//------------------------------// // The First Night (Part 2) // Story: Trixie's Robotic Boogaloo // by The Infinity Doctor //------------------------------// Trixie winced in pain as she rubbed the base of her horn as it throbbed. The dim lamp hanging above her seemed as intense as the sun, invading her eyes, making them hurt just as much as her horn did. Pushing herself off her back, she discovered herself to be in the security office, the rolling office chair tipped over. She'd been asleep? Was that what happened? It seemed so real, and- the animatronics... Swiping the unbroken tablet from the floor, the unicorn flicked through the live images of the restaurant, until it came to rest on the show stage. All three of the lifeless constructs stood stock still, in their usual positions. The bear held its microphone, the rabbit its guitar, and the chicken its cupcake. Nothing was out of place, nothing that she could see, anyway... Glancing up at the clock in the office, she discovered the clock to read 7:00. 'Oh, of course,' she sighed to herself, relieved 'I fell asleep during my shift, it was just a nightmare!' How foolish of her to think that the constructs were actually alive, that was just ridiculous! Insane! They were nothing more than shells of cloth and metal! Surely the things were just unsettling to her, that was the proper explanation. On the other hand...why was she trying so hard to convince herself that her 'experience' had been nothing more than a dream? A result of boredom! 'Sweet Celestia...I'm worrying over nothing...' she thought with a chuckle. Of course these attractions weren't alive! Of course they were a bit eerie, they somewhat resembled a pony, surely that was cause enough for her to be just the tiniest bit afraid...wasn't it? Good god, she really was losing it! 'Rest...that's all I need...yes, a little rest...' the powder-blue mare thought, scratching at her scalp as she exited the office. A low voice suddenly made itself known to her, whispering through the halls; following it, she came across Mister- damn it, Frank's office, situated between the kitchen and the restrooms. "Yeah, I know-" came the voice of Frank, then a short pause "-I know, I know! I haven't even touched them! Somepony else switches them on before we open, and-" Another pause as Trixie grew closer, the magician taking precaution not to be heard. "Well can I help it if I'm afraid for my life?" Frank asked "Just...when can you get down here? The animatronics-" Taking a risk, Trixie peeked into the doorway, finding Mr. Frazbear with his back to her, talking into a phone on his desk. "Wha? Nothing! What did I just get through telling you? The animatronics- they've still got some...uh...glitches." Frank said 'glitches' as if it were some obscenity, and he himself seated in the front row, before the priest. "Tonight? Er...I don't know...we've got a new guard working the night shift..." Trixie's ears swung up, eager to hear what her new boss had to say about her. "Ah, I don't know, I haven't checked yet-" Another pause, as somepony on the other end of the line interrupted the brown stallion. "If she comes back, then yeah- just come in through the back way, with your key." he emphasized. 'What does he mean 'If I come back'?' she wondered, tiptoeing past the doorway to the office. "Alright- hey, thanks again, you're a real life-saver." With that, the conversation ceased, and the click of the mouthpiece made itself known, prompting Trixie to make her way down the hall, her boss none the wiser to what she'd just heard. "Trixie!" 'Goddammit!' she cursed 'Well, there's another job down the drain...' The unicorn turned, finding Frank stepping out of his office. "Frank!" she stated, turning as she feigned surprise. "Listen, about tonight's shift- there's a friend of mine that's going to be coming down here, sometime around your shift." the stallion stated, running a hand through his unkempt mane. "Oh?" she asked, appearing to be suspicious. 'I should be an actress!' she thought sarcastically. "Yes, he's coming to do an, er...routine check-up, on the animatronics; new technology and all that..." 'New?' "Ah, anyway, just don't be surprised when you see him tonight." he said finally. "I see, th-thank you for telling me." Frank waved nonchalantly, turning around to trot back into his office. "No problem," he called back, out-of-character for him. But then again, Trixie had to admit she knew next to nothing about the nervous stallion, save what little she'd 'discovered'. Venturing past the kitchen doors, the blue mare spied the animatronics, as still as they were the night before. A cream-colored mare with a light-orange mane hurried past her, quickly and efficiently setting out plates and party hats at the table nearest to her. Trixie sighed, and left the restaurant, her mood doing nothing for her as she began the journey back to her wagon. 'What I wouldn't do for a hot bath right now...' she wished silently. A small scooter, somehow containing three fillies zoomed towards her position. The showmare prepared to step out of the way of the wayward fillies when, to her surprise, they actually slowed down as they passed her, mixed emotions on their faces. Once the 'danger' had passed, they sped back up, rolling off to wherever they were headed, doing whatever the hell it was that the three troublemakers did. How she wished she could have a normal life again... Her eyes downcast, she took no notice of the being in front of her, and subsequently- *SLAM* Or...at least as normal as it could get in Ponyville. Trixie felt her muzzle, and felt something wet slip out of her nose, and down her face. 'Son of a bitch!' she thought angrily 'Can nothing go right today?!' "Ma'am! I'm so sorry!" the mystery-stallion said, dropping the box he was holding. 'Perhaps the day is not all bad.' she thought, still trying to stem the flow of blood from her muzzle. Trixie looked up, and spied Princess Twilight's lover standing over her. "J-Just wait here, I'll be right back!" he said, running into the library. 'Stupid of me to think that I could actually meet somepony...' she thought bitterly as the crimson substance dripped down her hand and onto the dirt road. She looked around, and suddenly became an object of interest to the entire street. They gawked at her, as if she were some sort of side-show, specifically put there for their entertainment. Tears welled in her eyes, as the ponies around her shouted insults as she passed, showing no remorse for what they were doing. "Hey Trixie, somepony finally give you what for?" shouted one stallion. "Nothing less than what you deserve!" a mare declared. "Eewww!" cried more than a few foals. Trixie hightailed it back to her haven, not even bothering to put up a smokescreen. What was the point? She was a washed-out magician, and everypony knew it! They were never going to let her live in peace. They were going to ensure that every pony, far and wide, would know what she'd done. She'd never know love, she'd be constantly ridiculed, and she'd die alone; she knew this as fact. Trixie entered her wagon, and slammed the door behind her in a fit of rage. Tears, blood, and mucus dripped down her face, mangling her appearance. She looked into the small vanity, wanting the madness to stop. 'Get it together!' she thought, trying to force herself to stop crying. Removing a tissue from its box on the vanity, she held it to her muzzle, attempting to stem the flow. She desperately wished that there were someway for other ponies to accept her.