//------------------------------// // A Foal Called "Beatrix" // Story: The Ties that Bind // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// Beatrix shivered. No matter how many times they made her sleep in the basement, she never got used to the chill that seeped down through the floorboards. The lack of a blanket and the cold cement floor didn't help matters either. On top of that, it was Tuesday night. Father's game night. Even if she had a comfy blanket to keep her warm, the constant raucous laughter and crude jokes coming from right above her would've kept her awake regardless. Beatrix didn't complain though, she wouldn't dare. She had long since learned that lesson. Besides, she knew Mother would come downstairs to sort things out like she always did. Sure, the yelling would intensify and there might be the occasional sound of hoof against muzzle, but like clockwork, it would inevitably quiet down and Beatrix could get some sleep - uneasy and uncomfortable as it was. Tonight was no different. Beatrix grimaced as her Father made a particularly lewd joke that the rather loose floorboards did nothing to drown out and sighed tiredly at the boisterous laughter that resulted. She idly watched a mouse scurry past where she was laying as she tried to ignore the constant stomping of hooves above. At least Father didn't make me deal the cards this time. Beatrix shuddered at the memory of the last time she was 'invited' to one of her Father's games. Things hadn't been going well for him that night and he had a tendency to take his frustration out on whoever happened to be the dealer at the time. Her horn ached just thinking about it. Still, she did end up learning all sorts of card games as a result, and had even procured an old deck of cards her Father had thrown away in a fit of rage. While she hated participating in them whenever her Father and his friends where involved, she couldn't help but be intrigued by the games themselves. Beatrix was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the tell-tale sound of the bedroom door opening from upstairs. Mother... "Heads up, Lucy," Beatrix heard a gruff voiced stallion mutter, "here comes the Missus." The other stallions chuckled as Mother stomped down the stairs. "Every time, Lu," Mother growled as she made her way over to the table, "I'm gettin' real sick of having to come down here every bucking time to tell you and the rest of you geldings to keep it down!" "Ah, buck off, Abby," Father muttered absently, "I'm not in the mood to deal with you tonight." "You tell her Lu!" one of the other stallions - Short Order if Beatrix remembered correctly - cried, causing the rest to break out into a fit of laughter. Beatrix's ear twitched as she heard the sound of a hoof banging against wood quickly follow by several cries of indignation. "I don't care what you're in the mood for, Lucy," Mother snapped, "I got to get up early tomorrow and I'm not gettin' any sleep with the lot of you hollerin' all night!" "Well why don't you just buy some of those fancy earplugs you're always going on about?" Father replied casually. "Banish it to Tartarus, Lu!" Mother yelled, "you know we don't got the bits to spend on things like that!" "Then I guess you're just gonna have to deal with it, Abby," Father responded, causing another round of laughter from his friends. There was a sudden whump followed by a pained grunt and the sound of a body hitting the wooden floor. The laughter stopped abruptly. Beatrix didn't hear anything and for a moment, she thought it was over. Then she heard the sound of a chair shifting across the floorboards and she clinched her eyes shut, knowing what would happen next. Beatrix heard the beat of several hooves shuffling along the floor. If she had to guess, Father's friends were most likely backing away from Father and Mother - as they too knew what was coming next. They of course, never got involved, opting to watch the show unfold rather than do anything to stop it. To them, it was a sport to be enjoyed. To Beatrix, it was a recurring nightmare she desperately wished would just end. Another loud whump and a feminine cry told Beatrix it wasn't meant to be. And so she lay there - shivering and whimpering in the cold, damp, darkness of the basement as she listened to her parents beat each other senseless while the other stallions cheered and jeered from the sidelines. After what seemed like an eternity, she heard a body hit the floor once again and this time, she didn't hear it get back up. By the sound of the many disappointed groans, she surmised Mother had won. Again. Beatrix wasn't surprised - Mother was an earth pony who was a full head taller than Father and had an even meaner streak than he did. Father was a unicorn - not that that meant anything in these fights. He was always too drunk to realize he could even use magic. "The buck are ya'll still doing here!?" Mother screamed, "get out of my house before I actually geld you!" Beatrix sniffed and wiped her eyes as she listened to the distinctive thumping of multiple hooves make its way towards the front door. She heard the front door open and the sound of cursing stallions shuffling out before the door slammed shut again. "Bucking parasites..." Mother muttered. Beatrix waited for her Mother to head back upstairs and, from the sound of it, that's what she was doing. But then she stopped. Beatrix's eyes widened and her heart began to race as the steady clop of hooves moved closer to the area just above the basement. "BEATRIX!" The filly in question cried out in alarm at both the sound of her Mother's voice and the sudden stomp of a hoof against the floorboards directly above her. "I know you're awake down there, girl!" Mother called out, "get your sorry flank up here and clean up this mess!" "Y-Yes, Mother," Beatrix called back as she rose to her hooves and quickly trotted up the stairs. She pushed open the basement door and poked her head out just in time to see her Mother trot the rest of the way upstairs. The turquoise earth pony mare stopped at the top of the steps and turned to glare at the filly with cold copper eyes. "That entire room better be spotless when I come back down here in the morning, got it?" Beatrix nodded meekly before scurrying the rest of the way out of the basement. Mother snorted in irritation and trotted in the bedroom, muttering about her jobless husband before slamming the door shut behind her. Beatrix looked from the closed door to the small dining room before her. She wrinkled her nose at the thick smell of cigar smoke and alcoholic cider permeating the air. Naturally, Father and his friends had left quite the mess for the blue filly to clean. Discarded half smoked cigars, several unfinished mugs of cider - some knocked over and spilling the foul smelling liquid on the table and floor - and countless playing cards scattered everywhere. Letting out a resigned sigh, she carefully stepped around her unconscious Father and headed into the kitchen to grab the cleaning supplies. She knew by now that Mother would expect her to clean far more than just the dining room and so she got to work, knowing she wouldn't be sleeping at all tonight. But Beatrix didn't complain. Yes she feared the wrath of her Father and did everything in her almost nonexistent power to appease him, but she'd sooner punch her Father in the face and call him a filthy gelding than anger her Mother. And so it was that Beatrix spent the rest of the night making sure the dining room and surrounding area was clean enough to eat off of. She just hoped her Father didn't wake up before she was done.