After almost a year in hiding, Trixie is found again... but something doesn't seem right...
The Great and Apologetic Trixie was presumed to have once again left Ponyville after her last appearance, but to everypony's surprise, she's found withering away in the poorer part of town with a severe case of Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome. Wracked with guilt for ruining her life, Twilight makes it her mission to bring Trixie back to her former glory. But when Trixie refuses to cooperate, she has no other choice but to seek the aide of a Cutie Mark specialist with questionable methods...
“Thank you so much for helping out, Rarity, and for lending me this lovely scarf...”
“Oh darling, you don’t have to thank me! And I've already told you that I’m giving you that shawl! It looks simply GORGEOUS on you. Besides, that shade of green really doesn't suit me.”
It was another uncomfortably chilly morning in Ponyville as the two young mares made their way around town, delivering various donated sweets and goods to the needier ponies. It had been Rarity’s idea, and she meant to make it a Ponyville tradition. Pinkie and Applejack worked together over at Sugarcube Corner to make all sorts of treats, while Rainbow Dash and Twilight were busy amusing the younger fillies and colts in town with their awesome stunts and incredible magic respectively.
As for Rarity, she had planned on spending that entire day making fashionably warm clothing to give away, but when she saw how nervous Fluttershy was about going alone to deliver out the goods, she figured it could wait a little. Once she knew what to expect, Rarity figured, the shy, yellow pegasus would be more confident on her own, and then she could get busy with her own work.
They chitchatted on, or at least Rarity did, as they went from house to house, using a list given to them by the Mayor to make sure nopony in need was accidentally skipped. Fluttershy tried her best not to drag the process on; already her generous friend had given away her hat and scarf and she was shivering violently despite her best attempts to maintain her usual demeanor. Worse yet, she refused to take a single thing Fluttershy offered, insisting that she may be a lady, but she could still take a little "brisk weather".
“Um, excuse me?” Rarity cut short her explanation of the different types of fabric she was using, glancing over with mild irritation at the pony interrupting her train of speech. “Oh, I’m sorry, Miss, but I was wondering if I could have an extra box of cookies?”
Rarity's expression softened. “Why of course dear! If you could just wait until we've delivered the rest; we don’t want anypony not getting any at all while others get seconds, do we?”
He coughed, flushing up a bit with embarrassment at the fashionista's playful teasing. “They’re not for me! My neighbor is a bit of a... she doesn't come out much, for anything. So her name isn't on the list...”
Rarity smiled. “Well we can’t have that! I will give her the box personally! Be a dear, and give me her address?”
Even after the rest of the deliveries were made, there were plenty of extra boxes to go around. Pinkie had definitely gone a little overboard with the baking. The two gave out most of the rest to random ponies they passed by, snacking on another box and saving two more for the young colt’s reclusive neighbor.
They were both rather surprised when they finally made it to the address given to them. They had passed this place at least three times, assuming it was just a pile of junk and trash. Upon closer inspection, however, it was clear this was a rotting old covered wagon.
“Uh, R-Rarity?”
“Yes dear~?”
“I don’t think this house is... safe... or occupied... or a house. It’s so... dirty...”
“I’m well aware of the fact, but we mustn't judge the poor!”
“Oh, I didn't mean to judge, I’m sorry...”
“It’s quite alright, I know you don’t mean any harm. But anyway, why don’t you deliver this one? You really ought to practice doing this for yourself, I won’t be here with you next time!” Fluttershy made a quiet but high-pitched squeal. “Oh please, go on! That young stallion said she wouldn't harm a fly, didn't he? I will be right here.”
Right there or not, it still took her about five minutes to get up to the door. Rarity’s impatient sighs and the bitter cold were the only things provoking her to move forward. Fluttershy gave one last, terrified glance over her best friend, who managed to give an encouraging smile back despite her annoyance and violently chattering teeth. Gulping, the pegasus timidly scratched at the door.
“D-delivery...” she choked out, barely whispering. But before she could run back frantically insisting that no one was there, the door creaked open. Fluttershy gave a “meep” of fright, but miraculously managed to swallow back her anxiety and stand her ground.
“What do you want?” That voice... something was incredibly familiar about that voice. Curiosity, along with concern for whoever it was that was speaking with such pitiful sadness, gave Fluttershy a little more courage.
“I’m... I’m here to deliver some cookies to you... if you want them...”
“....Fluttershy, right?” The door opened a little wider, and she could barely make out two purple eyes, along with a very pale purple aura that was pushing the door open.
“Y-yes, that’s my name,” she stammered back. “Have we met? Oh, I’m sorry, it’s so rude I’ve forgotten you...”
“Don’t worry about it,” the mysterious unicorn sighed. “It’s probably better that you have. Here, I’ll take those cookies. Thank you.”
Fluttershy’s heart dropped, and a blue hoof reached out and gently took the box. “Umm, are you okay? You sound rather... upset... if you don’t mind me saying...”
But her quiet words were lost as the door was shut, gently enough to not shock her but hard enough to suggest that the resident within wanted to be alone. Fluttershy used a hoof to push away some snow and placed the other box on the wooden step of a porch.
“You did a marvelous job dear!” Rarity chirped as her companion trotted back. She sneezed, delicate as ever.
"Bless you....." Fluttershy muttered. She was too deep in thought to even make eye contact with her worried friend.
"Is there something wrong?" Rarity asked with a sniffle.
“I could have sworn I've met her before....” Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm sure I'll remember soon. Hey, why don't we go back to my house? I'll make you up a nice bowl of hot soup."
"That sounds lovely- ah, ah-CHI!"
From the mucked up window of the rotting wagon, she watched Fluttershy as she draped a wing over a moaning Rarity and lead her away. They seemed so far away, a hazy shadow of a world she had forgotten even existed, let alone one that had once concerned her.
She waited long after they were out of sight before she open her door and took in the other box on her step.
The ceiling was leaking again, which really wasn’t much of a shock considering that half of the “ceiling” was really just some old tarp sagging under the weight of the snow piled on top. Whenever it started to get warmer, the melting snow dripped in through the holes, and quite often that water froze over and left a huge icy patch on the floor. She had slipped on it a week before, hurting her foreleg enough that it hurt to walk. Not that she needed to walk much.
It had been a little over a year since she had seen anyone that recognized her; after her last appearance, few in Ponyville WOULDN’T recognize the boastful unicorn. Needless to say, she rarely left the house, except at night to find the extra food that the shops threw out at the end of the week. Some of it was a little ripe, and the rest was stale, but for the most part it was more than enough to sustain her. Still, she missed fresh, hot bread and the crisp crunch of an apple in its prime, but she wouldn’t, no COULDN’T risk being seen in public.
Trixie was even unwilling to get her wagon fixed! After the Ursa Majo- ahem, Minor attack, Snips and Snails rebuilt it to use as a clubhouse. They had actually done a pretty good job with Apple Bloom’s help, but after Trixie’s poor treatment of them, they ransacked the place and abandoned it. That, coupled with a tree falling on top of it during a nasty storm and smashing half of the roof to bits, her wagon wasn’t even a shadow of its former glory.
She found this very fitting.
For so long, the attention Trixie had been given gave her an incredible high. Even as a filly, she just loved to be the center of attention, the star of the show. And she was good at keeping her audience entertained! Though not particularly powerful, her magic was awe-inspiring and fantastic. Trixie could light up the entire sky, distorting light and color and sound to whatever it was she desired. And yes, she did develop quite the ego, but who cared? She deserved it! She was the Great and Powerful Trixie!
But, as that old cliche goes, the bigger you are, the harder you fall. Humiliation, for as long as she could remember, was Trixie’s biggest weakness. When she first started her travelling show, there had been a few times that someone had gotten the better of her. Every time, she was devastated to the point of truly wishing she could just give it up. And she just might have too, if she didn’t need to eat.
It was different when Twilight did it though. Twilight didn’t just pull some silly stunt that made her look bad. She didn’t just accidentally trip her in front of dozens of onlookers. She outshone her completely, using REAL magic to save the entire town, twice! Next to her, Trixie was a foal with a toy magic kit next to a Goddess. For the first time, she was outcasted by the general public. After hearing about Twilight’s magic, they fancied Trixie a loudmouthed phony. And, yeah, she kind of was. Her magic, in a sense, WAS fake. She was a master of illusion, and thought she could pretend to do the same magic Twilight did, really she couldn’t do REAL magic any better than the next unicorn. But hey, her audience liked her just fine... at least, before Twilight destroyed her reputation...
And after Trixie’s second encounter with her, they went from laughing her off to banning her completely! Now they felt only fear and disgust despite her best efforts to alter her act to be more modest! She just wanted to fix her reputation, get her life back together; she had no idea that stupid amulet would make her go insane!
A faint tap broke Trixie out of her train of thought. As worked up as she had gotten, she considered ignoring it. The only pony who frequented her house was that colt from next door, a kid from Fillydelpia who knew The Great and Powerful Trixie only as some lonely blue unicorn too sad to ever leave her rotting wagon. He was kind enough to bring her food when his family could spare it, and for Hearth’s Warming Eve he even gave her a blanket. I can’t even remember his name...
A small whimper, followed by a louder tapping, however, made Trixie mildly curious. She rolled off her mattress and dragged her feet to the wooden plank of a door. A peek through the cracks proved that it was NOT that colt, but the pegasus from yesterday!
“I don’t need anymore cookies,” Trixie sighed, keeping the door closed. Her stomach growled at the lie; yesterday she had eaten every last crumb from both boxes within five minutes despite her best efforts to ration them out.
"Oh, um, okay," Fluttershy replied. "I just wanted to stop by again, and make sure you were okay..."
Wait, what? One of Twilight's friends? Concerned for her? For a split moment, an old flame sparked up in the unicorn's heart. "The Great and Powerful Trixie does NOT need your charity!"
Both ponies gasped in surprise, one for the sudden, uncontrollable outburst and the other for realizing her suspicions were correct. The former felt a sinking feeling of dread. She had already lost everything else; what would happen if everyone realized she was here? What if they ran her out of town?! Twilight may have acted like she forgiven her, but there was no way she would ever trust her enough to defend her against an angry mob! She might as well lead it!
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Timidly, Fluttershy peered through the cracks. "I don't want to hurt you, honest... Trixie? Are you still there?"
Hearing her name, spoken without malice for the first time in a long time, made the unicorn ease up a bit. "I'm here."
"Ah, well, good," Fluttershy said, also sounding a little more relaxed. "What are you doing here? I thought you left town again..."
"I came back." Because they didn't want me anywhere... The need for kind companionship took over her anxiety of being seen and driven out of town. Trixie pushed the door open with a wince of pain, one that the pegasus saw immediately.
"Oh goodness you're hurt!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "How did you break your leg? You really need to see a doctor!"
Trixie blinked, confused. Her sudden concern overwhelmed her. "I... I can't."
Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. "I've seen enough hurt little animals to know that that kind of injury will only get worse if you don't get help. You can't let your pride get in the way of your health!"
"My pride?!" There was that word again. Dear Celestia, this was a stupid idea. She was going to have to leave her wagon after all. There was no way this pony was going to just let her die here in peace. She'll have alerted the whole town by the time Trixie limps back to her bed! "Fluttershy, I can't go out there! And you can't tell anyone I was here!"
Fluttershy flushed, eyes suddenly wide. "...was here?" Trixie tried to shut the door, but the pegasus caught it just in time. "If you're leaving you just HAVE to see a doctor first!.... um, if that's okay with you..."
The two stood quietly for a moment. The water dripped down loudly in the silence. For a moment, she wondered if she should. She seemed friendly, kind. Even after all of the awful things she had down to this town and to her friends.
Ignoring the jolt of pain, Trixie slammed the door shut. Fluttershy protested in her quiet, helpless way, but eventually Trixie could hear her hooves crunching through the snow and ice as she trotted away. With every step, she felt more and more miserable. Her wagon was a pile of trash; it was ruined and broken and rotting. But it was HER nasty wagon. More than that, it was her home. If she left, Trixie would lose the last worldly possession she had.
But... maybe I don't have to leave.... maybe I could...
Her eyes shut tight, mind straining in concentration. She was still a master of illusions, the Great and Powerful Trixie deep down inside! Why not just disguise the wagon? Fluttershy would assume she'd already left, and Trixie could be left alone! That is, if she could pull this off. It had been so long, and she was very out of practice. Plus any motivation to do magic at all was long gone...
It took a few tears and a couple headaches, but before the sun set, Trixie's horn lit up.