The Cold Streets of Baltimare

by DemonBrightSpirit

Sinking Feeling

Trixie took her sweet time finishing up. When she finally trotted down the stairs, she looked a mare transformed. Not only did her mane shine anew, a touch of makeup accented her features. She actually looked like the confident—if not a touch pompous—showmare that came to Ponyville a year ago.

“Much better,” I said as she approached, her head held high.

Clearing her throat, Trixie replied, “I guess I should be thanking you. It’s been a long time since—”

“A-tut-tut! I’ll hear none of it,” I said, cutting her off. “It was my pleasure.” Stepping over, I stopped next to the mannequin with Trixie’s new cloak. I had thrown a sheet over it in anticipation of the big reveal. “More importantly,” I said, a melodious tone in my voice as I failed to suppress an expectant smile, “I would absolutely adore your opinion on this!”

A flick of magic removed the sheet, leaving the completed cloak in full view. Trixie’s eyes went wide at the sight of it as her mouth opened ever so slightly. Her breathlessness sent chills down my spine. But then her expression changed. She snapped her head to the side. “Yeah, I’m sure whatever pompous pony you made it for will love it,” Trixie said, turning her back to me and the cloak.

At first I found myself aghast, but I quickly realized that Trixie thought that the cloak wasn’t for her. Taking the garment in my aura, I draped it over Trixie’s shoulders as I dragged a full-length mirror in front of her. “I would very much appreciate to hear it from that pompous pony’s mouth.” To drive home the point, I tied the cloak on her, forming an elegant bow of purple that hung from her collarbone.

Furrowing her brow, Trixie stared into the mirror a long moment before she blinked and shook her head. “J-just… what?” She got up, spinning around to face me again.

I smiled at her. “I told you before, darling, that I would fix that nasty old cloak of yours. Of course, the only thing that could possibly be done for that travesty was a hasty trip to the dump. So I replaced it with this one. Do you like it?”

Trixie just stared at me, wide-eyed before whipping back to face the mirror. Turning one side, she took it in before stepping around and observing herself from that angle. Finally, after striking several poses, she looked to me. “This… I don’t understand. Why would you do something like this for me?”

I gave a warm laugh, my smile never leaving my lips. “I promised you I would. Besides, there’s nothing more I adore than that magical moment when a pony finds that perfect outfit.”

Trixie’s response caught me off-guard as she wrapped her hooves around me. “Thank you,” she whispered in my ear, her words heavy with emotion.

“Happy to help, darling,” I said, pushing her back oh-so gently. “While I do appreciate the hug, we wouldn’t want to mar your nice, new cloak, now would we?” I stepped back, trying in vain to swipe some of the grime from my coat. “I’m afraid that I am in desperate need of a bath of my own. I trust you can make yourself at home while I get cleaned up?”

Trixie nodded, her gaze enthralled by the nearby mirror.

“Good. Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back down just as soon as I’m once again presentable.”

Hastily retreating to my bathroom, I drew a nice bubble bath. As much as a relief it was to be home, it couldn’t hold a candle to the prospect of banishing the filth marring my once-pristine coat. Slipping into the hot, soapy water felt nearly as rapturous as giving Trixie that cloak.

Of course, the pleasant relaxation quickly gave way as my thoughts wandered away from me. The hot water did little to banish the memories of those frozen, desperate streets. While I soaked in my nice, warm bath, all those ponies were still out there. The very thought turned my stomach sour.

I began to think these feelings would never leave me. Surely my empathy betrayed me. Or perhaps it was the fact that I had been so ignorant for so long that plagued me so. The only conclusion that I could come to was that if I didn’t do something to assuage my guilt, these thoughts would not allow me to rest.

As I tossed ideas around, an errant thought took hold. Didn’t Fancy Pants hold a charity fashion event every year? I knew there was definitely one in Canterlot every year; I would always attend. Though, I couldn’t recall at all just what the charity supported. I always took part for the fashion and the opportunity to put myself out there.

I sighed, still unable to let it go. Surely something would have to be done to set this right. Perhaps I could hold a similar event. Put together a charity event in Baltimare to help those ponies living on those cold streets. It’s not like I haven’t organized events before, though, decorating and such is much more my forte.

Maybe I could ask Fancy Pants or Pinkie Pie to help me. They would certainly be much better regarding those aspects. Of course! Pinkie could handle much of the organizing, and Fancy Pants could help me reach out to all the biggest players in the fashion industry. I could even recreate the line those moths ruined; I still have my designs here.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, shooting straight up and sending a wave of soapy water onto the floor.

After finishing up my bath, applying my makeup, and finally restoring my mane and tail to their former glory, I finally headed back downstairs. There I found Trixie, still admiring herself in the mirror, though her cloak dangled from a nearby screen with a half-dozen other outfits. One of my large trunks sat open with dresses and accessories spilling out. Trixie herself sported a rather embarrassing ensemble. She’d managed to find the old trunk where I stored the… well, the disasters that my friends requested I make for them for the gala last year. Currently, Trixie was twirling about in Twilight’s gown, complete with those ridiculous stars swaying all about.

To announce my presence, I raised a hoof to my mouth and cleared my throat.

Trixie nearly jumped out of her skin. Whirling around with wide eyes, she came face-to-face with me. “O-oh, I uh… I didn’t hear you there,” she said, a band of red coalescing on her cheeks.

“Well, while I can certainly understand your desire to dress up, you should probably avoid that closet,” I said, pointing to what I dubbed the rejection closet, its door still open from Trixie’s incursion.

An eyebrow raised on Trixie’s face. “What’s wrong with this outfit? I kind of like it,” she said, taking another look at the mirror.

“Oh-ho-ho, trust me, that outfit is not only an eyesore, it is one you would find absolutely abhorrent,” I said, grabbing up the other garbs and floating them into the trunk.

“I don’t find anything wrong with it.”

“I made that dress for Twilight Sparkle, and I’ll have you know that she practically designed the entire thing herself.”

Woosh!

Slam!

It happened so quickly, my mind barely registered it. Trixie managed to slip out of the outfit, toss it in the trunk, and slam it shut all in the blink of an eye. Shaking her hide, she wiped at her coat. “Why didn’t you say so earlier!”

I just managed to stifle my laughter in my throat. “I tried to warn you.” I pulled the trunk into my aura before dragging it over to the rejection closet. “In the business of fashion, there are many an outfit that just don’t turn out anything like your original vision. There are also cases where you get ridiculous orders and even times when the outfits come out perfectly, but the customers just don’t take to them. When these situations arise, you’re left with all these outfits that just linger and never really sell.”

Trixie joined me in the walk in closet. “Are you telling me that all these are full of clothes?” she asked, motioning to the dozens of trunks occupying the rejection closet.

Putting the trunk back into its spot, I took a brief survey of all the trunks. “I suppose so. Every now and again I may come in here and use a few of them to fill up blank spaces in the shop, but most of the time I can barely keep up. My muses often keep me quite busy.”

“Then why do you keep them?”

I took pause. I’d never really considered it. A thought struck me, eliciting a gasp. Why not rid myself of them? I could take them all to bolster the selection at the charity event, after I get it set up, of course.

“What a marvellous idea!” I exclaimed, wrapping Trixie up in a hug.

A bit too quickly, Trixie slipped out from between my hooves. “What in the wide world of Equestria are you talking about?”

A heat swelled in my cheeks. “Ah, yes... well, you just gave me a wonderful idea. That’s all.”

I escorted Trixie back into the parlor, shutting up the rejection closet as we exited. “Anywho, I’m just off to the bank. Did you finish your list of things for me to pick up?”

Trixie looked away from me, fixating on the table where I left the parchment and quill. She rubbed her neck. “Uh…”

I facehoofed. With a petite groan, I regained my composure. “Well, why don’t you accompany me, then?” Grabbing the cloak with a flick of magic, I floated it over to rest on Trixie’s shoulders. “We could make a day of it. There's shopping, and we could go out to a nice restaurant, and…” My optimistic expression fell away. “And you’re not leaving the boutique, are you?”

Trixie, quite unamused, pointed to her own nose.

Frowning, I stepped around to confront her face-to-face. “I want you to give me one good reason why you won't go out.” Trixie opened her mouth to retort, but I preempted her. “And getting recognized isn’t a good reason.”

She gave me a hard stare. “Why not.”

“Well, for one” – I pulled her hood down over head – “you’ve got this to keep you hidden, if you don’t want to be seen.” I tugged at the hood, pulling it away from her face. “And for two, even if you were discovered, I can promise you that, at worst, some ponies may ask for an apology. Nothing more.”

“Humph!” Trixie snapped her head away. “And I’m just supposed to take your word for it?”

“Yes!” I stamped a hoof, garnering her full attention. “I can understand you not trusting me before, but what have I done to make you wary? Have I deceived you at all since we met? Have I lied to you even once?”

Trixie’s ears folded down and she pawed at the floor. “Well… no.”

“Then why can’t you trust me?” I asked, pressing a hoof into my chest.

She never looked up at me. “I just… I-I can’t,” she said, her voice wavering as she absentmindedly clutched at her cloak.

Her sincerity took me aback. For so long she’s been obstinate and, at times, outright combative. But now she opened up, showing me a vulnerable side I’d yet to see. She was actually being honest with me.

I stepped forward, putting my forelegs around her. “I believe you,” I said gently.

She leaned into the hug, for once not pulling away. I barely heard it, but I’m sure it was spoken.

“Sorry.”

Comments

[Phaoray]

I'm liking this so far. Usually I stick with romance stories, but this is interesting. Rarity learns a bit about life on the streets, and gets to realize in Trixie that even hard work can not be enough to succeed. I am curious to hear on what has happened to Trixie in the past with ponies that brought her to this state of paranoia and no longer wanting to be recognized. She has hinted at it, but I somehow doubt Rarity fully believes the little bits she was already told.

It has to be quite a double edged sword for Trixie now. She wants the roar of the crowd and fame, but at the same time she doesn't wish for anypony to know who she is for fear of being attacked. I can see why she decided that going to another country is the best thing to do. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

[Dustchu]

Awwww man, this is so awesome.

Nice job, nice job.

[Emperor]

It's nice to see both ponies are finally beginning to really accommodate one another partways, though Trixie of course is too jaded to fully meet what Rarity thinks is best for her. I expect we'll sooner rather than later hear from Trixie just what precisely happened to make her so bitter and paranoid.

[Texus]

i would love a sequel, but please with more chapters.