//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Reuniting  
// Story: The Trixie Treatment. 
// by DerpyDitzyDerpyDo 
//------------------------------//

A day and a half later, the laboursome task of inspecting the damage the storm had wreaked on their own farm fell to the two Apple siblings. Big Mac had set off to the Northern edge of Sweet Apple Acres with several lengths of thick rope and, judging by the loud crashes that echoed across the farm, Applejack guessed he had already begun clearing felled trees and larger debris. For her part, AJ was walking the farm's perimeter. The apple trees were still drooping low under the weight of the clean white snow that smothered the farm but the orange earth pony needed to identify areas of more disastrous damage to their crop. The zap apple trees were particularly vulnerable to wind damage and because they needed to be arranged in a specific formation in order to bloom properly come spring. But as she marched along the frozen ground AJ noticed something odd. The tip of a purple wizard's hat was poking out of one of the dry irrigation ditches that divided the Southern Orchard. 

"Trixie... what in the hay are ya doin'?" asked AJ, not even needing to look in the ditch to confirm that it was indeed the arrogant blue magician  to whom she was speaking. 

Trixie was snaking her way along the dry ditch on her belly. Her star studded cape was stretched out behind her, snagged on an errant tree root. She cringed at Applejack's voice and glanced up fearfully. Seeing who it was that had called out to her she seemed to relax.  She made an attempt to rise but the slippery black ice that ran along the bottom of the ditch impeded her progress. Blushing she launched into one of her grandiose entry speeches.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie, master of stealth that she is, decided to visit you. Knowing that she was unwelcome in Ponyville she infiltrated the area unseen and allowed you to become aware of her presence when you drew near," she replied, still lying prone in the ditch and tugging weakly at her cloak. 

"You wanted to visit me? How come?" Applejack was didn't mean to sound displeased to see the unicorn at all. In fact Trixie had not been far from the farm pony's mind since their last encounter. She had been meaning to make a trip out to Trixie's caravan with an apple pie as a thank you present as soon as she'd finished up the many chores the blizzard had left in its wake.

She'd spoken to Twilight about her midnight encounter with the magician and the librarian had seemed to be most pleased about Trixie turning over a new leaf.  The purple Princess's prodigy had encouraged AJ at length to extend the hoof of friendship to Trixie, always a believer in the 'power of friendship and acceptance as a tool for reformation' as Twilight had elegantly put it. And on a personal note Applejack was finding more and more that she actually wanted to see the amusing azure illusionist. 

But it was a bit of a surprise to see the magician here. Trixie had slammed a door in Applejack's face the when the two had last parted ways and AJ wasn't sure how the arrogant young mare was going to reconcile her presence here with the facade of indifference she had erected on their last encounter. 

"Trixie came to make sure that you're okay..."

This sudden honesty surprised AJ even more, "Well shoot, Trixie. If that isn't the kindest thing-"

"Because Trixie knows that it can be hard to readjust." 

Applejack took a deep breath. This had better be good. 

"When normal ponies are exposed to copious amounts of Trixie they often have trouble returning to their ordinary non-Great and Powerful lives. Trixie simply came to make sure that you weren't experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Have your days seemed dull and uneventful in Trixie's absence? Have you lost interest in all your hobbies? Does the world seem drained of colour?" she asked, trying to get up and slipping on an icy patch. 

When Applejack had managed to stop laughing, more at the magnitude of Trixie's breathtaking self-assurance then at her clumsiness, she helped the unicorn untangle her cloak and scramble out of the ditch.  

"You know Trixie you're not completely wrong. Ah did kinda wanna see ya again to thank ya prop'ly for helpin' me out."

"Kinda?" Trixie sounded disappointed, "Clearly you have yet to appreciate the full majesty of Trixie! Perhaps we can rectify that. Trixie gives you her permission to accompany her on a picnic. You can bring the food, basket and other accessories and Trixie will bring herself," she leaned closer to AJ and winked, "and the magic, of course." 

Applejack had not known Trixie very long but she had already begun to assemble a Trixie-translator in her head. For example:

"Hello again, Applejack. I was concerned for your wellbeing and came to see you. I greatly enjoyed your company and would like to spend more time with you if it's at all convenient. Also I'm very hungry and given my current financial standing and fear of being chased out of town I'm not able to buy food and so I was wondering if maybe you could help me." was Applejacks best attempt at an approximate translation of what Trixie had said so far. She realized, suddenly, that she had been grinning broadly from the moment she had caught sight of Trixie. 

"How'd ya even figure out where Ah lived?"

"Listen and be amazed at Trixie's powers of deduction!" cried Trixie, and then immediately cowered and looked around nervously when she realized how well her voice had carried across the cold air. Once she was sure that her loud outburst had not summoned an angry mob of townsponies wielding torches and pitchforks the unicorn continued, "Trixie noticed that you had apples for a cutie mark and this is the only place in town with Apple in its name and on its signposts. Trixie put two and two together and decided to snoop around here a bit."

"Well, it's still a bit nippy for a picnic but Ah'd gladly treat ya to lunch up at the house, if ya'd like."

Trixie hurriedly wiped her drool and nodded, "Trixie finds this acceptable."

Another loud crash reverberated through the chill air of the winter afternoon. Trixie visibly flinched. Mac must have just yanked down one of the larger broken branches. 

"Are there other ponies on the farm? Ponies who might be... less than pleased to see Trixie again?" asked a rather cautious Trixie. 

"Now listen here, sugarcube. We Apples ain't the sort to hold grudges unreasonably. Now the worst you did against mah family was make us waste a day's worth of apple pickings. And since yer not evil or crazy anymore Ah reckon all is forgiven. Applebloom's out playing with her friends in the snow. Ah think Rarity was on CMC duty this week. Big Mac's got a mountain of work ahead of him and Granny Smith always sleeps in late on colder days," Applejack paused. She was about to do and say something remarkably out of character on her part. She almost never slacked off work, especially when something on the farm was in need of tending to. But maybe... just this once, "Ah reckon Ah can put off my chores a few more hours and whip you up a little somethin' to eat. So come on up!"

Wait, did Ah jus' say 'sugarcube'? Ah only call ponies Ah really care about sugarcube... and Ah'm ditchin' my chores even though there's so much left to do today. What the hay is happenin' to me?