Trixie's Forest Retreat

by crowscrowcrow

Chapter 37 - Rebel

The first beams of sunlight crept across the walls of the Ponyville hospital, one by one the windows of each floor were invaded. Spreading the light through them and waking some of the ponies slumbering within. Finally it reached a room on the third floor, illuminating the chart that hung on the bed inside.

Trixie groaned softly as she came to. Her body ached all over as if she’d been run over by a minotaur, and her muscles protested even the smallest movement. There was a painful throbbing in her head that made her thoughts fuzzy. It took time and effort to make herself remember, and even then her memory only slowly trickled in. She could remember going on a trip with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, but things got progressively worse.

At least the sensations of warm soft fabrics against her made her smile. There were worse ways to wake up after all. Maybe she just had a bad dream? She could feel pressure on her stomach, and something warm which she held tightly in her hooves.

She opened her eyes, but immediately closed them again with a soft hiss, it was much too bright. It took her several minutes of careful peeking and squinting to get a bit more used to it. It was lucky, or perhaps by design, that the bed was only half illuminated and allowed the top half to remain in the shade.

The first thing Trixie saw when she could open her eyes, without the risk of going blind that is, was the ceiling. However, it was not the ceiling that she was used to waking up to seeing. Instead this one was green? What the? Where am I? Why am I here? What’s that scent? She quickly stopped her line of questions as suddenly her head felt like somepony was trying to pierce it with a spear. Perhaps Trixie shouldn't think too much for now.

She took a few deep breaths as she closed her eyes again, slowly more memories drifted back. She shivered as she discovered the last thing she could remember, was being seconds away from a long expected beating by Rainbow Dash.

“T-Trixie changed her mind, do it. Do whatever you want if it will fix all this, but… don’t leave Trixie alone.”

B-but what happened after that? I-I guess she took me up on that offer then, everything hurts That could be true, but then she did not understand why she was in a different place. W-why am I not at Fluttershy’s? Did she beat me and leave me to somepony else? T-that’s not fair, it was supposed to fix everything! Trixie whimpered and fought through the ache in her foreleg to rub her eyes dry.

Mercifully a cloud blocked the sun, shading her room and allowing a chance to actually look around. While she was resting flat on her back she did not have much of a view, the room seemed rather barren to her though. But it was much larger than Fluttershy’s.

Carefully she lifted her head up. A dull pain came with the motion. Oh please is that all you’ve got? Like that will stop Trixie now, she’s had much worse. Trixie smirked and brought her eyes down to what was causing the pressure on her stomach.

All at once she became aware of a lot of things. Her eyes went wide as she realized what she was looking at. For one, she noticed that the warm thing she had clutched to her chest was a cyan hoof. For another, Rainbow Dash was half sitting in a chair, half slumped over onto Trixie’s bed with her head resting against her chest.

Her breath froze as she stared at the mare wide-eyed for several long moments. As far as Trixie could tell Rainbow Dash was asleep? What is she doing here? Where are we? What happened? Where is Flu—Gah! She closed her eyes tightly and whined as her headache intensified. She could barely manage to open one eye to look as she could feel movement immediately afterwards.

The noise had startled Rainbow Dash awake. After a brief moment of disorientation she had settled both magenta eyes on Trixie like a deer caught in a headlights spell. A particularly strong illumination spell that earned its name from the fact that, to an observer, the unicorns head was just one big light.

“I’m not supposed to be here! I mean, I’m not here!” Rainbow Dash suddenly exclaimed and made a mad dash for the door, slamming into it at full force before she realized it opened in the other direction, then she darted around the corner without even closing it.

"W-wha?" Trixie was startled from the sudden scream. Due to the grip she had on Dash's hoof, she was nearly pulled out of her bed as Rainbow Dash took off like a bat out of Tartarus. She had to thrust out both hooves and got lucky that the chair was there to catch herself on before she was entirely past the point of no return.

Trixie began to pant heavily as the seconds went by and she remained in her precarious position, Her forehooves held onto the chair, preventing her from falling, but any change would cause her to meet the floor face first. Trixie tried to push herself back and onto the bed, but was too tired. To make matters more problematic, her forehooves began to burn from the exertion, letting Trixie know they wouldn't keep her up for much longer.

“R-Rainbow Dash?” Trixie tried calling for her, but there was no reply.

Trixie craned her head to look towards the open door. “If you’re there, please come back. I’m going to fall.” If Rainbow Dash was there, it was clear she did not believe Trixie was actually about to fall from her bed. Ugh of course, really who would believe that? What kind of pony falls out of bed with enough time to ask for help in between?

She growled as she look towards the door, her vision getting blurry as the throbbing in her head gradually got worse. Her forelegs started to shake. Anger over getting abandoned just like that started to seep through. “Rainbow Dash! The Great and All-Knowing Trixie knows you are right around the corner, staring at the open door wondering how you can close it without her seeing it! Get in here now!”

That did it.

Rainbow Dash peeked her head around the doorpost sheepishly then gasped as she saw Trixie’s predicament and rushed in to help her back into bed. “Sorry! I didn’t know!”

“How could you not know! Trixie specifically told you!” Trixie glared at Rainbow Dash.

“Well I didn’t know you were serious. You say a lot of stuff!” Rainbow Dash countered and started to take steps back towards the door.

Trixie’s eyes flicked between Rainbow Dash and the door, confusion clear on her face. “Why are you trying to leave Trixie?”

Rainbow Dash looked unsure for a moment then trotted back to the foot end of the bed, she picked up the chart that hung from it and presented it to Trixie. “Doctor’s orders, see?”

Raising a brow as she read the chart, Trixie looked concerned. “Coma? Brain Damage? Keep out. What exactly d—you know never mind. This is atrocious how dare they call Trixie a doe? But at least they got the rest right...”

A proud smile appeared on Rainbow Dash’s face as she nodded. “You like that huh? I made sure they put it on there. Oh man, they were not happy I ‘corrected’ the chart with magic marker though.” She rubbed along her neck with her hoof as she tried to look elsewhere.

Trixie let her eyes switch back to Rainbow Dash, looking the obviously nervous mare over while she thought on the situation. Finally she signed and raised a hoof up to her forehead. “We’re in a hospital aren’t we?”

“...Yeah.”

“PONYVILLE hospital?”

“…Yeah.”

Trixie had her eyes trained on Rainbow Dash, no matter how much she tried to avoid looking directly at her. “After Trixie made it clear she did not want to go there?”

“…Yeah.”

Trixie let her gaze break away from Rainbow Dash, settling it on her fidgeting hooves in her lap quietly for a time while she took steady deep breaths. “... Did you do enough to me?”

The chart clattered to the floor, fumbled by Rainbow Dash. She stared at Trixie. “W-what?”

“Everything hurts, I’m in this hospital against my wishes, the chart is a day old and it was lunch time when you ‘caught’ me, so I’ve been out for three quarters of a day. I’ve not tested it, but I’m pretty sure trying magic would make me pass out again.” Tears begun to well up in her eyes as she raised her gaze up at Rainbow Dash. “Are you satisfied? Do I get another chance now?”

Rainbow Dash stared at Trixie in shock, her stomach tied in a knot that very second while she struggled to come up with words. “T-Trixie I—”

“What in blazes are YOU doing in here! Get out right now.” Evidently, Nurse Redheart’s rounds had begun. She stood in the doorway. she needed only to take one look at the crying Trixie to know she had been right in banning the prismatic tyrant.

“Oh horse apples!” Rainbow Dash spread her wings and flew up to the ceiling.

Nurse Redheart picked up the chart from the floor and swatted at her with it, trying to chase her out of the room. But each time she nearly had her out the door there was a quick turn and the chase was back on.

“Rainbow Dash phis is a hosphital! Ponies need theiph phest!” Nurse Redheart called out while she held the chart with her teeth and made another stroke at the pesky pegasus.

“I know! So stop chasing me! I’m not leaving till I’ve settled this!” Rainbow Dash swooped over the bed, her eyes shifted from the nurse to Trixie briefly. “Hey! So” She was interrupted while she had to dodge a stroke from the chart

“as I was saying.” She called out on another pass by.

Trixie stared at the strange spectacle before her. Rainbow Dash trying to out fly an increasing number of nurses and doctors as more came into the room to try and chase the mare out. All the while Rainbow Dash would make a pass over her bed at every opportunity and try to continue their conversation. She had to piece it together bit by bit.

If nothing else, flying around and trying to dodge all those ponies after her seemed to help rather than hinder Rainbow Dash in her ability to actually speak. Even while she was being interrupted by flung bedpans, brooms and a Frisbee that might have once functioned as her patient chart. ”After all I, Wow! Did? You're the one asking me, yikes! For a chance? Heck have three! I'm just glad you don't hate me! This is getting, Hey! Old, I’ll come back later!”

“Oh no you won’t!” Nurse Redheart’s face was as red as her cutie mark. She was wielding a broom, wherever Trixie’s chart was she didn’t know.

Trixie’s head hurt from all the commotion, but it felt like it was easily the least important thing in the world while she shook with laughter at the antics taking place above and around her bed. She could hear Rainbow Dash join in and shook her head. “Hahah, you foal! Get lost before Trixie sees fit to best you a second time!”

“Oh as if you—Wow!” She narrowly looped around a broom. “Okay that was close! Get well soon Trixie!” With that she darted out the door with the gathering of ponies in hot pursuit, yelling so loudly Trixie had to wonder who let such loud ponies work at a hospital, did they not know the ponies here needed their rest?

One of the last ponies out the door had taken the time to hastily grab Trixie’s chart of the floor and throw it on the bed, not even bothering to hang it up properly. Trixie leaned forward and grabbed it, looking over the hoof print riddled, creased paper that was clipped to the wood.

She’s such a foal… but she can be really nice when she wants to be.

She grinned while she laid back down on the bed, staring up at the green ceiling. It took her a moment to fully comprehend what had just happened. Trixie felt a chuckle start to rise up from her throat, and soon after it blossomed into full out laughter. “It worked! It really worked! Trixie fixed everything, and Rainbow is giving Trixie another chance, no three of them! Maybe I’ll give that kiss back!”