Pinkie threw open her door and launched into a pirouette, spinning into her bedroom. “Make yourself at home!”
Despite Pinkie’s enthusiasm, Trixie found herself at unease being in the bedroom of one of her former foes. At the moment, however, it meant a cheap place to stay.
Pinkie's room was pretty much what anyone would expected. Lots of bright colors, and a general party atmosphere. Party themed furniture and decorations made up most of the energetic pony's room. It also came as no surprise that living in a sweetshop left a faint scent of sugar in the air at all times. The smell of latex from the countless balloons Pinkie kept on-hoof was noticeable as well. She was fairly sure Pinkie wasn’t even paying attention, but Trixie at least tried to look like she wasn’t snooping. It wasn’t until her eyes landed upon a framed picture that she broke her silence.
"Is that... Princess Celestia sitting with you and your friends?"
Pinkie followed Trixie's gaze to the picture they had taken at Joe’s Doughnut Shop. "Oh yeah! Princess Celestia is really nice! We shared doughnuts and laughed a whole bunch that night! She has really good taste in doughnuts, too!"
Trixie stared at the pony in shock. "You dined with her?"
Pinkie nodded excitedly. "We sure did! She even laughed at some of my jokes nopony else laughs at. She's super duper nice."
Trixie turned away from the picture, not wanting it to consume her thoughts any more than it had. Instead she focused on another important detail.
There's only one bed! Oh no, this is gonna be one of those really awkward situations where we argue back and forth about who is sleeping where until we both agree to sleep together. I just can't stand that sort of nonsense!
Pinkie reached over to her bed and pulled a handle on it’s side. a large drawer pulled out with a mattress and pillow waiting inside.
"I know it's not the same as a normal bed, but here ya go! It's a lot more comfy than it looks!"
Or perhaps she's already had friends over before.
Trixie felt a small twinge of disappointment at the anticlimactic resolution of the scenario her mind cooked up. Putting that aside, she climbed into the pullout bed and slid beneath the covers. It felt weird having what could be considered a sleepover now that she was a grown mare, but Trixie thought it would be a good idea to make the best of it.
Pinkie climbed into her bed, sliding her legs beneath the covers. "Good night, Trixie. Don't worry, I'll make sure you wake up early enough to be at Applejack's in the morning."
Pinkie’s eyes closed and she began snoring before her head even hit the pillow with a soft wumph.
Wow, perhaps she's a tad narcoleptic.
Seeing Pinkie’s chest rise and fall silently in the throes of sleep, it seemed impossible that this could be the same noisy and rambunctious mare who could play ten instruments at once. Trixie decided it best not to dwell upon it and lay her head down as well, letting sleep overcome her weary bones.
An unpleasant weight on Trixie's chest forced her to stir. She gave her legs a long and slow stretch along with a wide gaping yawn. Upon opening her eyes, she came face to face with a green monster, inches from her nose.
"Oh no, get it off, get it off, get it off!"
Trixie rolled out of the pullout bed, sending her and the green monster to the floor. She backpedaled away from the vacant-eyed creature, and stared it down.
"No fair, Gummy. I was supposed to wake her up!"
Snapping her eyes to the open bathroom door, Trixie saw Pinkie sticking her head into the room, staring the reptile down.
"Pinkie, you have a... a thing in your room!" the unicorn cried out while trying to climb the wall behind her.
Pinkie trotted into the room and neared the green creature. Without warning, it lunged towards the unsuspecting pony’s head.
"Watch out! It's going to attack!"
The pink pony simply stood there as the green monster bit onto her ear and clamped down. Its body went limp and dangled from Pinkie's ear like an overgrown earring.
"Don't mind Gummy. He just wants to say hello!"
Trixie stared in disbelief at Pinkie's temporary and unusual fashion accoutrement.
"You mean you own this thing?" the unicorn asked incredulously.
"Gummy’s my pet! He's an alligator, but you don't have to worry, he doesn't have teeth."
On cue, the alligator let go of Pinkie's ear and fell to the ground. Beneath his blank stare, his mouth hung open long enough to prove it was completely devoid of any pony munching apparatuses.
Trixie breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh. I suppose in that case he's rather harmless."
Gasping in shock, Pinkie scooped the unresponsive animal up and cradled it like a child. "Don't say that! He's very sensitive you know?” Turning to the creature, Pinkie cooed at it lovingly. “Don't you worry, Gummy. I'm sure one day you'll grow big sharp teeth and terrorize everypony in Ponyville."
Trixie sat there, a contemplative frown upon her face. "Uhh, anyway, isn't it a little early for me to be up?" she asked, noting the black of night in the window.
"Applejack starts work not long after the sun comes up," Pinkie informed her. "Besides, you don't want to work on an empty tummy, do you?"
Trixie's stomach let out a low, guttural growl.
"I suppose I shouldn't."
Pinkie beamed at her and clopped her hooves together. "Hooray! I'll make some of my chocolatey chipperiffic waffles!"
Trixie came to a sudden realization that she might want to get acquainted with Ponyville’s dentist if she ate Pinkie's cooking for any prolonged period of time.
The trek to Sweet Apple Acres was a rather pleasant and quiet affair. Being a performer, it was rare for her to see the early morning sunrise. Even she had to admit, the early morning walk was actually quite a poignant experience.
Apart from the map.
She wasn't sure Pinkie's cartography skills were trustworthy in the first place, much less when she received a piece of paper with lots of intersecting lines and dots.
It wasn't until she realized Pinkie had drawn a big smiley face in the middle of the map that it started making sense. cresting the last hill in the road, she saw Sweet Apple Acres stretched out before her. Nestled between the silo and the barn sat a cozy little farmhouse where Applejack and her family were supposed to reside. Her eyes scanned the surrounding land, looking for anypony that might already be up. With nopony in sight, she trotted up to the homely abode and raised her hoof to knock.
"Howdy!"
Trixie nearly fell over in shock. Before her hoof even hit the door it had swung open revealing a bright-eyed and bushy tailed Applejack.
"Oh, uhhh, good morning," Trixie said while trying to recover.
"I gotta admit. I sure didn't expect you to get here this early," Applejack confessed.
"Pinkie Pie told me how important it is to you that we start work early in the morning. Though If I were to be honest, I'm not much of a morning pony."
Applejack laughed, wrapping a hoof around the showpony’s side. She pulled her to a nearby rain barrel and pointed at the reflection in the water. "No offense, but one look at yer mane says that much!"
Trixie looked at her reflection and gasped. Her unruly mane looked like it would be more at home on a punk rocker's head than her own. "I knew I was forgetting something."
"Don’t you worry none. Ya don't need a fancy do to work hard. C'mon, let's get going. The earlier we get started, the sooner we'll get done," Applejack said, motioning for Trixie to follow.
The early morning flew by while the two ponies worked tirelessly bucking trees and moving apples. Heaps of the delicious fruit fell into Trixie's basket following an especially forceful kick.
"Wow, Trixie, Where'd you learn to buck apples like that?" Applejack asked incredulously, scratching the hair beneath her hat.
More fruit fell into Trixie's basket following another vicious kick. "After my... defeat at Twilight's hooves, Tri— I mean, I, had to take some unusual jobs to get by. I did some orchard work bucking pears at Hoofington."
"Well, I gotta admit, I plum expected you to be begging for mercy right about now. I'm starting ta wonder if Pinkie sees something in ya after all."
Trixie smiled. She knew if she could sway a tough pony like Applejack, the others should be pretty easy to convince as well.
"Have a good day, Rose!" Pinkie shouted as the earth pony walked away with a box full of donuts.
The lunch rush had come and gone leaving a scant few patrons loitering at the tables. Pinkie pulled out her polishing cloth and started wiping down the counters so they would shine once more.
I wonder if Trixie is doing okay over at Sweet Apple Acres.
She thought back to when Twilight switched all of their cutie marks. All the bucking of the trees, the hauling of the apples, not to mention the tilling and plowing! She cringed as she remembered the soreness she’d felt all over.
Poor Trixie. I bet her hooves really hurt right now… wait! I know exactly what to do!
Pinkie dropped her cloth and ran into the kitchen.
“Mrs. Cake? Can you watch the counter while I go take my lunch break?" she asked.
Cup Cake looked up from her paper. "Sure thing, Dear. Do you want me to make something for you to eat whil—"
Mrs. Cake's offer fell on deaf ears as Pinkie dashed through the kitchen doors, setting them swinging.
Despite having previously worked on an orchard, Trixie's hooves just weren't used to such a marathon of hard labor. She tried to hide her fatigue as much as possible, but anypony with a keen eye could tell the unicorn was slowing down.
The sound of a basket tipping and apples spilling onto the ground caught Trixie's ear. She glanced behind her to see Applejack's little sister standing next to the overturned basket with a nasty sneer on her face.
"Whoops! Ah guess mah hooves slipped. Ya don't mind pickin’ that up, do ya, Trixie?"
Deep in the unicorn's heart, a feeling of indignation and anger sparked to life. Unfortunately, she knew it would probably cast herself in a bad light to accuse the filly of malicious intent, or demand she pick them up herself.
"I'll pick them up," Trixie sighed.
"Apple bloom!"
Both Trixie and the filly nearly jumped out of their skin at the tone of Applejack's voice. The cowpony marched up to the pair, her face set in anger. "Just what do ya think you're doing?!"
Applebloom took a hesitant step back, her eyes darting away from her sister’s. “Ah-Ah was just walking by and I acciden—"
"Don't you lie to me, young filly!" Applejack warned. "I saw ya plain as day kick that basket over. Just what were you tryin’ ta pull?"
"Applejack," Apple bloom whined. "Trixie turned Ponyville into a nightmare! She tied Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and mah tails together! Why do I gotta be nice to her?"
Applejack stared down the little filly. "Ya don’t gotta be nice to her, but you sure ain’t gonna treat her as bad as she treated you and your friends!"
Apple bloom hung her head in shame prompting Applejack to reach over and pull her sister close. "Listen, Sugarcube. Trixie’s in a bad way. She’s reapin’ the bad crops she’s done planted. She’s got no friends, no family to help, and not even her own place to lay her head. Pinkie Pie and the Cakes are helping out by giving her a place to stay. She says all she wants is a chance to prove herself and earn some bits. For an Apple, there’s only one way to do that."
Apple bloom’s eyes lit up. "Good old-fashioned hard work!"
Applejack smiled. "That’s right. Now go on. Apologize to her and pick them apples up ya hear." the cowpony said, pushing her sister towards Trixie.
“Ah'm sorry, Miss Trixie,” Apple bloom said, hanging her head.
Hearing Applejack’s description of Trixie’s fall from grace turned the unicorn's stomach. Before all of this insanity, Trixie would have objected and told Applejack off for impugning her honor.
Staring into Apple bloom’s apologetic eyes though, Trixie could not summon any outrage.
"Thank you… though I cannot blame you for disliking me, considering what happened last time I was here."
Apple bloom began picking up the multitude of apples that had spilled from the basket. Applejack walked over to the showmare, bearing an apologetic smile. "I'm mighty sorry ‘bout that. I didn't expect her to haul off and do something like that. Listen, you've been going at it pretty hard all day. Maybe you should kick off early."
Trixie would have loved nothing more than to knock off for the day, but she knew she wanted to prove to Applejack she was more than just a simple performer.
"No. Tri—I mean, I will do the job I was hired for," the unicorn stated flatly. She felt a small twinge of satisfaction at the shocked looked on the cowpony's face.
"Iff’n you say so."
Applejack walked away to continue filling her basket, leaving Trixie to finish bucking the fruit off of her own tree.
Bye, Raindrops!" Pinkie shouted while waving her hoof emphatically. The evening rush at Sugarcube Corner had just died down, affording Pinkie Pie a bit of a rest.
Whew. It feels like everypony in Ponyville wanted something here today!
With a lobby of content customers and an empty line, Pinkie gleefully trotted into the kitchen. The first thing to catch her eye was Mr. Cake staring intently at the oven as if he were a mother bird glaring at her eggs.
"Hey, Mr. Cake! You drop your contacts in the oven?"
"I don't wear contacts, Pinkie."
The pink mare giggled. "Oh, that's right! Then why are you having a staring contest with an appliance?"
"The oven is giving him trouble, Dearie," Mrs. Cake said while wiping the cooling table free of excess crumbs.
"Stupid thing is taking longer to cook than usual, so I can't use the timer like normal. I just have to keep staring and testing the cake until it's done," Mr. Cake explained.
Mrs. Cake sighed. "I hope the oven isn’t going out on us yet. With the wedding season coming, we’ll need both of them running well if we hope to keep up."
"I know, Sugarplum. We’ve had the thing since we opened for the first time. I suppose we're lucky it's lasted this long. Maybe we should try and use the other one as much as we can," the earth pony suggested as he opened the door to get another look at the cake inside.
Pinkie’s eyes traveled to the clock.
"Oh! I almost forgot! I have to get ready!" Pinkie exclaimed. She sped out of the kitchen, leaving the Cakes to shrug and dismiss the outburst as a Pinkie-ism.
All day long, the bucking, the hauling, the walking... through it all, Trixie seemed to be just fine. For some bizarre reason though, as soon as Sugarcube Corner came into view, her hooves started to ache. She stumbled through the street feeling like a shambling zombie rather than any sort of great and powerful weaver of arcane magicks. Gently, she pushed the door open to a shop mostly devoid of customers which Trixie chalked up to the sun threatening to dip below the horizon. Mrs. Cake stood dutifully behind the counter.
"Good evening, Trixie. You look like you had a good time working with Applejack." The blue pony wore a grin of satisfaction which Trixie could only guess stemmed from the obvious pain in her gait.
"Trixie admires Applejack for her... work ethic. I believe I could use a shower, so I also believe I'll be going straight upstairs."
Mrs. Cake seemed content to glare smugly as Trixie ambled up the stairs. Each one seemed further away than the last until the very top which felt like pulling herself up a cliff.
Hang in there, Trixie. Just a few more steps and you can treat yourself to a warm bath!
She trundled over to the door and slowly pushed it open. A quick survey of the room showed no sign of Pinkie anywhere.
Perhaps she's downstairs in the kitchen with the other one.
Giving thought to little else, she walked to the bathroom to soak away the stress of her day.
Trixie placed her towel in the hamper using her magic. She always enjoyed a warm bath anytime she could manage to get one. Given the tidbits of information she had about Pinkie, the bathroom, and bedroom were much cleaner and more organized than she would have ever imagined. Every item had its place, and the basin and counter were grime and spot free. Reaching into her essentials bag, Trixie pulled out her toothbrush and toothpaste to give her pearly whites a proper scrubbing. A true showmare had to have a bright and confident smile after all.
Not that she felt confident. She hadn't felt confident in quite awhile. Being shown up by Twilight Sparkle was one thing. The real kick to her gut was what the Alicorn Amulet did to her. It robbed her of her self control, and, even worse, her rationality. She spat the mixture of toothpaste into the sink and rinsed her mouth out with the warm running water.
Trixie decided not to dwell too much on those events, as it always seemed to hurt more than help. Knowing that the next day would be filled with more hard work, she thought it best to just relax and get some sleep. However, upon exiting the bathroom, she realized that something was off.
The bedroom light was off. The only ambient lighting in the room at all was the tiny lamp upon Pinkie's dresser which had a blue cloth draped over it giving the entire room a calming cerulean tint. Several blankets were piled on top of the bed.
"Enjoy your bath?"
Trixie's eyes bulged and she nearly tumbled backwards in surprise. Pinkie stood next to her, smiling broadly.
"I uhh, well, ummm, I did," Trixie stuttered, not sure just what the pink pony had in mind.
Pinkie smiled happily at her. "Neato! I've got a special surprise, just for you!"
"S-surprise?"
"Yup! I was thinking earlier about how you were working at Applejack's and that you probably aren't used to doing so much hard work, so I decided I would give you a massage!" Pinkie beamed. She grabbed Trixie by her hoof and lead her to the bed.
"M-massage?" the unicorn asked while being reluctantly tugged along.
"Mhm! I'll have you feeling like a new pony in no time!"
Trixie slowly climbed onto the bed under Pinkie's eager gaze. She knew from past experience that Pinkie could be a bit scattershot and impulsive, but she truly had no clue what her motivations could be in this situation. She lowered herself onto the pile of blankets, marveling at how soft they felt on her slightly damp fur. Pinkie pulled out a bottle of something she didn’t get a good look at and vigorously rubbed it on her hooves.
Trixie gasped as the pink pony started rubbing her back. "Wha-what are you doing?"
"I already told you, silly! I'm giving you a massage." Pinkie continued rubbing Trixie's back firmly. "You're too stressed out. You need to relax."
Trixie had received massages before. She knew the difference between a novice and a masseuse. Pinkie's work felt more like the latter. She had expected to get roughed up like a lump of dough in the bakery’s kitchen, but instead, received the work of a professional.
"This... this is pretty good. I thought you were a cook."
"No silly, I'm a party pony! But that doesn't mean it’s the only thing I can do," Pinkie added.
"How did you learn to give such a divine massage, anyway?" Trixie asked through half-lidded eyes.
Pinkie's face brightened. Though the mare didn't seem conceited or narcissistic, Trixie got the feeling she enjoyed talking about herself.
"One day, Aloe came over and told me that Lotus had caught the Pony Pox. I told her I could try filling in, and after just a few hours of training, I was giving other ponies massages like a pro. Aloe said I was a natural! Then, two days later, Lotus got better, but then Aloe got sick! So, I helped fill in for her too."
"I see." Trixie let the conversation die there, content to stay quiet and enjoy the massage. It wasn't often she could get one absolutely free from an experienced set of hooves. Regardless, she felt a nagging question biting at the back of her head.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Huh? Because you worked hard today and you hurt! That's the best reason to get a massage, isn’t it?" Pinkie asked.
"No, I mean, why are you helping me? You've taken me into your home, fed me, helped me get a few odd jobs, and now you're giving me a massage. It seems a bit generous for somepony who took your mouth away."
Pinkie remained silent.
"Well?" Trixie prodded.
Pinkie's massage became lighter, less powerful than when she started. "I... I started thinking about what it must be like... to go from town to town... to not have any friends."
"You pity me, don't you?"
Pinkie said nothing.
"You shouldn't. I believe your friend was right when she said I'm getting what I deserve."
"But... nopony should be alone," Pinkie said, stopping her massage entirely.
"I've been alone most of my life. Why should that change now?"
This time, there came no answer. Instead, Pinkie resumed her massage, disturbingly silent. Trixie just relaxed and tried to enjoy her pampering, putting the pink mare's objections into the corner of her mind. After what felt like a few more blissful minutes, Pinkie ceased her massage.
Trixie slowly got up, feeling like a newborn foal. "Thank you... for everything."
Pinkie smiled a sheepish smile and fidgeted with her hooves. "You said you don't have any friends, right?"
Trixie nodded.
"Well, I was thinking, would it be okay if I could be your friend?"
Trixie didn't really know how to respond. Of all the ponies in Ponyville, Pinkie seemed to be the most forgiving and helpful of them all. Even after the torment Trixie subjected her to, the pony still seemed to be genuinely concerned for her.
"I don't see why not—"
“Yaaay!”
The unicorn scarcely had time to finish her sentence before Pinkie cheered and wrapped her up in a tight hug.
"Oookay, that's enough of that," Trixie said pushing the pink pony away as quick as she could while still trying to seem friendly. Pinkie didn't look discouraged in the slightest though, seemingly content to sit with a goofy smile on her face.
"Thank you for the massage. I feel better than I did when I got here, that’s for sure."
"I'm just glad I could help," Pinkie said, smiling widely. "Wait! I have a great idea!"
Uh oh. Somehow that scares me.
“I should totally throw you a “you just made your first friend” party!”
“I don't know how much I'll be able to party, since I'll be so busy working during the day."
Pinkie hopped forward like a fisherman trying to keep their catch from going overboard. "Well, maybe not a party, maybe just something fun to do tomorrow when you get back?”
“I… I guess we coul—”
“Woo hoo!” Pinkie cheered and broke out into an impromptu dance on her bed ending with a backflip.
“How your bedsprings are still intact is a mystery to me.”
Pinkie fired Trixie a winning smile. “I would get some board games for tonight, but you should probably sleep instead.”
Trixie nodded and hopped off the bed. Her horn sparked to life and pulled out the trundle bed. “I think I will. If tomorrow’s work schedule is anything like today’s was, I might not last the whole job.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll be just fine! Applejack isn’t a mean pony. I’m sure she’ll understand.” Pinkie removed the cloth covering the lamp and hovered her hoof over the switch.
Trixie laid down on her tiny bed and nodded at the pink mare. Pinkie turned out the light, letting darkness fill the room. Moments later, sheets and blankets shuffled noisily for a moment before falling quiet.
“Good night, Trixie.”
“Good night, Pinkie.”