Rainbow Dash wasn't a morning pony, and Trixie was fine with that. As far as she was concerned, waking up when it's still dark out was for the birds. That being said, she had to admit, having someone else wait on her was infinitely better than waiting on them. Sitting next to Sugarcube Corner, Trixie tapped her hoof impatiently. After what felt like an eternity, a rainbow streak sped across the sky, aimed straight for her.
Deep breath. I can't even begin to imagine what she has in store for me.
Rainbow Dash touched down in front of her, sending a dust cloud into her face. "Hey there, Trixie. You ready to earn some bits?"
Waving the dust away, Trixie glared at the cocky pegasus. "I'm ready. I'm just not clear on one small detail."
"And what's that?" Rainbow asked.
Trixie pointed up at the sky. "How exactly am I supposed to get up there?"
Rainbow laughed. "Don't worry, I've got it handled. Did you have Twilight do that crazy cloudwalking spell?"
Trixie smiled and pulled the necklace from her bag. "Even better, Pinkie let me use this."
Rainbow's smile disappeared. "She let you use that?"
Trixie nodded.
“Oh… alright then. You better hang on."
Trixie barely had a second to react as Rainbow lunged forward, wrapping her hooves around the unicorn's waist. "What are you doing? Let me go this instant!"
Ignoring Trixie’s demands, Rainbow took to the skies, carrying her passenger haphazardly. The unicorn shut her eyes, not really pleased with being hauled off like a sack of flour. Wind whipped through her mane as they turned and spun through the air. After a few moments of dizzying flight, they finally slowed in speed, coming to a hover.
"And here we are: Rainbow Chateau!" Rainbow announced.
"You don't really call it that, do you?" Trixie asked as she slowly opened her eyes.
"Nah. It's just home to me."
“Just home" seemed a bit of an understatement. Pillars of fluffy white clouds and rainbow waterfalls decorated the large structure, which was already impressive without the accoutrements.
"Now, if I remember what Twilight said, the enchantment on that necklace might wear off. I wonder if it has..." Rainbow posited.
Trixie's eyes widened as she clung to the pegasus tighter. "W-wear off?!"
"Oh well, only one way to find out!" Rainbow tossed Trixie unceremoniously at the clouds.
"No! Oh Celestia, help!" the unicorn pleaded as she flailed through the air. "Oof!"
Trixie's rump hit the soft clouds, stopping her fall. She clutched her chest and rapidly beating heart.
"I guess it didn't wear off!" Rainbow said, cackling at the unicorn. "C'mon, let's get started."
Trixie, half scared to death, followed the rainbow maned pony inside. She didn't even need to walk completely into the structure before coming up with a few choice words for Rainbow's home.
Dump. Sty. Pit.
It was obvious the pegasus anticipated Trixie's arrival, and decided to get her money's worth. Empty energy drink cans littered the kitchen and living area. The sink was full of dirty pans and plates, some with food still clinging to them. A couple of empty pizza boxes stood by the counter, awaiting disposal. All in all, it was a disaster area.
"As you can see, there's lots to do, but there is one requirement before you can work for me." Rainbow walked into her bedroom for a moment. She returned with a garment on a hanger and a lecherous grin on her face. "You have to wear a uniform."
Trixie eyed the gaudy black and white outfit with frills and lace. She easily recognized it as one of the traditional maid outfits from olden pony times. "You're joking... right?"
Rainbow shook her head.
Trixie reluctantly took the garment and studied it for a moment. She couldn’t even begin to guess why a pony like Rainbow Dash had the thing in the first place. Nevertheless, she could tell Rainbow wasn’t going to budge on this, so she slipped into it as quickly as she could. Apart from being a bit loose around the midsection, probably meant for a curvier pony, it fit rather comfortably.
"Satisfied?" Trixie muttered.
Rainbow Dash eyed her over carefully before giving a nod of approval. "Okay, first thing on the agenda: clean up all this junk," she said, gesturing to the paper and wrappers on the floor. "Don't forget the energy drink cans!"
Trixie sighed and ignited her horn. “I suppose this trash won’t pick itself up…”
Trixie smiled as she placed the last bit of garbage in the garbage can. As humiliating as it was to wear such a horrible outfit, at least the bits would be worth the effort.
The unicorn walked into the living room where her employer sat in a recliner with her legs propped up on the table and a book in her hooves. "Rainbow Dash, I have finished cleaning up like you asked."
"Miss Rainbow Dash," she corrected
"I beg your pardon?"
Rainbow huffed. "Call me, Miss Rainbow Dash."
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Miss Rainbow Dash, I have finished cleaning up."
The pegasus looked up from her book and eyed the room like a noble scrutinizing a tray of Hors d’oeuvres.
"I suppose that will do." She slammed her book shut and left her seat. Trixie waited patiently as Rainbow rummaged through a nearby cabinet until she pulled out a notebook and quill.
"Here, you'll need these," she said, pushing them into Trixie's hooves.
"And just what exactly am I going to be using these for?"
"Dictating! Well, actually, I'll be dictating, you'll be writing."
Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought...
Boring.
Pinkie hated that word. Even the word itself was boring. She always got to the 'or' part and felt like passing out. Like any business, Sugarcube Corner had its busy days, and it had its slow days, and boy was this a slow day.
Mrs. Cake, who had become accustomed to such days, busied herself with a crossword puzzle, and Mr. Cake was asleep under his hat.
Boorrr...
Pinkie's head hit the counter.
The door chime sounded as somepony entered. Pinkie appeared next to them throwing out a generous amount of confetti.
"Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! What can— oh, hey Iris. What's up?"
The orange maned pegasus blew a stray curl out of her face. "Not much, Sugar. Just bringing you that top secret thing you wanted," Iris said, holding out a bag.
Pinkie took it excitedly. "So it worked?"
Iris nodded. "She can do plenty with it now, provided she has the skill."
Pinkie ran behind the counter and scooped up a cupcake. She placed it in a bag and dashed back to Iris. "Here ya go! One cupcake for the road! I mean, to take with you. Don't throw it on the road. Roads can't eat."
"Thanks, Pinkie Pie. Make sure to stop in next time you're in a pranking mood," Iris called out, walking to the door.
"Byeeee!"
Pinkie looked in the bag again and giggled. She couldn't wait for Trixie to get home.
"And so, Thunder Flash caught the falling mare just before she hit the ground. The crowd went wild and the leader of the Won— I mean, Thunderbolts walked up and thanked her personally."
Trixie scribbled furiously while Rainbow Dash made wide, sweeping gestures while spewing out what the unicorn could only describe as 'literature vomit'.
Why, oh why would a pegasus walk over to her, and when did she land? According the story, she is still flying.
Trixie continued writing, mostly on autopilot while Rainbow continued the incredibly familiar tale of a young, brash pegasus fighting to gain the attention of an elite flying team. She briefly considered writing at the top “original concept” in crayon.
"Well? What do you think?" Rainbow asked, her eyes shining with pride.
At this very moment, had Trixie been a chicken, there would most certainly have been a freshly laid egg on the floor.
"I, uhhh, it's well, ummm... hmmm. There's something here. I think you should have somepony look it over for some polish and, uhhh then you'll... you'll have something for sure."
Rainbow appeared to be blank. Sweat formed on Trixie's brow.
"Yes! I knew I had something there! It's such a good story! Ha! Good at flying, good at writing. Who knew, right?" Rainbow asked with a sly wink.
"Eeeyes, of course... so, what else is there for me to do? This uniform isn't exactly comfortable." Trixie tugged on the lacy garment covering her flanks.
"Oh yeah, gotta think of something else for you to do." The pegasus rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Shortly after, a devious grin spread across her face. "I have the perfect idea…"
Trixie watched as Rainbow walked to her recliner and jumped in. Like an ancient ruler, she waved the unicorn over.
"I want you… to lick my hooves clean," Rainbow said, extending her hooves.
Trixie blinked in disbelief. "Wait, what?"
"You heard me. Lick them clean, and do it carefully. I have very sensitive hooves," Rainbow ordered, wearing a wicked smile.
"But... but that's unsanitary! There could be all sorts of germs and filth on them!" Trixie protested.
Rainbow sat up with a scowl. "You calling me dirty? Look, you want the bits or not?"
“Y-Yes.”
“Then snap to it.” The pegasus leaned back in her seat with a sigh, her eyes closed in anticipation of what was to come.
Trixie, for her part, felt like she was being held prisoner as she brought her mouth close to Rainbow's hooves. She closed her eyes and wished she were anywhere else in Equestria. She'd even take a dragon's cave right about now.
“I’m waiting.”
Trixie pondered how it all went so horribly wrong, being forced to do such a dirty act just for a few bits. How she let it all go so horribly wrong. Trixie closed her eyes, and in that moment, became a timid filly all over again. She wasn’t great, or powerful. She was simply a pony doing what she needed to get by, to get to the next town, to get the next meal, to buy her freedom from Ponyville.
"Tri-Trixie? Are you crying?!"
The unicorn opened her eyes, only for them to meet Rainbow's, filled with worry. A soft sob escaped her lips. In the pressure of the moment, she hadn't even realized a few tears had worked their way down her face. She turned her head, not wanting to cry in front of Rainbow.
"Awww jeez. Look, I'm... I'm sorry, okay? Here, let me take this stupid thing off."
Rainbow grabbed the uniform and pulled it off Trixie carefully, who was still crying quietly. "There. Is that better?"
Trixie shook her head. "It... it doesn't change anything. I deserve this, all of it!"
Rainbow grabbed Trixie by the shoulders. "Hey! No you don't! This was just me and my stupid idea! I didn't think you were sorry at all, so I..." Rainbow sighed. "I tried to think of a bunch of ways to humiliate you. Man, if my dad were here, he'd give me a bonk on the skull."
Trixie wiped her face, trying to regain her composure. "Your dad?"
Rainbow smiled. "Yeah. Back at flight school, these bullies would pick on me and my friends. Then one day, I got one of them back. I messed up his suit on the night of the big dance. His date laughed at him and went off with somepony else." The pegasus shook her head sadly. "I was laughing. Laughing at him because now he knew how we felt. My dad... he told me the truth. He said it made me no better than him. When he said that, I thought back to all of those times we were picked on or made fun of."
Trixie dried her eyes, enthralled by the pegasus' story. She was content to sit quietly and listen.
"It made me mad. I was no better than he was! Just a no good stinking bully, and that's what I did tonight. So, I'm sorry. We cool?" Rainbow asked offering her hoof.
Trixie let a small smile cross her face as she bumped Rainbow's hoof. "Your dad sounds like a smart pony."
The pegasus beamed a proud smile. "Hay yeah he is! Ya know, I think Pinkie might have been right about you."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"She told me that you weren't bad at all. You just ended up doing some things you didn't mean to, and before you knew it, pow! Everything got crazy."
“I did allow myself to get a bit out of hoof, to be sure," Trixie admitted. She felt a strong tug on her shoulder.
"C'mon, let's go cook something for dinner. I dunno about you, but I'm starved."
Trixie followed Rainbow into the kitchen. She felt for a moment that she might've broken through the pegasus' rough exterior.
"So then, like a half second before she hit the ground, I pulled off a sonic rainboom, caught the Wonderbolts and Rarity, and flew back up to the stadium to drop them off," Rainbow finished proudly.
Trixie simply listened in awe. After their simple dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches, the two ponies shared tales from days past. Rainbow Dash had the better stories by far.
"I'm surprised they didn't make you a Wonderbolt on the spot."
Rainbow laughed. "When I was flying with them afterwards, they said they would have if it weren't for regulations and 'favoritism," Rainbow explained, making air quotes with her hooves. "Anyway, how's it living with Pinkie Pie?"
Trixie pushed her plate away gently. "I can't lie, I've never met a creature quite as eccentric as her."
The unicorn noticed Rainbow eyeing her warily.
"Not that I'm ungrateful for what she's done, by no means. She just has a few... quirks I guess you could say?"
Rainbow tapped her hoof impatiently on the table. "C'mon, out with it. What'd she do?"
"She ate an entire cake in one bite! I've never seen anything like it!" Trixie shuddered as the memory of seeing an entire cake disappear into the black hole that was Pinkie's stomach came back to her.
"Hah! No big deal! Pinkie is way weirder than that. You wanna see something even crazier?"
“I'm not sure I do..."
"This is what you do. Tonight, wait till she's asleep. Then, grab her tail and turn it clockwise. I guarantee your jaw will drop!" Rainbow said with a mischievous grin.
"W-what?" Trixie stuttered. "I'm not going to do that! That sounds awful!"
"Eh, suit yourself." Rainbow shrugged. "Looks like it's time I got you back down to Ponyville."
Trixie scooped up her plate and made a grab for Rainbow's. "I can at least do these few dishes before I leave."
The pegasus smiled. "Hey, thanks. You know, when you're not hog tying other ponies, and showing off, you're not a bad pony to be around."
"Uhhh, thanks... I think..."
Trixie sighed in relief as her hooves finally touched the soft grass again. It wasn't as if clouds were uncomfortable or anything, but standing around hundreds of feet in the air with nothing but an enchanted necklace to keep her from falling to her doom wasn't exactly reassuring.
"Here we are, Sugarcube Corner. Here’s your pay." Rainbow pulled out a small pouch of bits and handed them to Trixie. The unicorn looked inside and swiftly closed it.
"There must be a hundred bits in here!"
Rainbow rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "More like a hundred and fifty..."
"But... why? Applejack gave me a two hundred for three days of work."
Rainbow sighed. "Look, I don't get much company at home. Most of my friends aren't even pegasi, and it's hard enough to get Fluttershy to fly over a tree, much less to my house. It was cool having somepony over to do my bidding."
Trixie stared at Rainbow suspiciously. "this is an awful lot for company and cleaning for a day."
"A few bits is nothing to me. But, if you tell anypony I got all sappy with you, I'll get my money back by kicking your flank. Deal?"
Trixie took her hoof and shook it firmly. "Deal."
Rainbow flapped her wings and started off. "Bye, Trixie. Tell Pinkie I said hey!"
Trixie waved as the pegasus became a distant blur in the night sky. She pivoted around and walked into the sweetshop. The door bell alerted a somewhat bored blue pony sitting behind the counter.
"Evening, Trixie. That's funny... You don't look like you've worked all that much today. Rainbow Dash must be getting soft."
Trixie immediately faked a bad limp and wiped her brow. "That... that rainbow-maned pony is an absolute taskmaster. I shall head to bed forthwith!"
Trixie hobbled up the stairs under Mrs. Cake's suspicious gaze. She walked down the hall, casting backwards glances to make sure she wasn't being followed. Quickly, she opened and slammed Pinkie's door shut and let out a sigh of relief.
"Hello!"
Trixie nearly leapt out of her skin. Spinning around, she saw the bright blue eyes of Pinkie Pie beaming back at her.
"Oh... Pinkie. You nearly scared the mane off my head."
The pink mare smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Looks like I have to put another bit in the startle jar!"
Trixie furrowed her brow. "Startle jar?"
Pinkie nodded as she walked over to her dresser. "Yup! Ever since I surprised Fluttershy while she was drinking hot tea, I started putting bits into my startle jar." Pinkie dropped a bit onto a jar overflowing with coins.
"You do know you're supposed to empty it at some point, right?" Trixie asked.
"Ohhh! I thought you just collected them like a wishing well. I wonder what I can buy with this," Pinkie pondered aloud, shaking the jar and sending coins all over the floor.
Your own bakery by the looks of it.
"Dashie didn't work you too hard, did she?"
Trixie shook her head. "I've had worse. How about you? How was business today?"
Pinkie stuck out her tongue. "Ugh! Boooring!" Suddenly, the pink mare's eyes lit up. "Oh! I have something for you... But, you have to promise not to get angry."
"Ummm, sure?"
Pinkie reached under her bed and pulled out a gift bag. Trixie reached inside and pulled out two familiar items.
"My hat and cape? I don't understand."
"Look closer!"
Trixie did as she was told and inspected the garments with more scrutiny. It wasn't until she saw the inside of them that the secret had been revealed. Along the lining of the cape were pockets and straps strategically sewn into it. Her hat had a pocket too, along with a false bottom for her to stash items suspicion free.
“Pinkie Pie… this is… amazing! This is the work of a master magician and seamstress. How in the world did you do it?”
“I didn’t! My good friend Iris runs the joke and magic shop and she knows a lot about sewing. I asked her if she could do something with your hat and cape, and as you can see, she totally did!”
"Well, that certainly couldn't have been cheap," Trixie pointed out.
Pinkie waved her off with a smile. "Don't worry! Iris and I do all sorts of stuff for each other! One month when she got in a terrible accident, I baked and delivered food for her until she was well enough to run her shop again. With this, you should be able to perform."
Trixie bit her lip. "There still is the small problem of everypony in Ponyville not liking me very much."
"Hmmm... you're right," Pinkie said, rubbing her chin. "What if you made it more like a comedy show?"
For a moment, Trixie imagined herself dressed like a clown on a unicycle, futilely trying to ride the contraption before hitting the stage, face first.
"No offense, but I'm not entirely fond of banana peels, balloons, and the other nonsense that comes with it."
"We are definitely going to fix your problems with balloons, but that's not what I meant. What if you went on stage and messed tricks up on purpose to make them laugh? It's hard to be angry at a pony who can laugh at herself."
Suddenly, Trixie found herself out of arguments. Sure, if she really tried, she could probably scrounge up some small detail and make a big deal out of it. Seeing Pinkie's hopeful eyes beaming back at her though, she really couldn't bring herself to crush the poor mare's efforts. She wrapped her arms around Pinkie's neck and squeezed her tightly.
"Thank you, Pinkie Pie. I can't remember the last time somepony did something so nice for me.
The pink mare returned the hug affectionately. "Awww, I was just trying to help! I'm super glad you weren't angry at me for taking your hat and cape without asking."
Trixie whirled around, flourishing her cape. "Are you kidding? If I can perform again, I just might have a reason to wear them!"