Ten Years Later...

A starved Trixie Lulamoon wearing a ratty gray cloak is jolted awake by a sudden bump that sends her in the air a few inches before landing with a thump on a wooden floor. Around her, contents shake inside the crates and boxes they are stuffed in, and a small square package of hay almost lands on her. A quick hoof keeps that from happening, though, and she wiggles away from it before letting it fall beside her.

Trixie yawns and barely raises her head to peek over the wall of the bed of the vehicle she secretly hopped on at a rest stop. She catches a worn sign with faded words that spell: Welcome to Barnville.

In most cases, the sign would be welcoming, but since someone has drawn devil horns and red eyes over the happy farmer, Trixie gets the feeling that she should not stay long.

As the vehicle trudges through, leaving a trail of dark gray exhaust in its wake, Trixie notices that Barnville has a strong resemblance to Ponyville. Everything has an eerily similar design, only the colors have been sucked away by neglect and now splintering wood make up the walls and the dirt roads are nothing but muddy paths with inconveniently placed puddles of icky water.

Some thunder rumbles in the distance and Trixie looks up at the thick layer of corpse colored clouds covering the sky. She squints her eyes, frowning with drooped ears when a droplet of water splashes against her muzzle.

When the motor wagon screeches to a halt, though, Trixie lays flat on her stomach, ignoring the splintering wood and large bolts that dig into her ribs, now somewhat visible from lack of food. The vehicle shifts as the driver gets out and starts talking to someone else in Nieghican.

“Hola, señora! Tengo el paquete de su hermano y el dinero de Gilda,” says the driver with a heavy Spanish accent.

The other, a female, speaks through the nose with her light Ozark accent. “Muy bien. Espere aquí, así puedo decirle.”

Trixie does not wait to see who comes out, so she crawls on her stomach to the other side and keeps herself pressed against the bed's wall as tight as she can as she crawls over its edge. She yelps when she falls over the other end and lands on her back, creating a splash of mud that covers her entire back in the wet, grainy substance.

Trixie groans quietly and shifts in the mud from the unpleasant feeling on her back, but she pulls herself together rather quickly and rolls to her hooves and gallops to a nearby alley. Once in the safety of the alley, she slides to a stop and sits against the brick wall, panting from her minimal energy's quick usage and looks at a mirror that the universe placed in front of her as a form of mockery. Granted, it may be cracked with black spots all over it, but she still sees enough of herself for it to make her stomach churn and her throat to clog as tears burn her eyes.

Ten years ago, she never would have been caught dead in public her state, and it is somewhat try to this day, but now she is more trying to avoid those with petty grudges than have her nonexistent public image tarnished. Thick layers of mud, gunk and other things she'd rather not think about are caked on to her light blue coat and knotted silver mane and tail. Her mane and tail, in fact, are so disheveled that they no longer have a curl, but look more like a tangle of wires rolled, pulled and twisted to make some hair. It is ugly, and as much as Trixie wants to hate how much she has fallen, she has given up on trying to fix her appearance. It never lasted long enough to be worthwhile, anyway, and besides, the more the former Great and Powerful Trixie thinks about it, the more she realizes she deserves this.

It is her fault, after all, that Ponyville's mentally challenged colts brought an Ursa Minor into their town based off of her lie. And with that one little lie, all of her hard work came crashing down and no one offered the kind of help she needed to get out of her mess. Exactly as her father predicted when she started on her short lived career as a traveling magician.

She can just hear her father's words plainly as if he is talking right next to her. I told you nopony would help you. A celebrity is worth only as much as their image, and if they have none, they get nothing.

With those words tormenting her, Trixie slumps into the mud, whimpering and pressing her muddy hooves against her folded ears in a feeble attempt to stop the mental harassment. It only traps the pain inside, though. She can only think of her cart being destroyed with one step and her self-inflicted exile to get as far away from her humiliation as possible, traveling nonstop for ten years using every means possible. From hoof to hitching rides, and hiding in trains to becoming stowaways on boats, she did it all to ensure that she stay out of public eyes as much as possible. She is, after all, a once beloved magician whose very foundation was based on a lie. Or so the public was led to believe.

Through her travels, Trixie did discover something that most of the stuckups at Canterlot and sickeningly humble ponies of Ponyville have not. The farther away from Canterlot, the dirtier everything is and the more distant the ideals of Harmony are.

The ever so pleasant ponies Ponyville thought she had a bad attitude? Well they would go into a state of comatose from the horrible mannerism that the ponies of Detrot deliver. And the water? It’s sparkling clean in Canterlot and clear in Ponyville, but past the Everfree Forest, near places like Stalliongrad and Fillydelphia, there had been times where she wondered if the cities even had sewage treatments plants to filter out the grime. The ponies near the capital of the Solar Empire of Equestria are so blinded by their utopian lifestyle that they haven’t realized that Harmony only exists near Celestia, and the farther they are from Her presence, the more distant Her teachings become.

Trixie's hooves slide off of her ears, leaving streaks of mud on her coat and knotted mane, and she looks down at the mud as her hooves splash in it on impact with the rain growing heavier. She sniffles and glances to her side to see a ratty tarp covered in paint and scratches spread out over a pile of boxes with brick holding down the corners.

Not really caring what's in the boxes, she shuffles towards them, pushes and pulls some out so she has enough space to lay, then she does just that. She curls under the tarp in a ball, brings her tail up to her face and rests her head against her hooves as she closes her eyes. She only gets five seconds of peace before a strung gust of wind rips the tarp away and carries it down the road.

Trixie jolts up from the sudden chill of rain water pouring down on her and soaking past her cloak, and she watches with a slack jaw and tear filled eyes as her cover disappears into the colorless maze of Barnville. As soon as it is out of sight, she looks down and realizes that the bricks must not have been placed on that good since they appear to be unmoved, and with that sight, she scoffs and curls up on the muddy ground again, hoping the rain will melt her away into the nothingness she has always been.

Trixie blinks some tears away and tries to think about something good. Anything will do for her at this moment. Such as, the mud is comfortable and the rain is giving her a free shower. A comfortable mud bed and a free shower against her loss of wealth, fame, image, and basically everything she had.

“Now what’s a sweet lil’ mare like ya doin’ out here in tha rain for?” asks a stallion with an Ozark accent.

Trixie looks up and sees a slender, yellow eyed pegasus stallion in his early forties with a sickly green coat and a yellow tail with no mane smiling down at her with a twitching nose. He is wearing a ratty poncho that covers most of his body and his smile is ruined by the crooked and rotting teeth infecting his mouth.

Trixie remains silent as she looks at the strange pony, in her prime she would be repulsed by the stallion’s nose-burning bad breath, but nothing surprises her now. Trixie rests her head on her hooves again to stare at the watery mud she’s lying in, refusing to give him the benefit of an answer. However, the stallion simply chuckles lightly and lays down in front of her and cocks his head in a playful attempt to get a better look at her face.

“Do I scare ya? Sorry if I do. Years at Shattered Hoof Quarry did a number on mah lungs and looks, if ya know what I mean,” he says with a chuckle.

Trixie closes her eyes and turns her head away, wishing for the stallion to go away so she can finish her muddy, rain cleansing in peace. Though, her wish is not granted since her unwelcomed visitor extends his hoof to her face.

“Mah name is Sunshine Cloud,” he says happily. “I was a big fan of yer shows, Miss Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Trixie's ears perk and she stares at him, dumbfounded. “You-you know who I am-I mean who Trixie is?”

She then mentally kicks herself after asking that dumb question, but Sunshine snickers.

“Darn right I do,” he says lightly, “and I see ya still got that charm of yers.”

Trixie’s blush is hidden behind the mud caked to her face, but she’s still glad that she’s finally recognized by someone who does not want to bust her teeth in after a decade of being alone! She can almost squeal like a happy little filly about this turn of events!

Sunshine stands up with a groan and gently helps Trixie to her hooves, frowning deeply when he realizes how starved he is.

“We need ta get some food in ya,” says Sunshine. “Farmer Maggot's scarecrows look healthier than you.”

Trixie's heart continues soaring, now for the idea of food from a kind soul, but she quickly remembers one very critical problem. “But I-Trixie doesn't have any money.”

Sunshine blows raspberries an waves his hoof dismissively while he extends one of his wings to use it as an umbrella to cover Trixie's head. “What kinda stallion would I be if I let a homeless mare go without food?”

“But-”

Sunshine's hoof snaps up to her muzzle, almost touching it with its thick, muddy bottom. “Nah ah ah. Don't wanna hear it. Money or not, I'm gonna take care o' ya.”

Trixie nods her head quickly, grinning broadly and failing to stop a tiny, filly-like squeal of joy from escaping her as she walks next to Sunshine. As they walk down through the rain, Trixie steals a glance at her courter's wing and notices that it isn’t like normal pegasi wings. It is slightly deformed and some of the fathers fall loose just by the rain droplets splattering against them.

“What happened to your wing?” asks Trixie, hoping she isn't being rude by asking.

“That ol’ pieces o’ junk? I haven’t gotten the slightest clue,” chuckles Sunshine after a quick peek at his appendage. “I was takin' care o' some business up at Shattered Hoor when there was this explosion that sent me flyin’ tail over hoof. Last I remember was face plantin' a pile o' rocks and waking up tha hospital next day with only one wing. So, now it is just me and this guy here to keep the pretty mares safe from the rain.”

At the end of his monologue, Trixie realizes that she has been taken to the same spot that the wagon stopped in front of, which is a named Cloudsdale Rejects, and when he lets her in, she sees it is not much different from outside.

Like the rest of Barnville, the pub is poorly kept, with vulgar graffiti and grime covering the walls that are already crowded with neon signs and retro advertisements. Barely a pace in, and something splatters in front of Trixie like a water balloon filled with mushy turd, making her gasp and recoil. When she and Sunshine both look up, her jaw drops from seeing only Celestia knows what plastered on it, all while the pegasus remains neutral with his expression.

“Huh, I should get Scarlet to get rid o' those,” he says nonchalantly. He then smiles at Trixie and gently nudges her forward. “Anyways, let's get you somethin' t' eat.”

Trixie nods and follows Sunshine through the pub, noting the thick trails of muddy hoof prints all over the worn floor and the miserable lot of ponies hunched over the bar counter and tables drinking hard cider and licking blocks of salt. Some are so drunk or dehydrated that they have collapsed on the floor or passed out at their tables. Despite the sad scene, Trixie still wishes that she had the bits to buy herself a drink and a meal, if only to repay Sunshine so she isn't a freeloader.

Just then, as the universe's way to torment Trixie, the double doors to the kitchen open and an attractive pegasus mare in her early twenties steps out, carrying a platter of freshly pressed hay bacon and a pitcher of cider. The mare has a scarlet coat and an orange mane and tail, with her mane braided and her tail tied into a ponytail, and she is wearing a well kept poncho that covers most of her body.

The waitress is using her mouth to carry the tray, and when she passes Trixie, her stomach growls and her mouth waters as she trails the feast across the pub. In doing so, Trixie sees one of the more intoxicated stallions reach out to touch the waitress's flank, but he gets swift tail whip to the face that send him reeling and his buddies howling with laughter at his fail. Though, when the scarlet pegasus shoots a glare at the group, their laughing dies instantly and they avert their eyes, shamefaced, and she continues her trek.

Trixie watches the waitress slide the platter in front of an earth pony stallion sitting in the corner, watching everyone with paranoid fueled scrutiny from his vantage point. He is in his late fifties, has well defined crows-feet around his eyes, and is surprisingly well dressed in a brown trench coat that covers his dark suit, and a fedora of the same color as his coat that he has lying in front of him on the table. The stallion has brownish-gray fur with a fading black mane and tail and black spots that surround his eyes and muzzle. After the mare unenthusiastically sets the plate down the stallion gives her a few bits and she takes them and heads towards Sunshine. When she reaches Sunshine she gives Trixie a dirty look before ignoring her completely.

“Gray Muffin is back,” says the mare coldly.

“He won’t cause any trouble,” assures Sunshine. “By the way, Scarlet, this is Trixie Lulamoon. Trixie, this is mah sister, Scarlet Cloud.”

Trixie extends her hoof. “How do you do?”

Scarlet looks at the hoof with disgust, then glares at her brother. “As if you need more tramps.”

Trixie looks down and strokes the muddy floor to hide the pain, that statement was like a rusty knife plunged into her heart.

“Now, now, Scarlet, what have we talked about with that language of yers?” Sunshine says firmly while hugging Trixie around her neck and pulling her close for a sympathetic hug.

Scarlet scoffs and walks back to the kitchen with her nose in the air. When she is out of sight Sunshine sighs sadly and rubs Trixie's back, making her flinch a little from the unexpected touch.

“You’ll have ta forgive mah sister. She’s a bit grouchy most of the time,” says the deformed stallion.

Sunshine turns his attention Gray Muffin and Trixie follows suit. The old earth pony is eating his hay bacon, but is also keeping an eye on his surroundings as if searching for possible assassins.

“There's a shower upstairs, last door on tha left. Why don’tcha get cleaned up and I’ll get ya somethin’ ta eat.” Sunshine says in a darker tone. He then pecks Trixie on the cheek and gently nudges her towards the rickety stairs.

A shiver run up Trixie's spine because of the quick kiss, but she pushes her uneasiness aside and proceeds up the stairs to find the shower. As she quietly walks up the stairs she tries to keep her mind focused on the warm shower and the desperately needed food, but her paranoid part is telling her to run away and catch the next cart out of Barnville. Trixie stops midway up the stairs when she hears Sunshine and Gray Muffin speak, and it is at that point that she realizes just how quiet The Cloudsdale Rejects really is. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she suppresses her inner guardian screaming for her to run and leave the forsaken town behind as she watches the two stallions have their conversation.

“Still mad about what happened that night, are ya?” teases Sunshine as he takes a seat in front of Gray Muffin.

“I’m always mad at you,” remarks Gray Muffin with a gravely voice.

“Ahhh, I see. Why are ya here, Mr. Muffin?”

“You know why I’m here.”

“Nope, can’t say that I do.”

“I know you got paid for sending those drugs to Gilda, and I know about your slaves.”

“Ohhhh, that. Well, you see, Mr. Muffin, it is all just business. What me and the griffins have is special, and those slaves are being paid, so they ain't slaves, which is somethin' uppity folks like you don't want to understand.”

Trixie puts her hoof to her to her mouth and takes a step back, heart pounding rapidly in her chest as her trust in Sunshine is completely destroyed by the his casual statement.

Gray Muffin pushes his platter aside and leans forward, growling. “Sunshine, you broke our agreement, and if there is one thing that my organization does not like, it is being stabbed in the back.”

Sunshine chuckles dismissively. “It sounds like you are making a very empty threat, Mr. Muffin. You may have this 'organization', but this is mah town and mah business, and what I do with mah products concerns only me and mah sister.”

There is a tense moment between the two where not a word is spoken, and Sunshine meets Gray Muffin's glare with a taunting smirk while Trixie silently watches. She hears some chairs scrape against the floor and sees that Scarlet is ushering the patrons out.

As the leaving guests pass, Sunshine drags Gray Muffin's platter towards his side and helps himself to a slice of hay bacon. “You know what I think, Mr. Muffin. I think yer boss has got ya a little wound up. All that work, all that stress, it's gotta be hell on ya. So, I'll tell ya what, why don'tcha have a night with one of mah girls for free as a token of our friendship? Or a week at half price, even? What's yer type? Unicorn? Pegasus? Earth pony?”

“Neither," growls Gray Muffin.

“Hmm, are ya into goats, then? I got a couple o' those and some zebras and griffins, too, if ya wanna have a crack at 'em.”

Gray Muffin's eyes narrow. “Sunshine, your very existence is a disgrace to every living being, and if I had my way, I would kill you on the spot and be done with it.”

Sunshine exposes his rotting teeth with his sick, twisted smile. “Mr. Muffin, ya really shouldn’t be so rude in mah house. Besides, what would yer boss say if ya crushed mah neck? 'Cuz last I checked, ya need me fer mah 'shrooms and killing me will do ya a big disservice to yer business.”

Gray Muffin remains silent, meeting Sunshine's rotten grin with a murderous stare. The stare down last only a few seconds before Gray Muffin makes a low growl and leaving the pub without another word. Sunshine waves at Gray Muffin, singing a farewell, and the old earth pony stops in the doorway and turns to look at Scarlet, then at Trixie. He leaves as soon as Trixie shrinks away and when the door shuts behind him, Sunshine gets up and with Scarlet by his side he approaches a group of three lowlife stallions that have yet to leave.

Trixie watches him, and when he reaches the trio, he whispers something to them and they leave in a hurry. The two watch them leave, then Scarlet mumbles something and heads towards the kitchen while Sunshine chuckles lightly and makes his way to the stairs.

Trixie's heart nearly explodes from how fast it starts beating and her lungs feel heavy as she gallops towards the bathroom. It is exactly where Sunshine said it would be and she slams the door shut and locks herself in, spotting the only window in the bathroom, which just happens to be above the tub. Then she twists the knobs as much as they can go to give the illusion of showering and jumps in the tub. She had not realized how hot she put the water on, though, and almost jumps out because the temperature blisters her skin under her coat. But, biting back tears and the desire to scream from shock and pain, she persists. Trixie bangs her hooves against the window, muttering and swearing with her whimpers as she occasionally flings her wet mane out of her face, but she can’t get the window open. It is built solidly into the wall and is a thick block of solid glass.

“Oh no. No. No no no no no no!” whimpers Trixie as she frantically bangs against the window with her hooves, each slam getting weaker and her vision more clouded with tears as the steam chokes her.

Then there is a light knocking on the door followed closely by Sunshine’s creepy voice. “Trixie, how are ya doin’ in there, darlin’?”

Trixie’s heart stops and she stares at the door, whimpering and her trembling body collapses in the boiling water when Sunshine rattles the doorknob. She is too terrified to care about the boiling water splashing against her hide or the urge to vomit rising in her throat. The only thing she cares about is that she is trapped inside a bathroom with a drug dealing slaver on the other side.

When the doorknob shakes again, Trixie sinks into the tub, silently praying to Celestia that she will help her, and her voice trembles when she speaks. “I-I’m doing fine, thanks!”

There is a slight pause before Sunshine asks: “Why is the door locked?”

“I like my privacy,” says Trixie while wiping a mix of sweat, tears, and scorching hot water off of her face.

“Ahhh, I can’t say I blame ya there. Listen, I jus’ realized that I forgot ta put soap in tha bathroom. I just bought a new batch since I ran out earlier. Now, if ya want, I can send Scarlet in ta hand ya the new soap and she can help ya wash up."

“No, that-that’s quite alright. I-I’ll just rinse myself off.”

Trixie stands on wobbly legs in another failed attempt to open the window again, this time with her famed magic, but this “famed magic” turns out to be worse than pitiful. Her horn sputters pathetically and her stomach growls to reminder that her energy is too depleted for her to use even the simplest of spells. She collapses in the water again, creating a splash and she covers her mouth with her hoof and squeezes tears out of her eyes as her shoulders buckle from her quiet, terrified sobbing.

“Please, Celestia, help me,” sniffles Trixie, now pressing herself against the tub's edge that is flush with the wall, hoping that the wet tile will allow her to seep through and escape.

“Nonsense!” says Sunshine theatrically. “A pretty mare like yerself must always look her best. I’ll get Scarlet, she’ll get ya cleaned up, and we’ll have a nice dinner!"

Trixie hears Sunshine’s hoof steps fade, and when she no longer hears him she wipes tears and snot away and quietly approaches the door. She takes a breath, cringes when she opens the door and peeks out into the hallway. She doesn’t see or hear her captor anywhere. In fact, she doesn’t hear anything except for the howling wind and the rain banging against the walls. Trixie also hears the wood creaking under the weight of a couple of ponies casual walking about. She approaches the stairs, takes a breath and puts her ear to the floor. The classic trick for better hearing is one she learned when she resorted to theft to snag necessities, and hears Sunshine and Scarlet having a conversation amongst themselves downstairs.

“Why didn’t you just kill him and get it over with when he was here?” asks Scarlet.

“I didn't want ta make a scene. It's no big deal, anyways, since I sent those three to take care of him, remember?” replies Sunshine lightly. He groans as if stretching and lets out a relieved sigh. “When they take care o' him, I'll just explain ta Mr. Shock that a rival gang got a hold o' him. Their organization's got a lotta enemies, after all.”

“He's not going to fall for it, Sunshine! We have to get out of here because those three are going to fail and Gray Muffin will come back to settle the score!”

Sunshine's voice darkens and starts to shake. “Mr. Muffin threatened me and I won't let that stand, and they won't fail 'cuz I told them to bring plenty o' friends. Besides, Mr. Shock's gang ain't gonna lay a hoof any o' us. They need us, just as Gilda needs us. We are untouchable.”

“You're being an idiot! ”

Trixie has to put a hoof to her mouth to cover her gasp when she hears an echo of hoof colliding with skin and metal clanging to the floor over Scarlet’s yelp.

“DON’T YELL AT ME! DON’T YA EVER YELL AT ME!” screams Sunshine.

Trixie hears Sunshine aggressively screaming at Scarlet as she desperately tries to apologize. While they are distracted Trixie makes a move to run to the door, but when she’s halfway down the stairs, Scarlet slides across the floor, still wearing her poncho, and her head bangs against the door with enough force to shake it and leave a crack. Trixie stops and backs up the stairs, and she shrinks down when she sees Sunshine walk into view foaming at the mouth with his eye is twitching. Curiosity is what keeps Trixie in her spot as she watches the horrifying scene unfold.

Sunshine relentlessly slaps his sister, with each strike against her cheek sending her to the ground, shrieking and sobbing as a fresh bruise form on her cheek and draws lines of blood.

“I TAKE CARE OF YA! I FEED YA! I HOUSE YA! AND YA REPAY ME WITH SCREAMIN'!? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?” yells Sunshine viciously, slapping her relentlessly with every couple of words spoken.

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!” sobs Scarlet over Sunshine's wrathful shouts, yelping in pain with each strike against her bloodying cheek.

Sunshine does one last slap and Scarlet's head collides with the floor, and she curls up, weeping and bringing her hoof and wing up to her bruised face while her brother towers over her, seething. Drool seeps past his exposed teeth and his nostrils flare as his chest heaves and muscles twitch, but, much to Trixie's surprise, his expression melts to horror.

“Oh, Scarlet,” gasps Sunshine. He drops down next to her and scoops her up, gently shushing her and nuzzling her as he rubs her disheveled, orange mane. He sniffles over her whimpers and has her sit on his lap as he hugs her tighter, and she, in turn, buries her face in his shoulder as he rocks her back and forth. “I'm sorry, Scarlet. I'm sorry. Ya know I get a little worked up over some things.”

Scarlet whimpers indiscernible words and tightens her grip on Sunshine.

“Can ya forgive me?” asks Sunshine sincerely.

Scarlet sniffles and pulls away so he can see the streaks of bruises on her cheek, and her puffy, watery eyes lock on to his and she nods, quietly speaking. “Always.”

Sunshine smiles with relief and embraces her once again. “Thank you, darlin'.” He hesitates. “Listen, can ya do me a favor and help Trixie clean up?”

Scarlet nods again, lowering her eyes and still talking low after swallowing. “Ye-Yeah, I’ll go do that.”

“I’m gonna fix dinner. How does a salad sound?”

“...Sounds nice.”

“Good. Run along now, we don’t want to keep our guest waitin’.”

The two pull apart and Trixie scampers back into the bathroom, locks the door, and pretends to be cleaning herself once again. A minute later the door opens up and Scarlet walks into the bathroom with a key in her mouth. The lighting brings out the disgusting blueish, black and red streaks on her cheeks, and Trixie looks away as the pegasus sets the key on the sink.

Trixie watches Scarlet step step out to bring a bucket of shampoo and other body care products, and looks down at the water when she returns. The door closes and Trixie looks at Scarlet nervously and sees her staring hatefully at her, and with the fire in the mare's eyes, Trixie realizes that she knows that she had watched what happened but did nothing to help.

“If you’re going to sneak around, you really shouldn’t do it with wet hooves,” says Scarlet snidely as she sticks her hoof in the water to test the temperature. She is quick to pull her hoof out and swear about the water’s insane temperature, then she stares at Trixie with a bewildered expression. “By Celestia! How are you not cooked in that water?”

Trixie struggles to come up with a coherent answer but Scarlet dismisses Trixie’s babbling with a wave of her hoof and jumps in the tub with her without taking off her poncho. Trixie flinches as the area is splashed with the steamy water while Scarlet bullies her way behind Trixie in the tub. Trixie is about to protest Scarlet's behavior, but ends up wincing when the pegasus starts scrubbing off the grime that has covered her body with hard, painful strokes using what feels like a heavy duty scrubber. Each stroke makes Trixie wince and when Scarlet uses the shampoo and conditioner, she scrubs with the same force and same brush. However, despite the painful ordeal, when she’s done, Trixie’s shine from her years as a performer returns.

Mostly.

Her coat and mane have dulled from years of neglect, but Trixie still feels a lot like the Great and Powerful Trixie from a lifetime ago.

Then comes the painful process of brushing out the knots. Trixie releases tiny winces or yelps from strands of her mane and tail being ripped out from the brushing, and Scarlet grunts and throws in some colorful words to voice her annoyance. It takes her almost twenty minutes, but when Scarlet is done with Trixie, the unicorn's mane and tail have regained the curl from her performance years.

“Feel better?” asks Scarlet grumpily while tossing the disgusting scrubber and hairy brush back in the bucket.

“Much better,” replies Trixie softly with a slight quiver in her voice.

“We should head downstairs, my brother is waiting.”

Trixie nods and shakily follows the pegasus downstairs, and when they are in the lobby, she glances at the front door.

“Don't try it,” says Scarlet, barely looking at Trixie over her shoulder. “The door is locked and we got two guards outside.”

Trixie's eyes dilate, and she swallows and her heart spikes as her steps become wobbly with the worst coming to mind of what will happen next.

When they walk into the dining room, which is in a room sealed off behind the kitchen, Trixie sees a rickety old table with three chairs around it, with salad on it and a cup of water for each spot. In the middle of the table is a big salad bowl and hanging above it is a cheap chandelier with missing lights.

Sunshine is sitting in the middle chair, facing the doorway, and when he sees the two mares walk in he smiles, stands up and helps Trixie into her seat. Trixie tries to smile politely at him, but her nervousness betrays her and she sits down, shaking so much it vibrates the chair and table.

“Ya okay, darlin'?” asks Sunshine, now helping Scarlet into her seat.

“I-I'm fine,” says Trixie, her nervous smile remaining, and she gulps when Scarlet glares at her and Sunshine hums and sits in his chair.

“Yer not doin' yer third pony talk,” points out Sunshine. He sits down and opens his mouth to say something, but clamps it shut and shakes his head with an exaggerated sigh. “I'm sorry, Scarlet, I shoulda told ya ta remover yer poncho before I sat ya down.”

“Do I have to take it off?” whines Scarlet.

Sunshine's eyes narrow. “It ain't polite ta wear work attire at the table, especially if its wet. Now take. It. Off.”

Scarlet huffs and reluctantly stomps towards a hook where Sunshine's ponco is, and she slides it off and hangs it up at the proper hook. It is at that moment that Trixie sees that Scarlet doesn’t have a cutie mark. When Scarlet sits down, she glares at Trixie, and when Trixie looks away she glares daggers at her brother.

“Happy?" grumbles Scarlet.

“Very. Now, let us eat!” says Sunshine with a broad smile.

They eat in silence for a couple of minutes before Sunshine decides to get a conversation going. The conversation goes as smoothly as it can for a few minutes, which, during that time frame, Sunshine manages to convince Trixie to do her “third pony talk”.

“I betcha yer wonderin’ about mah scars,” says Sunshine slyly to Trixie.

“You already told Trixie about your wings,” says Trixie carefully, trying with great failure to keep the fear out of her voice.

“Mah wings, yes, but not about the scars over mah cutie marks.”

Trixie, against her better judgement, leans over her chair and sees that there is a grotesque scar that completely covers the area where Sunshine’s cutie mark would be. She cringes and sits back in her seat, trying to forget what she just saw.

“Mah sister, as ya know, still doesn’t have her cutie mark. It’s quite tragic,” begins Sunshine casually, “but the other fillies and colts made fun o’ her at our school in Cloudsdale. She came home cryin’ to mah... our... our parents every day about the bullies and so we decided it was best t’ move to Barnville. They needed pegasi for the weather, we needed t’ get away from Cloudsdale. It was perfect. But mah sister still got bullied, and so one day, when I was workin’ in the blacksmith’s place, I brought all her bullies with me for a lil’ trip, jus’ t’ show how things are done.”

Sunshine takes a bite of his salad before he continues his story with a mouth full of half chewed leaves, flowers, and hay.

“The lil’ fillies and colts were excited ‘cause of all the stuff and I told them I would tell them ah secret. They wanted the secret, they didn’t know what the secret was about, but it was a secret nonetheless. At the end of mah li’l tour, I brought the kids t’ the back, and this punk named L Roy said ‘What’s this secret ya were talkin’ ‘bout?’ and I said ‘Watch’. And I took ah hot slab o’ metal and burned mah cutie mark clean off!”

Trixie chokes on some salad she was trying to eat as the mental image of Sunshine’s insane action invades her mind.

“They all screamed and cried and I told them that if I can burn off mah cutie mark without hesitation, then what makes them think that I won’t hesitate to burn theirs off! I told them that if I found out that any one of them said ah word to mah sister about not havin’ her cutie mark, I would drag them back to the blacksmithin’ place and burn theirs off!”

“He got fired and grounded for a year the same day,” says Scarlet dryly.

“I did, but they never bothered mah Scarlet ever again. Can ya guess what the secret was?” Before Trixie can respond, Sunshine answers his own question. “Good luck guessin’! I completely forgot what it was!”

Sunshine laughs and claps his hooves, and Scarlet rolls her eyes while Trixie painfully forces herself to smile.

“Trixie finds this salad delicious. What’s in it?” says Trixie in a poor attempt to hide her uneasiness.

“Oh, now ya flatter me, darlin’,” chuckles Sunshine. “It has mah own special recipe that mah friends and customers love.”

Trixie steals a look at Scarlet, silently pleading for help, but she eats her salad like it was any normal day. Trixie eats a bit more salad and then decides it is time to try to convince Sunshine that she has to leave.

“This food was great, and Trixie is grateful for the shower, but she really must be going," says Trixie anxiously.

Sunshine shakes his head in mock disbelief. “Oh but Trixie, where ever will ya go?”

“I-Trixie travels, so she’ll find a place to go. She always does,” replies Trixie, eyes shifting between Sunshine and Scarlet.

Sunshine’s smile fades and Scarlet quietly gets up and blocks the doorway like his own personal puppet. Then Sunshine pushes his seat back and slowly stands up, eyes narrowing and jaw setting, which sends warning bells ringing in Trixie's thoughts.

Trixie's ears droop and she shrinks in her seat. “But if there is anything Trixie can do to repay for your kindness she will gladly do so,” she says meekly and desperately.

Sunshine’s smile returns and walks over to Trixie with his tail swishing. “Anything, eh?”

Trixie nods, but she’s not liking what his tone is implying. Sunshine runs his hoof along Trixie’s back, making her shake and whimper, and her takes extra care to feel her curves. When he gets good feel for her freshly cleaned pelt he grins, licks his lips, and stares at her cutie mark.

“Well, ya could spend the night here. That would mean the world to me and mah sister,” whispers Sunshine lustfully.

Trixie gulps and tries nodding while her body shudders from his touch, but it comes out more as a subtle head motion. “You sure that is all Trixie can do for you?”

“I’m positive!” replies Sunshine with a sudden burst of energy and pulling away from Trixie, grinning. “Scarlet, darlin’, could ya prepare the guest room for the Miss Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Scarlet leaves without saying a word and Sunshine’s smile twists into a frown when he notices that Trixie has yet to touch her water. “Yer cup is still full...”

Trixie stares at the water, heart thumping in her ears and throat sandy dry. “Trixie apologizes, but she just wasn’t that thirsty.”

Trixie then looks up and attempts a reassuring smile, but that doesn’t do anything to ease the apparent emotional pain Sunshine is in.

“That water is filtered five times, and I have ah unicorn who specializes in cleaning sanitize it even more,” says Sunshine hurtfully.

Trixie levitates the cup to her mouth hesitantly. “Look, Sunshine, I appreciate what you did, but I can’t stay.”

“Where are ya gonna go?” asks Sunshine. “Ya got no money, no home, no pony here knows ya, and I can’t let a jewel like you sleep outside in the muck."

“I’ll find a way.”

Sunshine sighs. “Well if that’s what ya want, I can’t really stop ya now can I?”

Trixie once again finds herself forcing herself to smile and nod. Sunshine also nods and then drinks the water from his cup in a single gulp.

“Could ya at least have a drink before ya go?” begs Sunshine. “The water out there is like drinking shit.”

Trixie licks her lips and hesitantly raises the glass to her lips with her magic and slowly sips the drink. The water is ice cold and feels good, but after she is done drinking it, her world starts spinning and fatigue takes over. She tries to move her legs, but they collapse under her like a tower of jelly and she tries to keep up by grabbing the table, but it only delays her falling to the floor. With her cheek against the cold floor, Trixie fights to stay awake, but her eyelids feel like they are made of stone and with every blink her world becomes more blurred and darkened.

The last thing she sees before blacking out completely is Sunshine standing over her, grinning and saying: “Let’s get ya t’ bed.”

Author's Notes:

Split from "Justice Is Absolute"
Added 7 Jul 2014