day than to prepare breakfast for the two other mares who were staying in the apartment.  As she descended into the lower level of her home and made her way towards the kitchen, she shot a quick glance towards Trixie.  She was still on the couch, lying fast asleep.  Even from the stairway Autumn could tell that something wasn’t right.  Trixie was sweating profusely, her eyelids were trembling, and if she looked carefully, she could see tear marks on her face.  Autumn sighed as she came to the realization that Trixie must have been having a nightmare.  The only thing that Autumn could do was hope that Princess Luna would pay her a visit and help make her dreams more bearable.

“Well, this is bad …" Autumn found that she was running low on breakfast material.  Judging by what she had to work with, she could fix up to three bowls of oatmeal; prepare two omelets, and there was enough mix to whip up about six pancakes.  “Well, I’ll just have to make the most of a bad situation.”  She smiled as she washed her hooves and got to work with pouring the pancake mix into the skillet.  As the batter sizzled, a heavenly aroma slowly overtook the household. “Let’s see … there are two other ponies here besides me,”  Autumn thought as she cracked the eggs on the side of another skillet and stirred the yolk with a spatula.  “Summer is a bottomless pit and Trixie looks like she’ll drop dead at any moment if she doesn’t get something to eat.  I guess I’ll split the pancakes 50/50 between Trixie and Summer.  I’ll give both of the omelets to Summer.   As for the oatmeal, I’ll make one bowl for all three of us.”  After placing the second skillet, which contained the eggs, on one of the three remaining burners on the stove, she sped over to check on the pancakes.  The uncooked side of the pancake had bubbled all over the place.  “Alright, time to flip it over!”

“And why you’ve chosen to sell flowers for a living instead of opening a bakery, I’ll never know …”

“Wah!” screamed Autumn.  She was so busy cooking that she failed to notice her big sister walking into the kitchen.

“You didn’t hear me?  Whoops.”  Summer looked the same way Autumn had about an hour ago.  She must have just woken up.

“Nope, I guess not,” laughed Autumn.  “So, how’d you sleep last night?”

“Like a newborn foal … until those noisy little pukes came out to play.”  Summer cracked her neck by tilting it to the side.

“Well Summer, it is Hearth’s Warming after all.  The children just want to have fun.”

Summer pointed towards her face with her hoof.  “Do you see this face?  This is the face of somepony who doesn’t give a damn!  I outta go out there and give those chumps a piece of my mind!”  Autumn couldn’t help but laugh at how blunt her sister was being at voicing her thoughts, but she also began to worry about the safety of the children outside.  “You think this is funny?  I’m not messin’ around here!  I missed out on some precious sleep thanks to them!  And besides, when we were that young, we stayed inside and played with our Hearth’s Warming presents all day long!  So what are they doing out in the first place?!”

“Well first of all, everypony’s different.  Secondly, keep your voice down. Trixie’s still asleep!”

Summer turned towards the couch and saw that Trixie was indeed still asleep.  This was all her fault.  She just had to pass out in the alley across the street from Autumn’s window.  If she didn’t have to help her sister monitor that washed-up has been, she’d likely be in a much better mood.  “Lucky her.  Anyways, what’s for breakfast?”

“Oh, uh, pancakes, oatmeal, and some omelets.”  Summer took a look at all of the cooking supplies that her sister was going to use, eyed the pancake that was starting to overcook inside the skillet, and then frowned.  “What’s wrong, Summer?”

“You’ve barely got any mix left, you only have four eggs, which means that you can only make two omelets, and from what I can see from this box, you’re pretty much out of oatmeal.”

“Sorry, but I forgot to go out and buy more stuff,” Autumn scooped out the pancake and set it down on a plate.  “Plus, I didn’t know that I’d be having extra company.”

Summer rolled her eyes and brushed an orange hoof through her fiery mane.  “You know what?  Forget the food that you were gonna make for me.  I’m goin’ out for breakfast.”

“You do realize that today is a holiday and that everypony is closed, right?”

“There are some places that are always open, even on holidays.  You just have to know where to look.  This way, the two of you will have more to eat.  Take it easy on how much you give Trixie though.  Her body hasn’t had any real food for Celestia knows how long.  If she eats too much too soon, she’ll either puke it all back up, or she’ll die from malnutrition.”  And with that, Summer was out the door.

“Ok then … one pancake and an omelet for Trixie, two pancakes for me and a bowl of oatmeal …”

Strange … after all the noise that Summer made when she left, combined with the smells coming from the kitchen,  Trixie should have been up by now.  Autumn had already finished eating and yet the showmare still hadn’t moved an inch.  The pink unicorn decided to check on her for the second time that day.  To Autumn’s relief, and confusion, the azure-coated unicorn was wide awake, but she didn’t look too happy.  In fact, she looked almost as angry as Summer had been before leaving the apartment.

“Oh, good morning Trixie!  How long have you been up?”

Her only response was a death glare.

“Uh, did I say something wrong?”

Trixie pointed a hoof towards her mouth.

“Huh?  Oh!”  Autumn finally understood why she wasn’t talking.  Summer never reversed the “Weight Enchantment” or the “Muting” spells that she had used previously.  “Sorry Trixie, I completely forgot!”  Autumn fired a golden beam of magic at Trixie, successfully undoing Summer’s handiwork.

“Well it sure took you long enough.” Trixie spoke in monotone.  Her voice was devoid of any life whatsoever and Autumn found that concerning.  Trixie looked like a zombie rising from the grave as she slowly climbed off the couch.  Her movements were stiff, sluggish, and her coordination appeared to be slightly off.  Her physical appearance only proved to further support Autumn’s thoughts.  Trixie’s face, neck, and part of her torso were littered with cut marks, signifying that somepony had attacked her.  Aside from the scars, Autumn now had a clear view of the rest of the defeated unicorn’s body thanks to the morning light.  She didn’t notice it at first, but Trixie was dangerously underweight.  If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear that the frostbite on Trixie’s forelegs was starting to turn from a bright red to a distorted blue.

“Your name’s Autumn, right?”

Pulling her attention away from Trixie’s injuries, Autumn came back to reality.  “Yes, that’s right,” she replied with a polite bow.

“Where’s the bathroom?  I’ve been holding it for about an hour now.”

Autumn pointed upstairs, “Up there, and then walk all the way down the hall.  It’s through the final door.”

Trixie was halfway up the stairs when Autumn called out to her out again.  “Sorry again for not noticing that you were awake, and – since she’d never do it herself – I would like apologize for what my sister did to you this morning.  She went a little overboard in trying to make sure that you didn’t hurt yourself.”  She said nothing as she continued up the stairs.  “She’s not a bad pony … honest.”

Trixie sat down in front of the kitchen table.  Autumn used her magic to levitate a fork, a knife, and what was intended to be Trixie’s first meal of the day in front of the food-deprived mare.  The pancake and omelet both smelled appetizing.  Even after sitting out for a while, the food still felt warm to the touch.  A loud rumble came from Trixie’s stomach as she took in the wonderful smell of a homemade breakfast on a cold winter’s day.  “Well, eat up!”  Trixie had almost forgotten the presence of the pony that was gracious enough to prepare breakfast.

Autumn was just standing there, watching Trixie stare at the plate.  Trixie assumed that she was waiting for her to take her first bites of food before leaving.  “What an annoying mare.”  After taking a few bites, the ex-magician looked back up to see if she was still being watched.  To her great disappointment, Autumn was still there, watching her carefully like a bear would keep an eye on her cub.

“Is there … something wrong with the food?”

“No.  The food’s fine.  I’m just a little confused about why you’re watching me eat.”

“Oh, I guess it is a little hard to enjoy the food when somepony’s watching you.   Sorry Trixie.”  Autumn took a few steps back out of respect for Trixie’s personal space.  “Before Summer left this morning she warned me about how much to feed you.  The way you are now, too much food will either give you a sore stomach or kill you.  I’m watching you to make sure that nothing happens.”

“You’re watching me to make sure that I don’t accidentally kill myself …” Trixie closed her eyes and shook her head slowly.  “I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand you.”

“What do you mean, Trixie?”

“Why do you care so much about whether or not I’m comfortable here?  Why are you trying so hard to help me?  You’re acting like we’re friends or something; we don’t even know each other.”  Trixie wasn’t angry or annoyed; she was confused and rightfully so.  Up until that morning, she was sure that she was the most hated unicorn in all of Equestria, and yet here was Autumn treating her as if they’d know each other since childhood.  She couldn’t fathom anypony randomly showing her so much kindness.

For Autumn, it stung a little when Trixie said “You’re acting like we’re friends or something”, but she played it off with a smile.  “Trixie, you shouldn’t need a reason to help other ponies.  I’m helping you because I want to.  You were about to die. I wasn’t about to sit back and do nothing.  If I had, then that would have pretty much made me a murderer.”  Autumn’s expression turned serious.  “I won’t pretend like I haven’t seen what other ponies wrote about you in the paper and I won’t act as if I haven’t heard any of the jokes that ponies have been using with you as the punch-line, but Trixie, not everypony is as cruel as you might think.  You made a mistake, we all do, and I think it’s wrong for anypony to constantly bring up yours.  Sometimes the past should stay in the past.”  Autumn walked back into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water for Trixie.  “But don’t worry Trixie, we’ll have you back on your hooves in no time.”  She used her magic to levitate the glass in front of Trixie’s plate.  “Then, you can go back to entertaining other ponies with your magic!”

She was about to die?  Sure, she could still breathe and had a pulse thanks to Summer and Autumn, but was that truly enough to be considered “alive"?  No, it wasn’t.  Trixie died long before her close call in the alley.  Autumn saved her physically, but spiritually?  She was about a million miles past being too late.  The pony sitting in Autumn’s kitchen was nothing but an empty shell.

After finishing her food, Trixie returned to the couch and drifted off into a deep sleep.  She didn’t awaken until a knock was heard at the door about an hour and a half later.

“Guess whose back!”  Summer walked through the doorway while effortlessly carrying a large supply of heavy-duty plastic bags.  Happy to see that her big sister had made it back safe and sound, Autumn darted over to Summer’s side.

“Wow, looks like you did more than just go out for a bite to eat!” Autumn laughed while helping Summer carry a few bags in.

After walking indoors and setting her groceries down in the middle of the kitchen floor, she noticed a weary Trixie rubbing the final remnants of sleep from her eyes.  “Well well well, what an unexpected surprise!  Didn’t expect to see you up and moving so soon.  How was breakfast?”

Once again, the azure unicorn found herself bewildered.  Not too long ago, Summer was acting as if she wanted nothing to do with Trixie.  Now all of a sudden she was showing interest in if she enjoyed her breakfast?  What strange ponies Autumn and Summer were.  “It was wonderful, but it would have been nice if you had a better memory though ...”

“Oh?” Summer used her hoof to flip away the thin strands of her fiery mane that grew over her right-eye, “Did I forget to do something this morning?  I wonder what that could be.”

“You can’t be serious …”

Summer raised a hoof to her chin in deep thought.  “Let’s see … I washed up, came downstairs to see what Autumn was up to, went out to eat breakfast, made it over to the store before it closed for the day, and got some stuff from over at my house.  Nope, didn’t forget anything.”

Trixie’s mental state must have been even more damaged than she first thought.  If she were her normal self, she would have likely had her hooves wrapped around Summer’s neck in a death grip.  “The spells Summer … you forgot to undo the spells.  If it wasn’t for Autumn, I’d still be stuck.”

While still flashing a smug grin, Summer turned towards the groceries.  “Actually, that’s where you’re wrong.  I kept those spells going on purpose.”  Autumn’s mouth fell to the floor in shock.  Summer was speaking as if it was perfectly natural to neglect a sickly pony in desperate need of a helping hoof.  Meanwhile, Trixie maintained her blank expression.  If Summer was getting on her nerves she sure wasn’t showing any signs of irritation.  “I mean really, should I even have to?  It’s not like I put that much power into -”

“So, Summer!”  Autumn projected her voice nice and loud in an attempt to change the subject of the conversation.  “What’s in the bags?”

“Oh these?”  Summer gave one of the bags a gentle kick, causing something inside to fall over.  “Well, today is Hearths Warming.  This is the one and only time of the year where I willingly spend money towards other ponies instead of doing everything in my power to drain as much of the stuff as I can from them.  I had to do some last minute shopping thanks to a certain somepony over there.”

“You … you ran out just to get Trixie a Hearths Warming gift?”  Autumn’s eyes widened with wonder.  Even Trixie found herself growing a little curious.

“Of course not.”  Autumn slumped down in disappointment.  “I did more than just run off to get Trixie something.  I ate some breakfast AND THEN I raced over to my house to get your gift and pick up a few Hearths Warming decorations.”

A smile returned to Autumn’s face.  “Wow, I’m impressed!  I didn’t think you’d go the extra mile for Trixie!”

“No need to thank me.”  She leaned into Autumn’s ear and whispered, “And just between you and me, this is more of an experiment than anything else.”

Autumn whispered back, “Summer, this is serious!  She doesn’t need to get any more upset than she already is!  What did you get her?!”

Summer laughed as she walked away, leaving Autumn’s question hanging.  “So tell me Trixie, besides the obvious, anything out of the ordinary goin’ on with you?  Any soreness in your legs?  Any problems keeping your food down?  Do you feel any dizziness or anything?”

“Why do you care?”

“Well isn’t it obvious?”  Summer pointed a hoof towards Autumn.  “She’s gonna pay me for having to foal-sit you.  The longer I spend helping you get all patched up, the more bits she’ll owe me.  If you die, then my pay gets cut short.  So I’m gonna do whatever it takes to keep you alive.”

“How selfless of you,” said Trixie with heavy sarcasm.  “My body feels weak, I’m always tired, and my eyesight is a little off.”

“Well, it sounds to me like those are symptoms connected to your weight problem.  All we have to do is make sure that you get enough to eat without over indulging.  That should all clear up as you gain your weight back.  So, that should mean that I’ll be stuck here for at least another few months before you’re back to your normal size.  Now what about the frostbite on your forelegs?  How’s that feeling?”

“It hurts a little when I put pressure on my legs and the swelling is starting to change colo-.”

“Good.” Said Summer, interrupting Trixie midsentence.

Trixie officially called minotaur shit on everything that Autumn said to her about Summer.  “I’m in pain and my legs are changing colors.  How is any of that good?”

As if reading her mind, Summer proceeded to answer Trixie’s inner thought.  “If it hurts, then that means that your legs can still feel.  If they can feel, then that means that the frostbite isn’t so serious that I’d have to amputate your legs.  Unfortunately, for you though, you’re gonna be in for some more pain once some of the skin on your front legs starts to die off.  Thankfully though, Manehattan Medical will be open again tomorrow, so I’ll be able to get you some painkillers, and of course, since you don’t have any money, I’ll just add it to Autumn’s bill.  Any other problems I should know about?”

“… No.”

“Uh, Summer?  I think we need to have a little talk about this ‘charge me for taking care of Trixie’ business.  I barely have any mon-”

“Glad to hear that everything’s alright!” Summer nearly shouted over Autumn, purposely drowning out her voice.  “Now let’s get started with putting up these Hearths Warming decorations!”