The Pony Dreadfuls

by No one is home

Chapter 11 - Who Are You?

“Who are you?” The goat gazed past Picture Perfect into the gathering shadows of the tiny room.

“You know who I am,” The unicorn responded in annoyance.

“Answers have their price. My price is your name from your own lips. You are aware of my reputation. You have become acquainted with my cousin’s capabilities. You know you have no secrets to hide in this place.” The goats voice was infuriatingly impassive. “Why should we hand you our secrets when you insist on pretending to hide your own.”

“You know who I am,” Picture repeated, prompting the goat lay lay out a single card. The cards backing was a deep indigo, adorned with an image of a short bow and a ring of keys. The top corner of the card was burned away.

“Your answer is on the face of the card. Speak your true name and turn the card. I warn you do not touch my card with your magic, unless you are prepared to be judged by fate.” The goat swept up a bottle of bitter ale in a dextrous cloven hoof and proceeded to ignore the mare.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Picture demanded, as the goat silently turned up his bottle. “I know Pip is a changeling, okay? If you don’t want me to know, fine! But I’m not going anywhere, not because of any of you. If Pip wants me to leave I will but you’re not going to scare me off! STOP IGNORING ME!”

“The card holds your answer, and it demands its price.” The goat never looked up from his bottle.

“My name is Photo Plate.” Picture slumped in defeat. “I abandoned my sister and left her with our father because if I stayed I was going to kill myself. I’m a coward and a traitor. Are you happy now you damned sadistic bastard?!?!”

Picture flipped the card angrily and gasped as the secret was revealed. The card portray a broken mare with pale blue eyes standing beneath an orange tree in a graveyard. A tiny empty coffin sat beside an open grave. In one foreleg she held a clock swaddled like a baby foal. The mare's face was a mask of betrayal grief, even as she fawned over her bundle of counterfeit joy.

“The Gilded Duchess.” The goat spoke at last. “The foal she loves is not her own. She is a victim of the foulest deception, though she is not decieved. She resigns herself to false motherhood. Madness shall be her final prize. The foal that remains is a counterfeit, but an innocent none the less. Her hooves are clean, but it will be her place to forever pay the price. Long gone are the fiends who committed the crime that stains her birth, and thus there can be no justice, no reconciliation, and no closure. She is an imposter who can never stop playing the role that was forced upon her from birth. It is her eternal penance to live a lie that ultimately decieves no one. You have your answers, Photo Plate.”

“I- I don’t understand,” Picture stammered.

“Do not lie, Miss Plate.” The goat gestured carelessly and the door swung open. “Go now. You have learned what you came to learn. If you do not like the answers, you have only yourself to blame. After all, you were the one who asked the questions.”

As she left the bar no pony moved to stop her. On the stage, the strange scaled pony now sang her own song, dressed in provocative dancer’s attire. The audience was held entranced by the exotic mare, and the only eyes on Picture were the singer’s herself.

“I can’t decide whether you should live or die.”
“Well you’ll probbly go to heaven, please don't hang your head and cry.”

The audience was just anther prop, Pic realized suddenly. This whole show, this whole night in fact had all been staged for her benefit. Was it a test? A warning perhaps? Or maybe even a threat?

“I wonder why…”
“My heart is dead inside, cold and hard and petrified.”
“Lock the doors and close the blinds, we’re going for a ride.”

The peculiar, pretty orange mare serving drinks casually passed her a note as she left

Pic,
I’m so sorry. I practically begged you to let it lie. If you haven’t decided to retreat back into your normal life, meet me in the side ally, by the backstage entrance where we came in before. If I don’t see you there, I’ll have your answer. I won’t think any less of you, but please, I’ve let you closer than any other pony I’ve ever known. Please keep my secret.

Truly,
Orange Pip

Author's Note:

Another short chapter? But hey,they’re illustrated, so that has to count for something, right? Seriously, sorry for the delay, but it’s been a rough week at work, not as much time to write about my fvorite OCs as I’d like. Not so New Brony asked about an illustration of Tarot, so here it is! How’s that for service?

Comments

[Not so New Brony]

The crd portray a broken mare

card portrayed

Madness shall be ger finl prize

her final

no recnciliation

reconciliation

ultimately decievse no one

deceives

the only eyes n Picture

on

can’t decide wether

whether

This who show, this whole night in fact had all been stged for her benifit.

whole , staged , benefit

orange mare erving drinks cassually pased her a note as she left

serving , casually passed.

Carrot has a sister? Did not see that coming. So does that make her extended royalty ? Well, provided her sister is married to the Unspoken prince by now. Makes me wonder if Discord making Train Wreck royalty is some kind of prank of his.

p.s: Seeing Tarot here is a much nicer treat with the bright background compared to the one on Deviantart
p.s.s:Kiki, were you drinking when you wrote this chapter?

[No one is home]

7571480 Actually I was typing in the dark. Yeah, reading back over that... ack.

[Daremo]

the gather shadows - the gathered shadows

hand you are secrets - hand you our secrets

The crd portray - The card portrayed

ger finl prize - her final prize

ultimately decievse - ultimately deceives

eyes n Picture - eyes on Picture

please do hang - please don't hang

This who show - This whole show

stged for her benifit - staged for her benefit

erving drinks cassually pased - serving drinks casually passed

*****
Secrets wrapped in mysteries. Glad to see this continue!

I know the Scissor Sisters have more than one song, but this is the only one I have ever heard.

[Boulder]

“Why should we hand you are secrets when you insist on pretending to hide your own.”

our

“My name is Photo Plate.”

So Caramel was in the know?

“Do not lie, Miss Plate.” The goat gestured carelessly and the door swng open.

swung

“Well you’ll probbly go to heaven, please do hang your head and cry.”

probably (assuming typo and not intentional song word)
Many reveals today, now we're moving, a steady road journey from here on, just need to keep shoveling coal from the coalbox to the firebox.

[No one is home]

7571480
7572026
7572205 So many typos found hiding in the shadows. I swear I wasn't drunk when I wrote it. My roomates have eyes like lunars and don't like a lot of lights on at night. It turns out I can not in fact see in the dark.

7571480 Don't necessarily count on everything from Beyond the Silver Sky to play out like it did in the Dark Future. Carrot Plate COULD become Train Wreck's second wife. So could Z. While far less likely, Diane couldn't even be counted out. Her status as a "child" is largely an illusion, after all. She can physically be any age she wants. Mentally she has access to all the memories of Z-978 and Diane from the comaverse. She plays at being a foal to try and recapture an innocence long lost. It may seem unlikely in the waking world, but in the coma-dream she had a very different relationship with Charlie than she's had with Train Wreck thus far. Just some thoughts. It's also likely that Train Wreck would never take a second bride after Surprise and keep his herd-sisters as just that, sisters. Z is at least as likely as Carrot, though, given that she already has a larva by Train Wreck.

7572026 Also the only song of theirs I know. And I only know that sng frm the MLP fandom.

7572205 Of course Caramel was in on it. She may not have the Goats psychic powers, or Pips near-psychic deductive skills, but as the matron of The Belfry she has full access to both. She's the one who runs these shows, after all.

And now it's time to write more words.

[Dimensional Librarian]

7573956

“I wonder why…”
“My heart is dead inside, cold and hard and petrified.”
“Lock the doors and close the blinds, we’re going for a ride.”

Unless you can prove me wrong I believe the line is
"Don't wonder why, my heart is dead inside,
Cold and hard and petrified.
Lock the doors and close the blinds,
We're going for a ride."