The Great and Delicate Trixie

by DogSomeOre

Ch. 3 - A long and arduous walk

Noticeably, everyone you see either runs away out of panic or ignores you completely while the two of you walk side to side.

"What the heck has gotten into everyone today?"

Looking at Trixie you see her looking down at the ground while the two of you are walking, not making eye contact with anything or anyone else around her, almost as if she's trying to ignore the situation completely.

"This way." You finally here her talk after minutes of walking, she points you in the direction to go. Feeling concerned, you ask if anything's wrong.

"Hey... Trixie.."

The blue mare looks up a little noticing the callout of her name and looks to you almost like she was in a trance and you took her out of it, until seconds later she looks back to the ground and speaks.

"Yah, what is it? Don't really think there's much to talk about right now unless you need to stop for a second."

"No it's not that, it's just..."

"Go on."

"You seem a little down is all."

Over your talking you can hear a mare whispering to what you assume to be her friend while looking at the both of you, though as soon as you make eye contact the mare looks to be surprised and her and her friend walk away as quickly as possible.

Looking back up with her face and body straight and confident as can be, Trixie looks to you to respond.

"Down? Me? Ha. Trixie is never sad. I am just bored is all. Nothing to do nothing to see. It's not like Ponyvile is the most extravagant place you know. If I wanted to see decorative buildings, I would have just gone to Manehattan. My goal is to just finally have this nightmare over with and be alone back in my glorious house." She finishes off in a cocky tone that feels more in line with what you've been hearing from her.

"You know actually that reminds me..."

You trail off in thought as Trixie looks at you, her head and face slightly tilted to the side.

"What were you doing up there in that tree? I mean it's not everyday some pony gets themselves stuck on a tree and I'm not going to judge or anything but you seemed awfully shaken up and-"

"It's none of your business." She stops you abruptly as the words leave her lips. You stay silent for a moment from the seriousness in her voice that caught you off guard.

"I mean..." She sighs catching her breath in the process. "It doesn't matter ok? I mean what does it matter to you anyway, you don't know me, I don't know you, best we keep it that way."

"Sure." You say to her in a melancholy tone. You aren't too sure how or even why she got up there, but as far as you two are concerned, you're just strangers, you'll leave her once this whole mess is behind you and she'll continue her life just as she did before. But it really does make you wonder what this mare is all about.

"But." She begins to speak seemingly hesitant to do so.

"It wouldn't be so bad to know your name. N-Not that it matters, just, you know, you already know mine so why not return the gratitude." She looks away from you for some reason. She seems embarrassed but all she did was ask for your name? You find it weird that she would be in such distress from a simple question like this but you choose to ignore that fact and answer her.

"It's Anon."

"Anon... Huh. Didn't think someone would have a name like that."

"What is it bad or something?"

"Don't misconstrued my words, I didn't say that, I just never heard of anyone ever called by that name before is all. In any case, it's good to know you aren't some nameless, faceless... whatever you are that just came out of thin air and into Equestria."

"Heheh yeah, just appearing here out of nowhere would be pretty weird haha." You chuckle nervously and weird enough to catch her attention.

"Uhhhh... Yeaaaah it would..."

The two of you continue down the sidewalk path with ponies anywhere and everywhere still walking the opposite direction the two of you are coming from not even glancing into your eyes as you walk past. You still think it's weird and pray that it isn't because you smell bad but you're quickly reassured as you're sure if anyone were to tell you that you stunk it'd be the mare that is leaning on your side for support.

-------*-------
"Man Trixie how far is your house? Feels like we've been walking for miles and we're nowhere near Ponyvile anymore."

"It's close, trust me." The blue pony reassures you as you walk nearer and nearer to the perceived destination.

You both are out of Ponyvile and are now in deep woods that feels very ambient and lonely if not a little relaxing.

"Well being out in the middle of nowhere where no one is here to bother you is pretty nice I got to admit."

"Really? I thought living next to neighbors would be something someone like yourself would really enjoy." Trixie says in response

"Honestly I don't mind it, sure it can get noisy here and there but it isn't all bad but I'm not really a people- or pony person. Having a little alone time where no one is around is something I haven't had the luxury of doing in quite some time though. But why the woods? You most definitely strike me as the type to be a 'pony gal', with having tons of friends and what not."

"It's... It's complicated."

That's all she says on the matter, she doesn't seem to be open with you and you don't really understand why but respect it nonetheless.

"Woah hey what is that?" You say, seeing an opening to a huge rock cave that looks to be man-made.

Trixie gasps out of shock at the sight of it.

"It's best we move, like now!" Trixie exclaims as she motions you away from whatever she's so afraid of.

"Well hold on it looks pretty cool can't we just see what's inside-"

"Anon I'm serious we have to go now-"

"Well, well, well, look who it is? The meal that ran away? Oh it is! And what's this? She brought a friend with her too! Well ain't that sweet. Two for one deal!"

You and Trixie turn around slowly to see the figure that is talking; a large grey dog greets your eyes as his mouth drools heavily.

"Ya know, if I knew you were coming to visit today, I would've brought my buddies with me; oh well, looks like I'll have to bring dinner home myself."

"Hey look, we don't want any trouble." You tell the creature

"Well unlucky for you pal you found just that!" The dog laughs maniacally to itself as he inches closer and closer.

"Now Anon, run!" Trixie says to you, and just like that, the two of you bolt. Trixie falls behind from you however, her injuries slowing her down with each step.

You look behind to see the dog running full force to you both, a lust for hunger in his eyes. Trixie pants in pain as she slows more and more down. She falls down to the ground as the pain in her hooves is to much to bare.

"Trixie come on we have to keep going!"

"I-I can't!.... Leave me here, I won't do any good slowing you down!"

"Like hell I'm leaving you! We can't be that far from your house, just a little more!"

You try and lift her back up but each time she yells out in pain and slumps back down. You see the dog running closer to your position and you have no choice but to stand your ground. You get in front of the battered pony and put your stance into a fight position.

"Anon what are you doing? Go you idiot, now!"

"I said I'm not leaving you, what kind of person would I be if I ran away and left you here? Like it or not Trixie, I'm not about to have you die on me and that's final!"

"Anon..." Trixie says. Not another word leaving her lips, looking at you with hope and an awe struck expression.

The dog stops feet away from you with a bit of confusion, before seeing the weak mare before you.

"Aw you really trying to protect your girly huh? How sweet if not so utterly stupid. You had a chance to run away prince charming."

You stand your ground, eying him threateningly, fists ready to attack. The grey hound notices his advances aren't scaring you off and changes tactics.

"Hell how about this, lets make a deal. You look like a bright guy so I'd hope you accept this offer wisely, you let me have little miss blueberry here and I'll let you off scot free, honestly, she really isn't worth all this trouble so just let me have her yeah?"

"Just do it Anon, like he said I'm not worth the trouble and I don't want you to get hurt because of my foolish decisions." She says once more out of desperation and sadness, she would rather see herself get hurt rather then the both of you.

"I'm not letting even a scratch get on her. You either deal with me or leave." You tell the animal with anger rising in your voice. Adrenaline and fear are running through your body but you can't afford to just leave some pony in need, you don't know if you can win against a beast such as this but you have to try, for her sake.

Be it the confidence in your body language and voice or because the dog doesn't want to get hurt, he retreats, running back from the direction in which he came. You wait for him to be out of sight before turning your attention to the blue unicorn, she notices you glance over toward her and looks down to the ground, holding her bandaged hoof with the other.

"Trixie, can you get up?" You ask with care and worry

"I don't... know."

"Well come on lets try."

You have her hoof grab around your neck as you try to put her on her hooves again, she yelps with pain at this motion and you place her back down gently as to not hurt her more then she already is.

"It's... It's ok. we've had a quite a walk today anyway, it's best we call it here for the night." You tell her as you look around for sticks of any kind to start a small fire. It seems you won't be leaving anytime soon so you decide to make rest here.

"Finally! Got it!" You say to yourself as the fire finally kicks off. "And not a moment too soon either, it's almost night." You tell Trixie who's body is still slumped and face looking down at the ground. You sit down opposite to her and watch her blankly look at the fire, wondering what all she could be thinking.

You both sit there next to the fire warming up from the cold air now exposed to you. A couple moments pass before a single word is said between the two of you.

"I'm.... I'm sorry Anon. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, if you never found me none of this... I mean I wouldn't have put you in such..." Trixie tries to form what she's trying to say but ends up mixing her sentences together. You know that she's had a heavy day and she's probably just a mixed bag of emotions. You don't blame her however because it's honestly been wild for you too.

"It's not your fault Trixie." You try and reassure her.

"How could you say that? I'm the one who had you come into the woods, I'm the one who's had to be your baggage and be dragged everywhere you go. How could you say it isn't my fault? I'm a good for nothing mare, something I've always been good at."

You couldn't hear past her saying she's good for nothing as she'd seemed to mumble it under her breath; as if she's going into a territory she doesn't want to cross. It doesn't matter to you however because you've heard enough.

"Trixie, I absolutely mean it when I say, nothing about any of this is your fault. I understand what you had to do to survive. Climbing up that tree was the only way to escape those predators. You're brave for coming back in these woods after knowing the risk you were taking. You ran like hell too! That's an achievement in of itself."

"But... If you were to never of find me there..."

"I wouldn't have met such a great mare."

You finish off shocking her with your words. Honestly you aren't to sure if your choice of words were right for this occasion but you said what felt right.

She looks at you across the fire and smiles gently, her eyelids lowering with softness at your sentence. The night goes on with the fire crackling in the small pit. The day you feel somehow got a little brighter as the two of you are now content with the situation at hand.