You look a bit young to be here. Sit down and let me tell you a story. I'll buy the drinks. It all starts in the badlands to the south. I vaguely remember what brought her to those barren wastes. She never told me direct like. Where love and harmony will desert you the they say. See for yourself if you want, south to the plains and over the hills. Monsters come from there you know, the nature types say they're fleeing. I've never been but I've heard the tales. I'm sure that you have too. They say the smell of death drifts from that gravel, that hard baked rock.
She was unconcerned with that I think. A delusion which some call strength she had. Yeah, delusion sounds like a fitting word for it. Her name was Trixie, you wouldn't forget the name if you met her. She'd mention that name only 20 times a minute so, yeah. You'd remember. Or the "Great and Powerful Trixie" as she preferred. She turned heads when she went into a room and it wasn't just the good looks. She had that sense of danger to her. She walked through those doors o'er there and I sensed the danger immediate. Always liked the danger ya know. Used to get into trouble myself before I settled in life. Buying drinks for foals so long they listen to my yarns. That's all I do now... Anyway, back to the desert.
"This map is a fraud, a joke to swindle Trixie! How is she expected to read such a filthy piece of parchment?" Brushing the greasy white mane away, glaring at the ground and marching on she bellowed out her rant. "A map older than Equestria, old in the days of Princess Platinum, worth more its weight in bits to any seeker of antiquities. Lies! A baldfaced and loathsome lie. He laughed at Trixie. They all wish to stop her quest! They all think her a fool!" She slumped down into dust inside the shadow of her hat. "It was all deception. Trixie was swindled by a common earth pony. There's supposed to be jungle here, not wasteland." Gazing upward to the tyrant sun, from frustration flowed her tears. Though not despair she'd likely say. Paused for a just a moment and did say to none.
"I'm lost."
She was a danger to herself and others they told me. Never did find out the details but she was once a performer. With that certain flair, that sway she did deliberate, I can see that she could work a crowd. A treasure hunter now. I asked her why she gave up a life of entertainment and all she said "Trixie found her first magic artifact and. She learned the power of magic great and dark. The girls... forgave her. She's a humble Trixie now. But Trixie didn't." I didn't pry and let's not dwell on secrets.
"I hate the wind. I hate the heat. Trixie hasn't bathed in a week. This was a fools journey." Crushed by the desert heat and burdened by saddlebags, she slumped into gravel. A lone blue dot against the desert waste. Slowly at first she rose. A single hoof pushing down, she felt the crunch of grit. Doggedly, deliberate, she marched deeper into nothing.
Limping on, beset by evil winds and baking sun. Grit and dust grew thick into the air. The way she said it, I imagine bits of babbling softly to no one. "You're the greatest Trixie! The treasures of Carsapone are yours for the taking! A jungle empire, now rising from the desert! They looked in the wrong places for it but Trixie knows! Yes, Trixie knows that this is exactly where the lost city is! The Great and Powerful Trixie is the greatest unicorn, the greatest showpony, the greatest treasure hunter in all of Equestria. Nay all of history! A hero! She's a hero, the mare who stood against the tyranny of stars and broke us all of chains of fate! She'll find it! She'll PLUNDER it!"
And it was when Celestia retired that she noticed. Silhouette against a hazy sky, she saw a thin plateau. "You did it Trixie! You found the Tower of Arizapan from which the immortals looked upon the Lake Hali! It'll be simple for a mare such as myself to find the city from there!" From a faltered trot into a lazy gallop, a "tower" came into her view. Formed by crumbling crenelation were the sloping sides. Not from natural stone, that rare and twisted vegetation, but from masonry it grew. Exposed by wind and rain those were inner chambers and no natural caves.
Bouldering under setting sun, she radiated merry. A rival to Celestia she glowed so grand and unconcerned by rubbles fall with every step she took. The coming sleep of sol made her think for just a moment. "A mighty chill will soon set and then where will Trixie sleep! No, no, no, no. This won't do. This is intolerable for I." Upon the crags above dancing shades of living ink were seen, animated by the yawning slumber of the sun. "Perhaps Celestia is to blame? Perhaps she has secrets of her own in Carsapone? Perhaps..."
Crawling on the ledge she spied a refuge from the night. The dark crevasse beyond was encircled by the polished stone. Timid-like she went into void only seeing by the light of a horn. She knew the stories well, of monsters hiding in the dark. Many a time she'd spun those yarns. Stories meant to frighten foals but we are largish foals, are we not? Stopping still, turning off her glow, she listened to the sound of breath. Clink. Clink, clink. The lonely sound of water dripping. Clink. Clink. Clink against polished stone. Clinclonk the second time into a standing pool.
Water! Trotting deeper down into the cave, guided by the sound through the maze. Cleanliness. Ratty now from dust and dirt her blue cloak had become. Ruined from grease and frizzing heat a mane once manicured so carefully. If I knew where a nice bath to get the dust off her was, what she said when we first met. If I could join her, my reply. Didn't work. Anyway... I know she felt joy at the idea of being clean. Presentable more like. Not that I'd mind of course, seeing her dirty. Covered in sweat. Neither here nor there.
A shallow grotto, glew with light but not reflecting. Hoarded light as if of fear an age would never come when day would deign to visit. Tossing back her saddlebags she trotted to the pool, a grin plastered on her muzzle. Trixie rolled about in water and cackled to nopone in particular. Reclining 'pon a polished stone she watched cerulean gems above. Clink. Clink against the stone. Cliclonk into water. Rivulets rolled down her snout and lazily she licked them. Cicklonk. Cliconk. A soft moan. A soft moan from from deeper in the cave.
Snapping up she commanded at the dark beyond. "Who's there!" In shades of pain and pleasure, moan continued. Wet, shivering but uncertain she pushed on into the void. "Who is there? Reveal yourself or face the wrath of Trixie!" A hint of smooth black carapace. Pushing forward yet again, two figures were revealed in sick embrace. A red mare, the innocent frame and face of a foal. Covered in wrinkles a face obscured by greying mane. In familial embrace, locked with something monster. A shape that mocked all ponykind, twisted, monstrous and deformed. Trixie's twitching eye perceived a subtle energy draining from the mare. Echoing about the stone was the sound of a child softly cooing. The monster turned a crooked face to gaze at Trixie. With a slightly buzzing tone. "Please dim your light for it disturbs me."
Trixie jumped back with a startle; tripping for some way, she summoned a glassy barrier to her front. Out beyond the shield was only darkness. She strained her eyes to see what lay beyond the shield and waited nervously. Coalescing into words came the insect speech.
"It was a stranger coming to interrupt us. They wish to steal my love from you."
To calm her breathing was a struggle. Her eyes darted back and forth to place the sound. Then a calmly screeching din was overheard.
"I'm so hungry. I'm so hungry. Can we eat her mommy?"