Carefully, Trixie stepped into the shower. It was not nearly as clinical as she would have expected a hospital shower to be. Instead it could almost be described as cozy, if one could ever describe a bathroom that way. Trixie supposes Fluttershy’s would qualify.
Currently, Trixie's day was not quite going as planned. Granted not all of the changes were negative. Applejack was a familiar face she had been hoping to meet up with again, and Dinky along with Aloe and Lotus helped Trixie start to think not everypony in Ponyville was actually out to get her. And to top off the pleasant surprises she had had, Trixie was even allowed to use her magic again!
Even so, many other things popped up that Trixie had not expected she would have to worry about. The rumors were bad enough on their own, but the misunderstandings with Derpy were sure to add fuel to the fire. As long as nopony knew who she was it was fine, but that couldn’t last forever. Those issues, however, paled in comparison to the best, and at the same time, worst news she had received that day: she would be fully recovered soon.
Shaking her head, Trixie resolved not to think about anything beyond enjoying her shower for the next ten minutes.
At last! This is going to be so good!
Trixie giggled with glee while she set the shampoo bottle down in front of her, adjusting its position by nudging it with her hooves until it was perfectly centered. Once she was satisfied, she planted her hooves on the floor of the shower. This will be the last time Trixie uses her hooves for anything!
Everything was ready.
She took a deep breath. It felt like she had not possessed her magic in years, and there was the nagging worry in the back of her mind that she would not remember how to use it properly. What would she even do for a living, no, with her life, if she couldn’t wield it perfectly?
The very first tingling that traveled through her horn felt intimately familiar, as though it was trying to tell her that she was fooling herself; Her magic had never left to begin with. Magic was who she was, after all. The gentle feeling grew to a warm glow. Trixie could see the walls shimmer with a comforting orchid reflection, her own personal aurora.
Keeping her hooves firmly on the ground, she lifted the shampoo bottle over her head. It could not even be called a conscious effort, the shine simply enveloped the bottle the moment she looked at it, and followed her every whim to a T.
Trixie simply could not stop smiling as she drew a long dark blue string of thick liquid from the bottle, releasing the scent of blue berries. In a manner using delicate balancing of force and direction, she allowed it to snake through the air towards her mane. Every slight motion within the glow was one she was intimately aware of, even after it left her field of view. Any lesser unicorn might have fumbled such a feat, or at least she assumed so; there were not many opportunities to observe another unicorn's showering habits after all.
As the last of the blue snake slithered out of her view, Trixie closed her eyes, she wouldn’t be needing them anymore. Concentrating all of her attention on just feeling her magic aura, she let the shampoo braid through her mane.
Although Trixie was loving the sensation of spreading the foam around, something was missing. Oh! Water! Well, let’s take care of tha— As fantastic and magnificent a unicorn she was, she had not the faintest idea where to find the faucet. …curses.
Begrudgingly, Trixie opened one eye. Easily locating the faucet, a tendril of her magic lazily slithered over to it, and let the warm water flow. The blow to her ego was soothed away along with the foam while the warmth washed over her, electing a long, satisfied sigh.
As long as Trixie was commandeering a shower, she supposed she might as well claim the rest of the room while she was at it. Though the hospital beds were below her standards, they were still more comfy than the floor.
Two floating towels rubbed the moisture out of her fur and mane while Trixie sat upright on the bed, just watching the dancing pieces of fabric with a smile. She did not truly need to use her magic to dry off, but that hardly mattered. One did not truly need to eat peanutbutter-chocolate muffins instead of gruel either.
If there was ever any doubt in Trixie’s mind, her short hiatus had confirmed her suspicion to a certain fact: Magic truly was the best of all things. How the other races even managed without it their entire lives was beyond her.
How long until Dash gets back here?
Now that she thought about it, how was Dash going to know where to even pick her up? Perhaps she should be out at the door, waiting for her. Although, it was not as if she was going to do any such thing before she was done here. Exchanging the towels for a brush and mirror, Trixie set to work on fixing her mane.
Although levitation was often considered a basic spell, it was deceptive. The actual difficulty of the spell increased exponentially with the number of items manipulated. Any more than two, and Trixie feared she might risk hurting herself again.
Staring into the mirror while long strokes tamed her mane, her mind wandered back to what Nurse Redheart had told her: in a few weeks her recovery would be complete. Originally, Trixie could not wait to get away, and her injury prevented that, but somewhere along the way she’d lost the desire to leave. More than that, it had been replaced by a burning need to stay.
She loved everything about staying with Fluttershy, even the odd chores. Accompanying the gentle mare on her daily routine was part of a serene ritual by now that she gladly went through. Tea time in a quiet peace, or sharing stories while smiling and laughing together, even complaining about her fumbling apologies, and countlessly more little things: all of it felt important, and Trixie didn’t want to do without.
No! Trixie is not just going to up and go. What are they going to do? Force the Great and Powerful Trixie to leave?
Watching her reflection bite on her lip, Trixie tried to reason with herself. Trixie wants to stay, but… once Trixie is better, she has no right to.
It was not a matter of being forced out. Trixie could not even imagine Fluttershy asking her to leave, nor did she even wish to, it was just too painful of an image for Trixie's mind to conjure up. However, she was painfully aware she was costing Fluttershy precious bits. Every day she stayed after her recovery would be blatant freeloading.
If Trixie tries to stay, she must contribute. Yes, that’s it! Trixie will just have to make bits somehow, then Trixie can easily stay… but what can Trixie even do? Her stage is gone, and even if she had it, everypony hates her. As if they would ever come watch a show to shower Trixie with bits, it won't be anything more than rotten fruit… if Trixie is lucky.
She watched her reflection's ears droop while she fruitlessly thought on the problem. Even if she somehow got back on her hooves, she was a traveling magician, which meant she would still have to leave to do her job. She might be able to come through Ponyville once or twice a year. Just the thought made her chest ache, she didn’t want to be away from them that long.
“Oh! Wait!” she exclaimed and perked up eagerly. Maybe Trixie can bring Dash along? She likes to show off, and Trixie is sure she’d make a good entertainer under her guidance! Trixie could be with her all the time! She wrapped her hooves into a self-hug, trying to contain her excitement with the idea.
Yes! And, and Fluttershy could, uhm, get some animals to join in the act! Or cook, something like that! Maybe she’ll even be confident enough to tell a few stories? The energy slowly left her again as she started to think about the logistics of it. Her brilliant plan meant making her friends give up their jobs in the first place, and somehow more than triple the profits of her show if all three of them were living off of it.
…Maybe not… Dash just got promoted. She probably makes more bits than Trixie ever did, and there’s no way Fluttershy would agree to leave the animals behind. Sighing, Trixie let the brush drop into her saddlebags, pulling out a comb instead.
It was depressing. She could not think of any good solution to her problem. Pushing the worry away, she focused instead on putting the final touches on her mane, ensuring it would be back to its full, stage-worthy glory for her date.
Conjuring up the image of what Dash’s face would be like, once she was done, brought a smile to her face. That’s right… Trixie shouldn’t worry about this right now. Dash is giving Trixie a chance, so Trixie has to show up at her best! She dropped the comb back into the bag and brought out a small spray bottle in its stead. There will be time to worry about this after Trixie makes sure Dash realizes this is the best decision she ever made.
Levitating the tiny perfume bottle in front of her, Trixie smiled with satisfaction. It was a lovely scent that was sure to wow Dash, or so she hoped. Finding the exact same mixture as the one that was lost to the Ursa attack had taken a few tries, but the spa ponies had been very helpful and patient with her.
Getting off the bed, Trixie spritzed the air in front of her with the small bottle and trotted through it, letting the familiar scent envelope her. It had a strong, lingering fragrance of West-Equestria Elm wood, and, for a little kick, there was a slight hint of campfire smoke weaved through it.
Smiling, Trixie sat and savored the memories the scent brought along with it.
Her stage and wagon had been made of the same resilient wood, stable and reliable until the end.
The smokey hints underlying the perfume brought up thoughts of her time on the stage. This same smell would surround her throughout her act as she hid her illusions and castings among the clouds of smoke she tripped from various panels on her stage. It was playful and unpredictable, something Trixie liked to think herself as.
After a moment, Trixie collected herself, she stared into the mirror with determination. “Okay, Trixie. This is it. Dash won’t know what hit her!”