The Great and Delicate Trixie

by DogSomeOre

Ch. 9.5 - Hard day's work

The day feels cold as the jacket your wearing protects you from the freezing temperature. Your arms grow tired from the constant banging of the hammer being brought down on the new wood boards that you've fitted for the showmare. "Well it ain't perfect but it's getting there." You tell yourself as you take a step back to admire the hard work you've put in to make Trixie's stage one of a kind. The curtains still hang down ripped on the sides with dust and dirt attached to it's fine lining, you know this job wouldn't be easy but you still do it for her.

You take a break to rest your arms and back and head back to Trixie's wagon to see how her progress is going. From the window you see a bright blue glow as well as a poof sound coming from inside. "She must really be working hard." You think to yourself. Opening the door you see Trixie's back towards you as she lifts up flowers and makes them seemingly disappear, the sound of the poof presumably coming from her magic.

"Hey Trixie." You call out to her.

"Gah!" Trixie lets out. She gets startled and loses her concentration with the flowers poofing back into existence, falling to the floor in the process.

"Could you knock before entering?!" She says with a shaken up voice.

"My bad. Was just seeing how all you've been managing."

"Well as you can see." She starts. "Trixie has been doing quite fine, until you know, she almost had a heart attack." She says with a little snarl in her voice.

"Well that's good to hear." You say trying to change the topic into a less threating aura.

Trixie faces towards you and walks over to a chair stationed at her desk, resting her body as she does so.

"What about you?" She asks. "How's the stage been coming along? Good I hope."

"Oh just you wait!" You tell her with excitement in your voice. "You won't be disappointed."

"I know you won't disappoint Anon that's why Trixie has her full trust in you. Though not letting me see it for what, three days now, is a bit concerning." She admits.

"Don't you worry Trixie. This stage will be almost unrecognizable!" You say once again excitement gathering.

"I... take it that's a good thing.... right?" Trixie asks with caution.

"Uh yes." You say.

"Well good." The mare says. She turns away from you and opens her small fridge with her magic to levitate a bottle of water towards you.

"Well, you going to take it?" She says as the cold water floats in front of your face with her powerful aura.

"Thanks." You say. "But you sure you want me drinking your water?"

Trixie rolls her eyes. "Anon I don't want you to faint on me while you're out there, I know you forgot to bring your own today so I thought it'd only be nice. That is what the 'generous Trixie' is here for after all." She finishes with a smirk.

You take the water and begin gulping it down like you haven't drunk in weeks.

"Oh my Celestia, Anon!" Trixie raises her voice. You look back down to her direction and stop drinking the water that is already almost empty.

"What's up?" You ask.

"'What's up?'" She repeats. "You need to tell me when you're dying of dehydration!" Trixie says with alertness.

"Huh?"

"The bottle Anon, you devoured almost all of it! I don't know what mare you take me for but you need to come to me when you need something!" She tells you with seriousness, she's acting as if you're on the verge of death and are in need of constant care.

"Trixie it's fine... I was just a little thirsty is all."

"'a little?' Anon you don't need to lie around me, Trixie will do whatever she can to make sure you are in the best shape! You matter to me you know."

Your eyes widen at that last sentence as she catches you completely off guard. Her face turns from one of a nurturing mother to as red as the most reddest apple you've seen as she realizes what she just said.

"No, I mean, what I mean is...." She stumbles over her words.

"I knew it!" You say.

"K-Knew what?" She asks.

"Come on Trixie just admit it, you care about me a lot don't-cha?" You say grinning ear from ear as you delight in her change of attitude and are teasing her to full capacity.

"N-No, you didn't let me finish." She says trying to recompose herself, crossing her hooves and looking to the side from you as if she wasn't done with whatever she needed to say.

"Now then, the stage can't fix itself right? W-Well you matter to m-me because I need you to finish it. That's all!"

You keep looking at her with the same huge grin, you try your hardest not to start laughing as you see Trixie come into a more defensive stance.

"I mean it Anon! Stop giving me that look!" She says with her nose scrunched and her mouth pointed down, you really are enjoying every moment of this.

"Ok Trixie, I believe you." You say.

"Y-You do?" She says with timid-ness.

"I believe you can't be away from me for one second!"

Trixie lights up again and moans to herself, embarrassment and frustration lining her expression.

"Y-You really are hopeless Anon." She says with a scoff looking away from you still with her hooves folded.

"In any case," she says getting up from the chair. "I still have a bit of work to do if I want this show to be magnificent, which it will, but Trixie must make sure everything is even better then better."

"So what new tricks have you been working on?" You ask.

"Well as you saw I was following the best magician in all of Equestria's famous disappearing act! It's quite something, just have to figure out the remaining quirks is all."

"Best magician? Who?"

"Why of course the one and only Hoofdini!" She asserts. "Who else?"

"Uhhh... right... who?" You say, you have no idea who she's talking about.

Trixie's jaw drops to the floor and she gasps in horror at your words, she looks offended.

"Anon, tell me it isn't so! You don't know who the one, the only, Hoofdini is?!"

"Uhhhh....-"

"You really are so hopeless." She says with disappointment, shaking her head side to side slowly.

"A lesson is in order! Sit Anon, Trixie is about to tell you about somepony who I myself can not even match. A pony even more 'Great and Powerful' then 'The Great and Powerful Trixie.'"

"Wow this guy must be really amazing then, you never think so highly of anyone." You inquire, surprised that Trixie could be so infatuated with anyone more then herself.

"I wouldn't go that far. There are some creatures that Trixie thinks even more highly of then you'd be lead on to believe." She says to you, giving you a smug smile and a playful wink.

"Even more creatures?" You wonder. "Now that's something."

Trixie begins her tale of 'The Great Hoofdini', telling some of her favorite tricks from him, his best performances, and his early life. She really knows a lot about him.

"Wow Trixie, if I didn't know any better I'd say your his biggest fan."

"Oh please." She says nonchalantly, waiving a hoof at you.

"Is he the reason you decided to get into the show buiss'?"

"A part of it yes. I really always wanted to become as good a pony as he was. You could say it was something of an obsession of mine... kind of embarrassing huh?" She elaborates, another blush forming on her face.

"I don't think so at all." You argue. "Being a 'mare-gician' suits you very well Trixie, you are a wonderful entertainer and have shown me tricks over the past couple days that would 'wow' even the most knowledgeable of ponies. You're great the way you are."

Trixie smiles at your comforting words and looks you softly in the eye, her demeanor becoming more calm.

"Thanks Anon. I really appreciate it. No pony- or creature has ever said anything like that to me. I think it's sweet." She finishes with a fixated look, her eyes matching yours as you both sit closely together on her bed.

"You ok Trixie?" You ask.

"Why do you ask?"

"You just said that what I said was 'sweet'?"

She changes face quickly and reverts back to her old-self.

"You think I meant it? C-Come on now Anon, you know me better then that!" She states.

"Yeah I do, which is why it's weird you called me 'sweet'."

"I didn't call you sweet! I was saying what you said was sweet! A-And by the look on your face, I totally got you. Trixie would never say such things on a serious level."

"If you say so." You add. "But hey I'm not complaining."

The two of you finish up talking and you tell her you'll be heading out soon to work more on the stage, it's not going to get done itself so you figure that spending more time adding details, fixing materials, and just making it look presentable are in top priority for her show to be great.

-------*-------
Trixie changes her mood quickly as to try and damage control the situation.

"I didn't call you sweet! I was saying what you said was sweet! A-And by the look on your face, I totally got you. Trixie would never say such things on a serious level."

She looks at Anon, hopefully he'll believe her as she spews out whatever just comes to her mind. She appreciates Anon's compliments and gets giddy with every one she hears. She meant it when she called him sweet and loved hearing those words from him but she made the mistake of making it too obvious as she never gives anyone compliments.

The past couple of days has been stressful for her and she's taken a big order by agreeing to perform in Canterlot but the stress has been somewhat taken away by the sight and time spent with her one and only support. She just hopes she'll be ready when the time comes.

"If you say so." Anon says shrugging to himself.

"Yes!" Trixie's mind shouts with excitement. "I think it worked, Anon is so easily fooled." She thinks.

"Anyway Trixie I'm glad that you shared the story of Hoofdini and whatnot but I think I'm gonna get back to workin'. The stage isn't going to fix itself right?" Anon teasingly says as he quotes Trixie from earlier.

"Ha ha very funny Anon. Well you go ahead and keep working on it, Trixie still has tricks to be practiced and magic to be perfected! And she will perfect them." She states as she strikes a pose with flair.

She waves a hoof goodbye and see's Anon walk out the door. She wants nothing more but to spend more time with him but is at a loss on what things they could possibly do. Honestly, just staying by Trixie's side is enough for her but she's starting to feel things she's never felt before. But what? Does she even know? No, she doesn't and that's what scares her. Her philosophy for people was to always not hold them close but she's failed this time; mainly because he's been the first thing in her life to want to see her succeed, and she loves every second of it.

Night comes as Trixie finishes up for the night, putting all her tools and objects away for the next day to come. "Where is Anon?" She wonders as he's been normally coming by to say "goodnight" every night. She looks out her window but see's no sign of her human. Nervous and slightly worried, she heads out the door to look for him.

Trixie makes her way to the stage but can't see anything in the dark. "Anon?! You there?!" She yells. An echo of a "yeah" comes back towards her direction and she hears footsteps. Coming towards her, Anon appears in the shadows.

"What's going on Trixie? You need something?" He asks, taking deep breaths in between.

"Anon why are you breathing so heavy?" She asks, concern in her voice.

"Well I've been working on the stage of course. You said this needs to be perfect so I'm putting my all in."

"Anon." Trixie says with a mellow voice, she does want this to be a spectacular performance but not at the expense of her friend.

"You don't need to push yourself. It's ok for the night you can go home."

"No way! There's still some work to be done and your show is tomorrow, everything has to be pristine." Anon states confidently, he really cares a lot about this, maybe more then Trixie anticipated.

"If you really care that much....."

"You bet I do."

"Ok fine. I'm pretty tired though so I'm going to head off to bed for the night."

"Oh alright, well goodnight Trixie."

And just like that her heart skips a beat, she loves hearing those words as if a comforting entity is protecting her every time they're muttered. Her night isn't complete without Anon saying that, as weird as it may be to even her.

Anon begins to walk back to whence he came.

"Anon, wait."

He turns around, waiting for whatever his unicorn friend has to say.

"Just.... be careful... for me.... I mean..... just be safe ok?"

Anon smiles and gives a thumbs up. "For you."

Trixie gives a soft smile back as she see's her friend walk away slowly into the night. She goes back to her wagon and lays down in her bed, thinking about the best ways she can impress Anon tomorrow at her performance, she hasn't felt this intense of emotions since.... well since she first started all the way back when she was a little filly. She's more scared then anything; the thought of performing here after all that happened still haunts her to this day, she knows one way or another that she'll do it. She has to, for him.

Author's Note:

Wanted to "bridge the gap" so to speak between Chapters 9 and 10 as I felt it wasn't conclusive enough to just jump from the two. I'm a couple chapters ahead but am still making adjustments and proof reading to make sure everything is right. Thanks to everyone who's been sticking with this story this far.

Comments

[crsh11]

And just like that her heart skips a beat, she loves hearing those words as if a comforting entity is protecting her every time they're muttered. Her night isn't complete without Anon saying that, as weird as it may be to even her.

Come on... just press your Pony lips against his human mouth already!

[Bob936753]

"Anon." Trixie says with a mellow voice, she does want this to be a spectacular performance but not at the expense of her friend.

Ah, yes physical work that makes you breathe heavily is always dangerous, totally not just you doing exercise.

[DogSomeOre]

10980407
Ha ha. Silly for sure, but she cares nonetheless lol.