//------------------------------// // Chapter 128 - Reimburse // Story: Trixie's Forest Retreat // by crowscrowcrow //------------------------------// It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. Most of the clouds had been cleared or moved to adjacent regions that were scheduled for rain. Well, probably scheduled for rain anyway. Rainbow Dash might have given up on the whole ‘reading requests’ thing a little bit and just moved the clouds about at random. So far, nopony seemed to have noticed the difference. But they were going to notice this. Rainbow Dash did a final airborne pass, gleefully rubbing her hooves together as she oversaw the fruits of her labor. She’d skimmed a few clouds off of the top of each ‘order’ she had pushed around today. Not enough to really be missed, but just enough for what she had planned. A large, puffy, and friendly-looking white cloud was positioned directly above Golden Oaks Library. “Rainbow Dash?” A familiar voice called from below. Right on time. “Oh, hey, Twi!” Rainbow Dash called down with a wide grin. “What do you think?” Twilight trotted out the front door, trying to get a better look at the spherical cloud. “Uh, it’s pretty, I guess? But, What’s it doing here?” She had a disheveled look about her, as though she’d been up all night. “It’s a funny thing about clouds,” Rainbow Dash mused. “They're all white and puffy, right? But when we’re moving ‘em we gotta be real careful, cause how we feel can make the cloud feel too. It’s funny, right? Feeling clouds?” “I, I guess?” Twilight looked confused, perhaps being this tired made her slower than usual. However, soon enough comprehension dawned on her and she switched over to her lecturing face. “I’ve read about this before. A pegasi’s emotional state can influence the properties of the clouds they come into contact with. It’s sometimes used to produce the desired weather conditions, but it is considered unreliable because it is hard to alter your mood at will. You can’t just decide to feel sad whenever you need to make a rain cloud for example.” “Uh, yeah, all that. I was totally gonna say that, for sure.” Dash scratched the back of her head. She’d gone to school for this stuff and she still barely knew what Twilight was talking about. Still, the gist of it matched up to what she remembered. “Like I said, clouds are funny things.” “That’s great, Rainbow Dash, but I’m really busy right now. Can we do… whatever this is… some other time? I’ve got bigger concerns than clouds at the moment, I’m sorry.” Twilight turned around to head back inside. Rainbow Dash zipped past her and then up towards the cloud. “Come on, Twi. We’re almost done!” Hovering beside the puffy whiteness, she pressed a hoof against it. Almost immediately, the color of the patch she touched changed to a dark gray, which quickly spread through the rest of the cloud. A rumbling sound started up and within moments, the happy puffy cloud had turned into a huge thundercloud, swollen with moisture and crackling with righteous thunder. There was no other cloud so ready to burst in the history of Ponyville, and it was positioned directly above Twilight’s tree library home. With a clap of thunder, rain started pouring down, soaking Twilight along with everything within twenty feet of the library. Twilight stared wide-eyed at the transformation. “That’s incredible! How are you doing that so easily? Did you figure out how to separate the weather manipulation component from the emotional trigger? We should study that! Stay right there. I’ll go get my electrodes and--” “What? No!” Rainbow Dash dragged her hooves down her face. “How is this not obvious? I’m mad at you!” Already halfway back to the door, Twilight turned around to face Rainbow Dash again. She slicked back her soaking wet bangs, revealing a confused look on her face. “Mad at me? Is this about that request for cloudless nights on Fridays? It’s for stargazing and astronomy studies. Did you know Luna has been moving the--” “No!” Rainbow Dash snapped. “Gah, this is all AJ’s fault!” “Applejack?” Twilight looked even more lost than before. “”How did she get into this?” “I knew I should have just bucked you in the face immediately, now it’s all weird cause it’s been like two days already.” She ignored the sudden step back and concerned look on Twilight’s face. “She was all ‘Golly, Dash, Ah dunna thinka ya oughta be hastay, ey?’, so I slept on it. I was still mad in the morning, but not so mad that I wanted to actually hurt you, so, so, well this!” She pointed back up at the stormcloud and its relentless downpour. Twilight relaxed a little upon hearing Dash had apparently given up on the whole face bucking plan. “Oh, good. Well, not good, but, uh, thank you. Look for what it’s worth, I think it makes a good practical demonstration of your feelings. Much better than hitting me. I can’t stress that enough… Now, what are you mad about?” “Trixie! I heard what you did to her and… and well,” She looked back up at the thundercloud and stared at it as though she was trying to remember just what her plan was. “I guess I thought I’d feel better.” “Do you?” Twilight asked while blinking against the rain as she tried to look up at Rainbow Dash. “You don’t look like you feel better.” Dash shook her head violently. “No! But, I’m sure I will any second now. It'll definitely kick in once you’re cold and miserable.” Twilight rolled her eyes and turned around. “Okay, have fun. I’m going back inside. Where it’s warm and dry.” “Hey!” Rainbow Dash darted down to fly alongside Twilight as she trotted towards toward the door. “Come on, Twi, you’re ruining it! I worked hard on this!” “I’m sorry,” Twilight said while stepping over the threshold, leaving the rain, “but it’s not my fault your big revenge plan is foiled by foliage. I know I went a little too far, but my mind hasn’t changed. I’m sorry I accused her without any solid evidence, however I am almost sure she was involved with that spellbook somehow. Now if you don’t mind, I’m in the middle of an intense investigation to prove it. No thunder cloud is going to keep me from bringing this book thief to justice.” Dash hovered outside the door, trying to ignore the rain beating down on her as she glared down at Twilight. “Oh, yeah? Well, well , I bet if I leave it here you’ll be sorry!” “If I am, I’ll let you know.” Twilight shut the door. The Ponyville Town Hall. Apparently, seeing the mayor wasn’t as simple as merely walking in and demanding to speak to her. No, of course not. Trixie should have expected she would be detained immediately for daring to do so. Okay, technically a waiting room was not a jail cell. At least they brought you water and bread in jail. No, a waiting room was all the boredom, uncomfortable furniture, unsavory fellow inmates, and outdated reading material, without the fun of a metal cup to rattle along the bars. Trixie absentmindedly took a bite from one of the sweet apples Applejack had given her to sustain her through these trials. Well, maybe not specifically for that purpose, but she was very insistent that Trixie had earned them after returning Apple Bloom. The filly had been in a much better mood than before. After all, that was the deal, even though Trixie had no idea why they were apparently friends now. It was all good, though; Trixie liked apples and Apples. They had a straightforward, rustic quality that Trixie could appreciate. Even more so than other fruits and earth ponies. “I-I’m sure everything will be fine.” In the seat next to her sat her unshakable pillar of support. For all her assurances, Fluttershy had the kind of poise and cool that really made Trixie look at ease by comparison. It wasn’t any wonder, considering that Fluttershy took to conflict like a duck to tartar sauce. Trixie pulled Fluttershy against her with a flourish. “Of course it will. Trixie will even keep the yelling down to a minimum, just for you. There’s nothing to worry about.” Their eyes met for a long, uncertain moment before Fluttershy finally nodded. “Okay, but… maybe you should have brought Rainbow Dash? I… I don’t think I can…Uhm... I’m sorry.” “Dashie would just share Trixie’s jail cell. We need your non-threatening presence.” Trixie wished she had something more reassuring to say, but the truth was she too would have felt a whole lot better if Rainbow Dash was with them. Unfortunately, her office was empty when they swung by on the way here, though they did spot a large thundercloud being moved through the sky. It seemed a safe bet to assume Dash was far too busy with managing that. “The mayor will see you now,” a dull-colored mare said, motioning towards the ominously looming door at the far end of the waiting room. “Alone. Quietly.” Trixie narrowed her eyes at the impudent clerk. “Who are you to presume to tell The Great and Powerful Trixie in what manner she is to approach or conduct herself. Trixie will do as she pleases!” She turned to grab Fluttershy, but one look at those big, worried eyes of hers and the flash of indignant anger in Trixie crumbled into concern. Maybe she shouldn’t be dragging her into more trouble than was necessary. “You, uh, hold down the fort here. Like we planned! Yes. Trixie will talk to the mayor one on one.” “But, I, uhm, Weren’t we going to…Mpf?” Fluttershy meekly protested till Trixie gently silenced her with a hoof against her lips. “Shh.” Trixie would have given the world to hush Fluttershy in a slightly different way, but she didn’t want to break her again. “You secure the perimeter,” she turned back to glare at the clerk as she finished with extra emphasis, “Like. We. Planned.” The clerk rolled her eyes in defeat and slinked off to whence she came. Triumphant, Trixie made her way to the door, taking one last look back at Fluttershy. She looked like a lost puppy. Flashing her a reassuring smile, Trixie said, “Trixie will be right back.” Then, she pushed through the door. The sight that greeted her had Trixie feeling as though she’d stepped back through time. The office was eerily quiet and shadowy, the shades were drawn. A large desk featured prominently in the middle of the room, behind which an older pony flipped through papers with a casual disinterest. In front of the desk was a stool, presumably meant for Trixie to sit on, providing a stark contrast with the large, comfy chair the mayor was settled into. It did not escape Trixie’s notice that the seat of the chair was higher than that of the stool, meaning a seated visitor would always be looking up at the mayor. An obviously transparent intimidation tactic. All of these things might have made an ordinary pony break their stride. However, no normal ponies had ever attended regular after school magic classes in the profoundly creepy office of Professor Silence. Trixie knew she had to strike quickly. If she didn't establish dominance, then it was likely her next few nights would be in a jail cell. Without slowing down, Trixie trotted past the stool towards the desk. Once there, she reared up and placed her front hooves on the edge of the desk, raising herself up higher. With a smirk, she stared down at the surprised face of the mayor. “You’ve waited long, but at last you have the privilege of meeting The Great and Powerful Trixie in person. Rejoice!” “Ahhh,” Mayor Mare flinched back and held her head in her hooves with a pained grimace, “Shhh. Shhh. Didn’t Miss Sugarplum tell you to be quiet? Oh, my head.” Trixie blinked. “Are you drunk?” Any atmosphere of intimidation the room might have held was quickly deflating. “What?” Mayor Mare said, flabbergasted. “No!” “Fine fine, not now obviously.” Trixie rolled her eyes. Cranky ponies were such sticklers for detail. “Now you’re just hungover.” “No, I’m tired! I’ve not had a wink of sleep in weeks. Do you have any idea what I’ve dealt with? The Sunrise Celebration preparation and fall out. Nightmar—I mean, the return of Princess Luna. sleepless apple farmers, whom I am understanding much better now by the way. Abusive griffons. Cranky ursa majors. Honest to goodness dragons roosting nearby and—” “Minor,” Trixie interjected. “—What?” “It was an ursa minor.” It was also just a minor correction, but Trixie figured it had to help her case to point out she couldn’t be accused of bringing a full on ursa major down on the town. “And it didn’t even really do anything… well... except...” Trixie lost steam as her wrecked wagon came to mind. “I feel as though you may be missing the overall point, Ma’am.” Mayor Mare pushed her glasses a little higher up her nose as she seemed to finally focus on Trixie for the first time since she entered the room. “There’s no need to blow it out of proportion. Besides, you say all this as if you had to deal with all that, but Trixie is certain you were not even involved in any of that. It is unbecoming of you to take credit for handling the princess, the ursa or the dragon. You should try to be more honest.” Stuck somewhere between outrage and incredulity, the mayor stared openmouthed at Trixie. After a few soundless false starts, she finally found her voice again. “...I’m sorry. Did you really just? You know what, never mind. No, I am not ‘taking credit’ for the act of ‘dealing with’ those events themselves. I don’t know why I am even explaining myself. Did you think everypony just shrugs this off? I’ve had a near non-stop conga line of ponies in here each time asking about everything from decreased property value to crisis management plans —Have you ever tried planning for the unexpected? It can’t be done!—, and deductible therapy bills. Or, on some rare occasions, hysterical purple ponies demanding I sign a form to turn the library into a fortress and refuse to leave till the early morning!” Mayor Mare stood in her chair and breathed heavily. She looked out of focus again, seemingly suffering some sort flashback. “Erm, Trixie had nothing to do with any of that.” She cautioned. “Especially that last one.” “Huh?” She snapped back to reality and slowly sank back into her seat. “Right, yes. Sorry. It’s been a, well, a stressful couple of weeks.” “Through no fault of Trixie’s. Let’s keep that in mind here.” Trixie urged. “Yes,” Mayor Mare echoed tiredly. “I mean. Yes. Uhm, why are you here again?” It dawned on Trixie that not only had she lost her momentum, but she also didn’t have a plan. In hindsight, formulating an approach before she actually went to visit the mayor would have been the sane thing to do. Sure, she’d thought to bring Fluttershy, but moral support didn’t equate to a plan. It had never crossed her mind to actually prepare for the most important part! She could feel sweat starting to dampen the fur on her forehead as she tried her best to look more in control than she felt. At least the mayor didn’t seem any more on top of things than she was. “Well, you, uh, you asked for Trixie. Yes! Nurse Redheart told Trixie you asked to be informed when Trixie was well; Trixie is informing you.” “Oh, yes, of course.” The mayor actually offered up a smile. “That’s good then. Did the ursa injure you? I was never informed how you ended up in the hospital.” There was an interesting idea. If she claimed the ursa had hurt her, they probably wouldn’t pile any heavy punishment on top of that, would they? “Yes, it was the ursa’s fault.” She was pretty sure that only Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy knew the truth anyway. Besides, it wasn’t really lying. If the ursa minor had never shown up, none of this would have happened. “It was definitely the ursa’s fault.” “Is that so? I’m glad to see you’ve recovered so well.” Mayor Mare’s eyes held an alert glint that definitely wasn’t there before. She pulled open a drawer and rummaged through it. Trixie’s ears perked up. She could make out a metallic sound, like cuffs. After a moment, the mayor reemerged, holding a notebook that she proceeded to flick through. “Now, as I understand it, during the attack your… ‘stage wagon?’ was destroyed. Naturally, I’ve taken this into account already, but I wasn’t aware you were hurt...Mhmm.” “Trixie, uhm, appreciates that...” There was an uncomfortable lump in Trixie’s throat as she watched the mayor write something down in the notebook. “Don’t forget that Trixie came here.” That was it then. She’d done all she could think of to express any possible mitigating circumstances. She just had to hope that wasn’t only a thing in novels. Why didn’t Trixie remember to steal a book on law while she was breaking in anyway? “I can see that,” the mayor mumbled while she studied her notes. Part of Trixie nagged at her to pull a disappearing act. To try and avoid any punishment. But, that wasn’t what she was here for. Taking a shuddering breath, Trixie closed her eyes. If she was going to stay in Ponyville, no stay with Fluttershy and Dashie, then there was only one thing left for her to say. “Trixie will accept whatever you deem appropriate...” “Well, that makes this easier.” The mayor clapped her notebook shut and the scraping of wood indicated the drawer opened again. “Alright, here are your bits, ma’am.” A clear, metallic clinking sound hit the tabletop. Trixie blinked stupidly at the sack of bits and gems between them, glimmering in the faint light of the room. Dumbfounded, Trixie pried her gaze away from the treasure pile, looking Mayor Mare in the eyes. “...Really?” “Yes, ma’am.” The notebook received a final few quilmarks then disappeared into the drawer, which promptly shut. “That,” Trixie swallowed and looked around, expecting some sort of SWAT team to come out of the walls now that her guard was down. When no such teams appeared, she turned back to the mayor. “That’s really it?” “Yes,” the mayor replied, tilting her head in confusion. “Unless I missed something? Oh, of course, don’t worry about the hospital bill.” “So…” Trixie went quiet as she struggled to find a diplomatic way of asking what she really wanted to know. She couldn’t find one. When she couldn’t control her nerves any longer she snapped and started just rattling off a list. “No prison time? No stoning, or public shaming? No—” “Ma’am!” Interrupted the mayor, her eyes wide in shock. “We both know what those two colts did was wrong, but do you really think they deserve something as bad as that!? You said it yourself, ultimately the ursa was at fault here.” “You can’t be—You’re just messing with Trixie now!” She pointed her hoof at the bag of wealth. “That’s Trixie’s? Trixie is to take it and go home?! What about Trixie lying about defeating an Ursa Major!?” Scrunching up her face, Mayor Mare took off her glasses and rubbed her temples. “Ma’am, I don’t know how the laws work where you are from, but in Ponyville it is not illegal to tell tall tales. There’d be nopony left. Now, I am very busy. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. In my office, that is. Preferably not within earshot either, but I can’t compel you to comply with that.” With cautious optimism, Trixie lifted the bag off the table. It was heavy. As heavy as she thought a bag like that should be. Not that she’d ever seen that much wealth put together in her life. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was. Mayor Mare had her sign a receipt, and that was it. The implications were slowly hitting her as she trotted out of the office and back into the waiting room. Only Fluttershy was there, still looking every bit as nervous as before. And then, Trixie woke up. That is to say, she woke up to the notion that this was all really happening. It was real. Trixie didn’t have to go to jail, or Tartarus, or Saddle Arabia. She wouldn’t have to leave the two ponies that had come to mean the world to her. She could go home with Fluttershy. She didn’t have to be so scared anymore. Trixie had more bits than she knew what to do with. Finally, she could stop leeching off of Fluttershy’s kindness. She didn’t have to feel so guilty anymore. “Trixie?” Fluttershy was suddenly standing mere inches away from her, eyes wide with concern. “Trixie, what’s wrong? What happened Are you okay?” It was only when Trixie saw herself reflected in Fluttershy’s eyes that she understood the worry in the sweet filly’s voice; Tears of relief were streaming down Trixie’s cheeks as she felt so many fears just wash away. Struggling for words, She couldn’t think of any way to express the sheer joy welling up inside her except for one: Trixie leaned in and kissed Fluttershy. “Trixie is not okay.” Her voice cracked pathetically, but she didn’t care, “She’s Great... and Powerful.”