//------------------------------//
// Chapter 93 - Relish 
// Story: Trixie's Forest Retreat 
// by crowscrowcrow 
//------------------------------//

“Fluttershy, Trixie’s home!” Trixie called out as she stepped over the threshold, dropping her saddlebags near the door. She couldn’t wait to tell Fluttershy all about her day, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw just how many animals had gathered inside the house, even for Fluttershy. 

Strewn along the floor and the couch, fast asleep, was a mishmash pack of ferrets, bunnies, mice, beavers, and altogether too many more kinds of animals for Trixie to care about identifying. Her eyes were drawn to the awake rabbit sitting right at the very top of the heap, she’d recognize that accusing stare anywhere, Angel. “What is going here? Trixie demands to know! Where is Fluttershy?”

Naturally, all she got back was the smallest raspberry she’d ever been insulted with. “Trixie is not sure what she was expecting.” She grumbled, idly wondering how she could make rabbit stew look like an accident. 

A familiar spot of yellow below the animals occupying the couch drew Trixie’s attention. She let a grin spread over her face, looking at Angel again. “Trixie almost forgot.” Setting her horn ablaze with magic, she lifted the blasted rabbit up in the air. “She can do this now.” One by one, she lifted the animals off the couch, and laid them somewhere on the floor, each new levitation revealing a little more of the creamy pegasus hidden underneath. The only creature Trixie did not put down was Angel, who was having a very animated, and one-sided, conversation with her. “Sorry, Trixie doesn’t speak rat.” 

With the couch cleared sufficiently to make room for Trixie, she got herself a spot next to Fluttershy. She had planned on giving a gentle nudge to wake her up, but stayed her hoof. Maybe, she didn’t need to wake her up just yet, Fluttershy looked much too adorable while she slept. There’s no rush, is there? Relaxing besides Fluttershy, Trixie leaned against her a little to make up for the warmth of the animals she’d removed.

Since the fire was still burning, Trixie deduced this nap couldn’t have lasted all that long, but at least long enough to miss that it had been time to cook. Ugh, Trixie does not look forward to getting up to make dinner… oh wait! Trixie briefly looked up at her horn with a grin. She was so used to working with just her hooves now, that she’d nearly fallen back into the old manual routine. 

Hah, The Great and Powerful Trixie is above manual labor at last! With building excitement, she levitated a log into the hearth, dropping it hard enough to make the flame give a brief roar while she extended a hoof toward the ceiling dramatically. 

Inadvertently, she found herself pointing at the struggling, and still presumably swearing, rabbit, floating near the ceiling. “Oh, right.” Against her better judgment, she brought Angel back the ground. It would not look good if Fluttershy awoke to the view of Trixie holding her pet aloft.

Unnervingly, Angel just stared at her with malice in his beady eyes, before hopping off. Trixie assumed he must have been trying to give her a death glare, but he always looked at her like that, so she couldn’t tell the difference. This is going to bite Trixie in the flank one day, isn’t it? Trixie shook her head, clearing her mind. It was a ridiculous thing to be concerned about, she was a unicorn, he was a rabbit. There was nothing he could do, short of leading Ponyville to her.

Trixie briefly dreaded the thought, but it didn’t seem likely he’d do anything that would endanger Fluttershy, if what Dash had told her was true. Despite being an annoying, possessive pest, he was also quite protective of his owner. It was just too bad that he’d decided Fluttershy needed to be protected from Trixie.

With the most pressing distraction out of the way, Trixie gleefully worked her magic to deck the table, boil water over the fire, and cook something quick for dinner. Her determination not to move hit a brief snag when it occurred to her that all the actual food was in the kitchen, which she could not see into from where she was. However, being ever resourceful and cunning, she hit upon the idea of positioning a mirror against the doorframe, enabling her to lay eyes on the cabinets, and a second mirror to be able to see what to take out.

All in all, it was probably a much more exhausting task than actually getting up and walking over there, as it spread her magic woefully thin. It was already increasingly difficult to grasp objects the further away they were, let alone while simultaneously pulling some mind warping shenanigans with mirrors.

With sweat running down her face from the exertion, and a thumping headache for her troubles, Trixie watched the vegetable stew, boiling away happily over the flames. Trixie is triumphant! She could put the complicated magic to rest now, and settle down to simply skinning and cutting up the last few ingredients at her own leisure. 

Trixie gave a soft sigh of bliss, satisfied at a job well done. A feeling of contentment embraced her body, along with something else oddly enough. Blinking in surprise, Trixie noticed Fluttershy sliding her hooves around her and pulling in close, nuzzling her coat. “Fluttershy?”

“Hmm, w-what?” Fluttershy drowsily replied, letting her head rest on Trixie’s back. Her first attempt at opening her eyes was followed only by blinking against the light of the fire, then closing them tightly again. She inhaled deeply, a soft smile playing across her lips. “Mhn, ratatouille, Nana?”

Trixie had to fight the urge to hug Fluttershy tight. She’s so cute when she’s sleepy! She settled for just giving her mane a stroke. “Not quite, but Trixie will see what she can do, Fluttershy.” 

“T-Trixie?” Fluttershy’s eyes shot wide open, staring up at her for a brief moment, before she noticed she had her hooves wrapped around the unicorn and quickly let go, shuffling away. “S-sorry! I, I thought you were out! O-of the house I mean, not sleeping. I wouldn’t just touch you while you sleep, u-unless you had to be moved, or—”

“Fluttershy, first of all, Trixie understands. Second, it doesn’t matter, Trixie does not mind you touching her anyway,” she said this in as reassuring a tone as she could, only to feel her cheeks heat up when she realized how easily that could be misconstrued. Still, she felt there was no need to clarify, Fluttershy wasn’t like that. “More importantly, what on earth happened here? Trixie had to excavate you from a mountain of critters.”

Fluttershy took a keen interest in the pot over the fire, she didn’t even look at Trixie as she spoke. “O-oh, I, uhm… I don’t really know. I’d run out of things to do, and, well, I thought maybe I’d just have a quiet moment to myself…” She trailed off and looked down at her hooves, fidgeting uncomfortably. “Just, erm, r-relaxing… Then Angel wanted a massage.” 

It was not entirely clear to Trixie how this current situation was explained by this, but she knew to let Fluttershy work through it at her own pace. She would just have to be patient. Fortunately, she had something to keep her busy, stirring up the stew. 

“After he was satisfied, he hopped off, and I thought I could, uhm, relax some more… but then he came back with Mr. Beaverton who wanted one too, and after Salley was already waiting, and it just kept going… untill… well… t-this.” She motioned around the room, just about every stray animal in the vicinity was asleep there. Now that Trixie took a closer look, they all seemed very relaxed.

“Huh, Trixie didn’t know you could do massages, Fluttershy. It seems yours are very popular.” Though Trixie had to wonder if Fluttershy’s hooves didn’t ache after all that, by the sound of it she’d pretty much dozed off after overworking herself. Stupid Angel, stealing away the only moment Fluttershy had all to herself, and for what? Working her to death as a masseuse? If Trixie had her way sh—huh? From the corner of her eye, Trixie saw Fluttershy look over at her, but as soon as Trixie turned around, expecting Fluttershy to speak, she immediately looked away again. Weird. Maybe Trixie imagined it?

“I-I guess so. It’s nothing special… I did a course on physical therapy, back in Cloudsdale, and I’ve just had a lot of practice with it since.” Fluttershy actually spoke a little bit louder than usual, and Trixie could swear she detected a hint of actual pride buried below all that humility.

“Trixie will have to remember to ask you for a treatment someday then, but first we better get you something to eat. By the looks of things you must be starving after all that.” As she spoke, Trixie filled up a bowl and held it hovering in the air before Fluttershy. “Trixie had a big lunch, she can wait. Besides, Trixie has so much to tell you!”

Fluttershy pulled the bowl towards her, taking in the scent with a nostalgic smile on her face. Suddenly, a realization struck her like thunder. Fluttershy looked up at Trixie, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Magic! Your magic is back! That’s wonderful! Oh, I was so worried you’d be disappointed.” Even though her cheering was barely at the volume a regular pony would speak at, the enthusiasm in her voice was palpable. 

Grinning widely, Trixie nodded. It was great to see Fluttershy so excited, it was rare enough of a sight to begin with, and it felt amazing to know she was the cause. With a flourish, Trixie sent out a small fireworks spell to accompany her. “Was there ever any doubt?! Trixie is every bit as magnificent as she always was!”

“Oh, my. Does that mean you are all better, already?” Fluttershy looked doubtful, clearly aware that Trixie may have bent the truth just a tiny bit for the sake of creating a dramatic effect.

Toning it down a bit, Trixie remembered what it would mean when she was fully recovered, and scraped her hoof along the cushions. “Perhaps Trixie was a little hasty… she cannot use her high level spells yet, and Trixie gets a headache if she uses her basic magic too much. Erm, so she assumes. Trixie most certainly did not foolishly try to levitate half a lake for an hour! And what even gave you that impression?”

“I-I didn’t say anything?” Fluttershy shrunk back just slightly, but visibly relaxed again soon after. Turning her attention to the stew, she blew the wisps of hot vapor off it.

“Oh, uhm. Never mind then.” Trixie chuckled sheepishly. “Anyway! Trixie has been waiting to tell you, did you know Dash fancies herself a secret romantic? Trixie never would have thought! She had the whole date planned out, Trixie was amazed she only screwed up twice! Hah.” Laughing, Trixie noticed Fluttershy tensed up visibly, and busily blew at her stew again. 

Going over what she just said, Trixie realized she was mocking Fluttershy’s best friend. Trixie winced and reined herself in, dropping to a more modest tone while she rubbed along the fetlocks of her hooves nervously.  “Uh… Trixie didn’t mean to say Dash was a fool… It… It was actually really thoughtful. She took Trixie on a nice peaceful stroll through the woods, a-away from the town, and, and she was so nice to Trixie.” Her cheeks burned as she told the story, it was even now hard to believe it actually happened. 

“That’s nice.” Fluttershy mumbled quietly, staring into her bowl. 

Trixie folded her ears flat as she heard Fluttershy’s response. The difference was subtle, but her voice was not quite as warm as it usually was. “D-Dash took Trixie to a lake.” It seemed wise to skip over the accidental rain part of the story, Fluttershy might think she was still badmouthing Dash. “She had a whole picnic prepared, just waiting for us. Dash even had Trixie’s favorite snacks! Trixie doesn’t know how she found out,  but it was the best Trixie ever tasted! Oh, and she somehow got this band of singers to sing songs while we were there.” Trixie stared off into the distance as she recalled it, how Dash had thought of it all she’d never understand. “We spent the rest of the day there, talking about all sorts of things.”

Despite Trixie’s efforts, Fluttershy still seemed disquietingly on edge. “That’s good.” She blew on the stew again, and, seemingly satisfied, tasted a bite.

It was making Trixie nervous, she hadn’t meant to offend Fluttershy. Originally she had thought Fluttershy would have been excited enough by this point that Trixie could get into some of the more juicy details, but clearly her opening had been terrible. She needed a bit more time to think of how to salvage this. Scooping out a bowl of soup for herself, Trixie simultaneously took the pot off of the fire to avoid any risk of burning it.

“Magic… is really useful, isn’t it?” Fluttershy sounded a little bit better, much to Trixie’s relief.

The question took Trixie off-guard, but Fluttershy sounded more like her old self, so she was happy to answer. “It is, Trixie is glad to have it back. Any longer and she may have gone insane. Though, can you keep a secret? There are some annoying drawbacks to it.” Trixie tilted her bowl a little to allow Fluttershy to look within, she’d scooped too shallowly, and only managed to get herself a vegetable soup, rather than stew. “Magic just does what you make it do, but you can’t really tell what level of resistance its encountering very well, unless it’s something easy like being blocked entirely. Which means it’s hard to tell if you are scooping thick stew, or just tasty water.” Giggling, Trixie shook her head while she held the bowl straight in her hooves again. “It’s not a problem if you can see what you’re doing, of course.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” Fluttershy perked up and scooted a bit closer, leaning in to look into Trixie’s bowl. “Does that mean… it’s like feeling numb?” She asked tentatively.

Pleased to see Fluttershy getting more comfortable, Trixie quickly nodded. “Yes, that’s a good way to put it, Fluttershy.” It was fun to finally get to talk about magic, and provide some real world examples in the process. They really hadn’t talked about it much before, so Fluttershy’s interest surprised Trixie. It occurred to her that Fluttershy had likely avoided the topic while her magic was still on the fritz, to avoid hurting her feelings. “It is why most unicorns require direct line of sight with the object they want to manipulate, but it is ultimately a limitation of the unicorn, not magic itself.  For example, Trixie can use mirrors to direct her magic. That is harder than it sounds, because it’s not like bouncing a beam of off mirrors. In fact…” Trixie continued her impromptu lecture, levitating one of the mirrors towards her to assist in the explanation.

As she was not being interrupted, Trixie assumed it was all clear to Fluttershy as she went on. Trixie was so caught up in her description of the theory and every day application in her show of indirect manipulation, that she didn’t notice Fluttershy had gone oddly quiet. It wasn’t until she heard a strange sound that she thought to investigate, in between demonstrations.

Fluttershy was much closer to her now, and… sniffing her mane? Trixie rapidly lost her train of thought. “So teleportation… to… impossible… uhm, Fluttershy?” She wasn’t sure what was going on with the timid pegasus, everything about her seemed a little bit off tonight.

With a surprised squeak, Fluttershy looked up at Trixie, her muzzle still nearly nestled in her mane. her cheeks burned crimson as she quickly sat up straight, nearly head-butting Trixie in the chin as she went. “Y-yes?” She very briefly made eye contact with Trixie, then brought her attention back to her own bowl and quickly ate a few bites, conveniently allowing her mane to fall between them.

Trixie tilted her head, unsure what to make of the situation. Fluttershy wasn’t usually quite so clingy, but she didn’t appear to do it entirely consciously. One option came to mind as a possible explanation for the strange stolen glances and attempts to get nearer, was that Fluttershy had finally snapped and completely surrendered to Trixie’s natural charm after she’d seen just how glorious her magic was. As much fun as Trixie could have with that thought, she quickly dismissed it, she’d already learned her lesson the first time. It actually made her feel a little proud of herself.

Err, wait. How long has Trixie been watching Fluttershy eat in complete silence? About a minute or more? Clearing her throat, Trixie decided that maybe she was not in a good state of mind to be thinking about this. After all, she was tired, not to mention in the mood, from spending the best day ever with Dash, and perhaps just a bit from abusing her magic. Even a genius level intellect like her own could make bad decisions under those circumstances. “Sorry, Trixie zoned out. It’s been a long day. For both of us by the sound of it.”

“Y-yes.” Fluttershy replied softly. Her attention remained firmly on her bowl.

Another short answer. Trixie did not like this at all. Fluttershy was her precious friend, they lived in the same house, and slept in the same bed. They’d been happily chatting a minute ago. Why was she being so different now? Trixie felt her chest ache dully. This talk was something she’d looked forward to, but Fluttershy’d been so distant ever since Trixie insulted Rainbow Dash. What does she want Trixie to do? Trixie already apologized, and said good things about her. This isn’t fair.

Taking a deep breath, Trixie tried to relax. Fluttershy was sure to have a reason for the way she acted. Perhaps Trixie had simply missed a hint of some sort. What was it that Fluttershy talked about before she changed? Something about that evil bunny. Yes, he wanted a massage, and then demanded she did the same for the other animals? Trixie frowned, there was definitely something wrong with that story. That doesn’t sound right… Angel is a jealous little fur ball, who kicks a fuss if anything threatens his position as official pet. There’s no way he’d demand other animals get the same treatment he does.

Angel Bunny was a terror as far as Trixie was concerned, but she had spent enough time around the little Tartarus spawn to know there was method to his madness. She knew he was demanding, but also protective of Fluttershy, and more than a little possessive. So why would he make her do more work? Was the massage not good enough, and he wanted her to practice? A brief look around the room allowed Trixie to put that possibility to bed, the animals all looked like it was great. Trixie can rule out possessiveness, so that just leaves protection… Protection from what? Having no work? Hehe. Trixie did her best not to laugh out loud. 

Fluttershy said she was relaxing, then Angel came and gave her more work, and brought all these animals. By Luna, that must have taken her forever… This struck Trixie as significant. “Uhm, Fluttershy? How long does a massage session last?”

Trixie smiled as she saw Fluttershy peek around her mane with a confused look. “Uhm, about ten minutes, sometimes longer.”

Blinking slowly, Trixie looked around the room again, making a quick estimate of the number of snoozing animals and multiplied, then did it again because it couldn’t be right. …WHAT!? There’s no way! Even together, Trixie and Fluttershy did not usually finish the chores with enough time left to spare to blow a couple of hours before dinner time. Granted, they were never in any hurry, and often took little breaks to talk, have tea, or just relax a moment in general. The more Trixie thought about it, the more she realized it might be possible if Fluttershy worked continuously, but then she’d literally been working all day. No wonder she fell asleep… 

Folding her ears back, Trixie stared down into her own bowl. “Trixie is sorry.” 

“W-what? Uh, for what? I mean.” 

“Trixie didn’t pay attention. You were so tired, and Trixie didn’t even notice… She just kept talking, but she should’ve just let you rest, right? Sorry. I-it’s just Trixie was really excited.” Some friend she was, perhaps she was wrong to pull the animals off her as well; Angel had tried to stop her.

“O-oh. Oh, no, that’s no—uhm. It’s okay. I’m sorry too.” Fluttershy hid behind her mane, speaking even quieter than usual. “I should have told you. sorry.”

“Trixie’s glad to see she’s not the only one that struggles with that sometimes.” Smiling, she brushed her mane out of her face. “Let’s just go to bed?” As she suggested it, Trixie shifted, ready to get up, until she felt a hoof on her foreleg.

“W-wait.” Fluttershy pulled her hoof back. “I, uhm… I’m not done so… I guess you can talk some more, if that’s okay with you?” She motioned down at her bowl. Suddenly her eyes went wide. “Oh! A-and it tastes really good. Thank you. I’m sorry. I forgot to say so before. Oh, Please don’t be upset.”

Just like that, Fluttershy had returned. Giggling, Trixie shook her head. “Trixie will overlook your wickedness just this once, Fluttershy. You did come up with an excellent idea after all. Trixie will provide dinner and a show!”

“Oh, my. A whole show? I uhm, I better eat slowly then.” Fluttershy wore a smile that Trixie could detect just a hint of mischief in.

Trixie kicked off her story by a tale of horror of what she had to go through in the hospital, and of her magic show for Dinky, though she left out the part of what happened afterwards, figuring it was not the kind of story she wanted to tell before bed. 

After that, Trixie made sure to tell Fluttershy how helpful the bits she’d given her had been, allowing her to afford a few beauty products. To demonstrate her new shampoo, Trixie originally planned to offer her mane to Fluttershy, but discovered the scent had rained out during one of the two deluges she’d suffered through. To compensate, she brought her saddlebags closer and let Fluttershy have a whiff of the strong blue berry scent from the bottle itself.

While it was a little awkward to tell the story of why she had dropped half the lake on them, as part of explaining why the scent was gone, it did give Trixie a nice segue into the moment she got to share with Dash afterward, blushing heavily as she spoke.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was predictably hiding behind her mane, unable to make eye contact. However, something else did catch her eye. “Angel? What are you—No, stop!”

Trixie's head whipped away from Fluttershy and to where she was staring. Looking in front of herself, Trixie just managed to catch Angel as he kicked her neglected, steaming soup up and into her face. It was pretty amazing to Trixie, as time seemed to stand still as she helplessly watched the fuming liquid inch towards her face. She even had time to blink once and get out a stray thought. 

Please, let Trixie not wake up from another coma.

Trixie's world turned into nothing but burning.







Collapsing onto the soft mattress, Trixie grumbled. “Trixie is going to exterminate that little rat!” Her face still ached. It was a dull kind of ache, but Trixie was just sure it was going to be difficult to fall asleep. At least she wasn’t burned badly, if that cowardly rabbit had acted earlier she might not have been so lucky.

Fluttershy whimpered, and scooted a bit further under the blankets as if trying to hide. “Oh, please, Trixie. Don’t be mad at him. H-he didn’t mean any harm. I’m sure he didn’t know it was hot.”

“He most certainly did! It’s lucky Trixie’s bowl had been cooling this whole time or Trixie might have been seriously hurt! What is Trixie saying!? It did hurt!”

By the time Trixie had been able to see again, Angel was nowhere to be found. Fluttershy had acted quickly and come to her rescue with a soaked towel to cool and clean Trixie’s face. If there was ever the slightest doubt in Trixie’s mind that Angel was pure evil, it was gone now. Though Trixie’s brief search to find him ended up fruitless, she would bide her time. He couldn’t hide forever. 

“I-I know. I’m really really sorry, Trixie. He’s never done a-anything like that. I’ll talk to him, I promise.” Fluttershy apologized for what was probably the hundred time that evening. Though to be fair, Trixie had been threatening to end that rat for at least as many times.

Letting out a deep sigh, Trixie laid down besides Fluttershy. “See to it that you do. Trixie leaves it to you.” She conceded, still seething with rage, but she did not want to continue having this conversation another hour. 

Trixie could feel Fluttershy shake lightly on her half of the bed while she curled up. “Y-yes, I will. Sorry… U-uhm. G-goodnight, Trixie.”

Trixie’s stomach seemed to twist in on itself. It wasn’t really fair to keep yelling at Fluttershy for something that Angel had done. Taking a few deep breaths, Trixie waited for her pulse to steady, speaking only once she was sure she wouldn’t sound angry. Fluttershy didn’t deserve to have the last words she’d hear before sleeping to be coated with rage. “…Good night, Fluttershy. Sweet dreams.”

In a way, Fluttershy’s exhausting schedule of the day was a good thing. Trixie was sure that Fluttershy would have laid awake for hours over this if her body had not demanded she’d sleep. 

Trixie herself though, was left trying to spot new patterns in the grooves and knots of the ceiling. What occupied her mind most was what she might have done if she had not been blinded, but the more she thought about it, the more she was relieved that she had been. Rabbit stew was not as pleasant a thought as it had been when she was still in pain.

Fortunately, Trixie had more pleasant things she could think about. If she was lucky, she might even end up dreaming of them. The corners of her mouth curled into an involuntary smile as she recalled Rainbow Dash’s response to her confession. ’I know’ She chuckled. Can’t she go a minute without trying to sound cooler? She’s so cute.

Feeling Fluttershy hook a hoof around her, Trixie froze and held her breath. Carefully, she tilted her head to peek at Fluttershy. To Trixie’s surprise, Fluttershy was not awake. She simply snuggled up against Trixie in her sleep, nestling her nose in Trixie’s mane. 

It was a little awkward, Trixie wasn’t sure how she should respond. It didn’t seem right to wake Fluttershy for this, as it wasn’t as if Trixie didn’t like it, but it felt a bit like taking advantage of her. I-if she likes to sleep like that, who is Trixie to argue? Besides! Fluttershy had a hard day, waking her up wouldn’t be right. Uh, yes, that’s it. Trixie should just let her do as she likes! 

Gleefully pleased with her brilliant logic, Trixie heard Fluttershy breath in deeply, followed by a soft smacking sound. Glancing over, she felt her heart stop. Oh, no, not again! Her beautiful silvery locks, were trapped in Fluttershy’s mouth. Thankfully spared of chewing, but it was a terrifying prospect. 

’Waking her up wouldn’t be right’ Huh? Great, who’s taking advantage of who now? Trixie should have seen that coming… Oh, what the hay. Twisting onto her side, Trixie wrapped one hoof gingerly around Fluttershy, and closed her eyes. Let’s call it even.