Working Out The Kinks

by Derpette

First published 18th of May, 2012

Trixie goes to the spa to relax.

Trixie feels rather depressed after her flub in Ponyville. She decides to go to the Spa to help regain her confidence, but the Twins seem rather forceful about their new treatment.

The First Treatment

Trixie woke up feeling miserable as usual. She barely had enough will power to get herself out of bed. Ever since her embarrassing run in with ponyville; she found herself rather depressed. Word had spread about the incident, and its not like she could change her name or cutie mark. She listlessly walked to her bathroom. She looked into the mirror staring at herself "You had it all, and you know what, you're not getting it back! THERES NO WAY TO GET IT ALL BACK!" She started wailing. Loud sobs were normally heard from her wagon, no one ever thought much of it after a while.

She crawled into the bathtub and curled into a ball. 'How did my life get so awful and why won't it change' her sobs made it hard to even hear herself think. "WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR CUTIE MARK DOESN'T FIT YOU ANYMORE?!" She started screaming and crying even harder. She couldn't figure out how to get out of this slump. She didn't want to bathe here... everything reminded her of failure, she knew getting out of the house would help her. The hardest part of getting out, was literally just getting out of the wagon. She started wiping away her tears and quieted down. She crawled out of her tub and picked herself up. "I was respected at one time... there has to be a way to get it back. To be someone special again..."

Trixie was a bit unkept, but where she was going, she was going to be pampered no matter how trashed she looked. The Ponyville Spa was known for its way to magically make you feel good about yourself, inside and out. While she didn't have that much money, it didn't matter, this was for her and nothing would get in her way. She walked towards the town that ruined her; the town that made her into what she was today. A slump of sadness, no, she couldn't let the town see what she had become. She put on her confident mask, it was always an act, inside she felt more inadequate than any other pony she knew. She nodded her head at a few fillies who waved to her.

There it was, the Spa, nothing left to lose except the stress, hopefully. She walked in to be met by the two Spa Ponies. They both fussed over her quietly whispering, then Aloe looked up and asked her "What would you like Miss Trixie?"

Trixie looked at them and said in her well known confidence "Trixie wants something that will make Trixie feel like a new pony completely. You wouldn't believe how much stress the Great and Powerful Trixie has been under." She brushed back her mane with her hoof.

Aloe looked at Vera and winked. Vera put her head down, nodding it. She didn't make much eye contact. "We have just the thing for you Miss Trixie. Its a very special treatment that will make you feel completely different." Her heavy accent strained on a few of the words.

Aloe bumped Vera out of the way. "Its something I would like you to be the first to try." Vera wandered into the back room. Aloe blocking out Trixie's view before continuing. "It will really make you feel like a new pony. You won't even recognize yourself Miss Trixie. You may even become more beautiful than you already are."

Trixie felt something was wrong. The fact that Vera was so quick to rush off and didn't make eye contact made her very uneasy. It was hard for her to refuse something that would make her feel different... anything would be better than feeling depressed for another day. "Trixie would like to know what this treatment includes, before agreeing to anything!" She said rather robustly.

Aloe tilted her head downward for a moment before looking back up with a strange grin. "A bubble bath, a massage, and some aroma therapy. That is it, nothing out of the ordinary." Aloe looked at Trixie with a confident smile. "And because the aroma therapy will be something new, I'll let you try it for free."

Trixie nodded and let her guard down a bit. "Trixie thinks that it sounds excellent and would love to try your new treatment. Be warned, if Trixie doesn't feel its any good, you will be hearing about it." She sashayed over to the well kept pony. "Trixie also would like the bath and massage to be free."

Aloe cocked her head back and saw Vera returning. Vera chimed in smiling, "Oh, first time customers always want to try things for free don't they Aloe? I think she'll be back after, don't you think?"

Aloe grinned. "I do have confidence in our treatments, Vera. Did you ready up Miss Trixie's treatment?" Vera nodded at Aloe with a quick wink. "Well then, let me take you to your bath Miss Trixie. Vera, please go get a towel for our very important guest."

Trixie's mood had already been lifted, and the more they were willing to do for her, the more her old ego truly started to come back. Aloe led her to a bath that smelled of oddly of Patchouli and clove. It bit her nose. "This bath does not suit someone like the great and powerful Trixie!" She exclaimed as the smell became almost overbearing.

Aloe shrugged, "Unless you bathe in this bath, I can't give you anything else. I'll also have to charge you for the use of our facilities." Aloe figured that if Trixie demanded for her entire stay to be free, she didn't have the money to actually be here.

Trixie gritted her teeth. "Are you sure there's no other bath that Trixie could use? Maybe the world famous vanilla apple baths or the Seasalt bath? Only the best is worthy of the great and powerful Trixie!" Aloe shook her head. Trixie had started to feel a bit addled from the strong scent of the bath. Maybe she could just sit in it for a few minutes and leave and it'd be okay? She pondered a few other ideas, but the reek of patchouli was starting to be too much.

Trixie gave in and sunk into the bathtub. Instantly her body felt relaxed. All of her worries melted away in the tub. Aloe watched her intently. Trixie hadn't felt like this in a very, very long time. She looked into the tub and saw the oils in the water swirling. It looked as if it were replaying parts of her life, mostly her sad memories and things she had long put behind her. She shook her head and stared at water and oil swirling, nothing there. Trixie started to feel uneasy and got out of the tub. She towelled off and looked at Aloe.

Aloe smiled. "That wasn't so bad now was it? It was like all of your troubles washed away, right?" She looked at Trixie knowingly. "Now onto your massage. This will help you smooth out a lot of tension, both physically and mentally. "

Trixie followed the rather enthusiatic mare to the next room. The room was lit by candles and rose petals were scattered around the massage bench in a strange pattern. The orange light felt very warm and inviting to her. Aloe smiled and told Trixie to lay down on the bench. Trixie got on and felt a warm heat against her back. Very soft music played, it had slight bell twangs that always brought Trixie back to reality whenever she was about to drift off. Aloe rubbed another very warm lotion onto her back. Hooves dug deep into her muscles making her moan gently. "Not so rough with the great and powerful Trixie!" She exclaimed. Aloe rolled her eyes and continued being just as forceful.

Trixie felt her own horn's magic encase her body. It felt strange, yet soothing to be completely inside of her own magic. Her magic swirled and gave her an amazing zing throughout her entire being. It was amazing, yet she'd never experienced her magic quite like this. It brushed against her in a new sort of way, it felt like she was floating. She had always had control of her magic, and the fact that it started going on its own was strange. Aloe dug her hoof into her other shoulder spiking another large wave of magic. It lit up the entire room bright blue.

Vera knocked on the door bringing Trixie back to reality. Her magic had dissipated quickly. Aloe had stopped massaging her a long time ago. Trixie looked around in a daze. Aloe smiled and nudged her. "Are you ready for the best part of your treatment?" Trixie nodded eagerly. She hadn't felt so alive, so good about herself or anything in so long. If this next step was truly the best part she may have to be a daily customer.

Aloe led Trixie to a secluded room that was hidden behind their office. "Now just wait a little bit, it takes a few minutes for the treatment to start taking effect. You won't believe how good you'll feel afterwards."

Trixie sat there as Aloe left closing the door behind her. A strange scent came wafting in through the vent. Poison joke and Hearts Desire... oh no, she had known what each does separately, but combined could be catastrophic. She felt like part of herself was wafting away into the vents with every exhale. She ran up to the door and pounded on it. "TRIXIE NEEDS TO GET OUT! COME ON YOU TWO THIS ISN'T FUNNY! TRIXIE WILL RUIN YOU IF YOU INJURE HER!"

Aloe's voice echoed in the room. "What's wrong Miss Trixie? This is the last part of the treatment. Once it starts, I cannot stop it or interrupt it." Giggles from Vera could be heard behind Aloe. "If you're worried about the herbs we use, I can guarantee you its safe in this form." Trixie tried to calm herself down. She could tell something was leaving her body, but she couldn't tell what. "Your nerves may be just getting the best of you, Miss Trixie. You were awfully stressed when you came in." She could hear Vera in the background saying something but she couldn't make out the words. Trixie tried not to panic more, maybe it was just her nerves. She looked down at her hooves and saw nothing different about them nor the rest of her body. Her tail seemed a bit lackluster, but nothing else.

Finally the Twins came to let her out. Trixie looked at them, "Why wouldn't you let Trixie out?! What if something bad had actually happened?! TRIXIE CAN HANDLE ANYTHING BUT WHAT IF IT WAS ANOTHER CUSTOMER?!" She yelled in frustration.

The twins smiled at eachother before responding. "We told you we wanted to test out our treatment. We knew it was safe, but we just wanted you to experience it fully." They both bowed their heads. "If you need another treatment like this, it would be our pleasure to give it to you." Trixie was about to interject when they came up to her. They showed her a mirror, for some reason she looked very good, extremely good. She didn't remember a time where she looked so beautiful.

She put her hoof to the glass and stared. "Is that really me?" She asked as they nodded in unison. She looked back into the mirror. She smiled and left feeling so renewed. She knew she would be back soon. She thanked them before leaving and showing herself off around Ponyville. The other ponies seemed a bit taken aback by her, they weren't acting the way she expected. They seemed scared for some reason...Maybe it was from her confidence beaming everywhere.

A week later Trixie looked into the mirror. She looked like she did before the treatment, and her nerves were completely shot. Every little sound made her stand on edge, nothing felt okay anymore. Her entire world felt worse than it ever had. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but she knew she had to go back to the Spa.

Don't Fall Asleep

Trixie found herself infront of the building again, her confident demeanor only a show for ponies in the area. She waltzed in and looked at the pony at the counter. "Trixie needs to talk to the Twins. Bring those peasants to her." She demanded boldly.

The pony at the counter stared at her blankly and shrugged. "I'm sorry but they're with an important client right now, you're going to have to wait. I'll let them know... uh... Trudy? "

"THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE! The most magical and amazing unicorn in all of Equestria! Trixie is offended you forgot her name and demands you give her a free treatment all together!"She interjected. She whipped her hair back and stared at the counter pony intensely.

The pony at the counter sighed. "Alright... Trixie... I'll let them know you're here. But you ain't getting no free treatment." She walked off for a moment, a mutter under her breath could be heard about not getting paid enough. She was gone long enough for Trixie to realize that she wasn't there last time. The Twins were there and took her in directly... and oddly enough the place was much emptier. It didn't make much sense why she'd be the only one there last week, and this week it was packed. The very annoyed counter pony came back. "You, unicorn of the year thing, they said to come back tomorrow, there's no openings for you today." She began jotting down her appointment for the next day in the planner.

"But you can't possibly be serious. Trixie has to wait for these... mediocre ponies? She needs to see them now! Trixie never takes 'no' for an answer!" She insisted. Trixie did not want to go all the way back to her wagon outside of town only to come back the next day. The walk through Ponyville was never a pleasant one and she did NOT want to do it more than she had to.

The counter pony shrugged. "There's not much else they can do for you. If you really want your treatment so bad, why don't you see if they can squeeze you in at the end of the day. But don't expect it to actually work." She said rather blandly. She started filing her nails as Trixie took a seat. "And I should warn you, if I'm gone they won't take anyone in. I don't do overtime."

A few hours passed while Trixie waited. The soothing music playing had sent Trixie into a deep relaxing slumber. But her dreams were plagued with images of withered ponies. Wrinkles seeping into her face. A shadow of two ponies had been in the background, both of them seemed rather young. The withered ponies started to blow away in a sandy mist which flowed into the shadows. She felt strange, as if the life was being sucked out of her.

"You're next" Aloe nudged Trixie. Trixie awoke startled, sighed and let out a deep breath "I'm glad you waited. We knew you needed a treatment soon and wanted to get you in as soon as possible. Anytime you need one, please let us know. We'll fit you in, alright?" She insisted more than offered. It was such a strange tone for a business pony to give her. "And we can give you a free treatment today due to the rudeness of our hostess if you keep it quiet."

Trixie opened her eyes to a darkened room. She wasn't in the lobby anymore. "How did Trixie get here? Why is it so dark?" She asked the spa pony.

Aloe smiled strangely. "Well, our assistant at the counter insisted to throw you out while you were sleeping. We decided to take you to a more private room to make sure she wouldn't get rid of a valued customer. You know, lazy youths who just don't really want to put in extra work. Can't really sleep well if the lights are on can we? If you like; I can take you to the bath where its better lit. Vera's been working to make sure you have a better experience than last time."

Trixie agreed as the spa pony lead her to the baths. Patchouli and clove wafted through the air of the room. Trixie lowered herself into the bath. The water and oils swirled in front of her eyes. The patterns had replayed her dream and dissippated quickly. Trixie stared at the water intensely noticing something else in the water, but she couldn't place what. The pungent odor of the patchouli and clove took over any other scent that could possibly be in the bath. "Trixie demands to know what's in this bath!"

Aloe shifted a bit. "Oh Miss Trixie, its nothing more than a simple oil bath. Patchouli with a light trace of clove is great for relaxing the mind and even releasing thoughts that have been plaguing ponies for much too long." She trailed off a bit before snapping back. "Would you like to head to the massage now Miss Trixie?"

Trixie walked out of the tub. She towelled herself off while looking into the tub. Her face staring back at her with a gravely sad expression. She smiled back, but the reflection stayed the same. Slightly freaked out, but assuming it was just her imagination; she followed the spa pony to the next room. The room was darker than before there were much fewer candles than before. The rose petals seemed to be in a different pattern around the massage table. Vera had passed by the room quickly heading towards the bath.

Trixie had gotten on top the table for her massage. The pressure from the spa pony's massage seemed to have gotten much stronger than the last time. "Trixie demands you take it easy on her worker pony!" Aloe apologized quietly and continued with a lighter, but still rather firm massage. She then dug her hoof into her lower back and almost into her kidneys. Trixie felt her magic start encasing her again. This time it was an orange color... she had never seen unicorns that have more than one color of magic. She felt so powerful, so confident that she could do anything. She felt unique and special, she'd have to remember how to get this magic back. Her entire being glowed orange. Her magic flowed everywhere in the room, but it only seemed to be absorbed into the scenery rather than become too overbearing or dangerous. Trixie had snapped out of it when Vera knocked at the door again.

It was time for the last part of her treatment. Her magic drained from the massage had weakened her. The Twins opened up the door to the aromatherapy room which was so uncharacteristically dull looking compared to the rest of the Spa. She sat down ready for her least favorite part of her trip to happen. They shut the door and after about a minute the aromas started wafting in. This time it was something much different than last time, dragon's blood and something else that was hard to pinpoint. Her energy seeped into the floors of the room and flowed into the vents. She felt like part of herself was leaving and that was okay. She didn't want to be herself anymore. She wanted to be a completely different pony and that's what the twins were best at. She shut her eyes and didn't open them for a long while.

She awoke in a dark room, lit only by candles, it seemed a lot like the massage room only different. She was on top of a table covered in rose petals, strapped down by towels. Aloe pet her head gently. "I see you woke up finally..." her voice trailed off as she grabbed a vial off to the side of the room.