//------------------------------// // What Lies Below (Carrot Plate): Enter The Train Wreck // Story: Awkward Conversations And Other Stories // by No one is home //------------------------------// “Diane, honey, two things, first ‘pear cobbler’, and second I need you to untie me and get Surprise. We need to talk about boundaries… again,” Train wreck glanced around the darkened room long enough to know he was locked in a basement. This wasn’t his first rodeo. “It’s okay, I’m a friend,” a female voice peeped from just outside his vision. “I’d say my friends don’t tie me up, but that’s why I have the safe words,” train wreck nodded, “So can you untie me, I’m not mad. And I itch like crazy.” “D-do you know how long it’s been?” the voice inquired. “No earthly idea. But Diane is in trouble, Z is confused, and Surprise needs my help sorting this crazy shit out,” the monster replied evenly, “Did you move me here? That couldn’t have been easy.” “I would have taken you to the hospital, but I didn’t know… if they’d help you…” the voice supplied. “No I’m just saying did you move me yourself? Cause I’m a lot heavier than I look. A lot of ponies see me and they think, ‘Yeah, he’s big.’ But I’ve got mass like a dwarf star. It was the fire that got me. I’m a lot of scar tissue now, ain't I?” Train Wreck settled into thought. “I-it’s not pretty,” he could hear the tears behind the voice, “A Lot of the fur won’t grow back… ever.” “I did perfectly okay being a furless alien before. It’ll be okay. If you cared enough to bring me here, why not just call for help?” “After what happened… I didn’t want them to let you die!” the voice sobbed, “Ponies like my father… they hate you.” Then why did you tie me up?” the giant insisted, “Were you afraid of me? That’s okay if you were, but I’m not going to hurt you. Sometimes I get in states where I might hurt myself, and ‘pear cobbler’ means it’s safe to let me go because I won’t hurt myself. Are you afraid I’m going to hurt you?” “I have to keep you tied up because you walk in your sleep, if Father found out I had you here he’d…” “What? Piss himself?” Train Wreck snorted. “Y-you don’t understand,” the voice sobbed. “What is he doing to you?” Train Wreck’s voice became dangerously even, “What does he do that makes you more afraid of him than the monster your keeping in your basement?” “I…” the mare sobbed, and then stopped. “It’s okay,” Train Wreck sighed, “You don’t have to tell me. But if you’re being mistreated or abused, you should leave.” “He’ll never let me leave,” the mare began to break down. “Listen to me,” the monster smiled patiently, “Are you afraid of me? Am I tied up because you’re afraid I’m going to hurt you?” “N-no,” the mare admitted, “I work with foals, so I’d heard all about you. You’re the Train Wreck. The Cupcake Monster of Just Deserts. I’m sorry I tied you up… do you want me to untie you?” Train Wreck opened his lower mandibles and set loose his clever snakes, “No need, I was never really restrained. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to panic if I got loose.” The monstrous stallion rose shakily to his feet, and turned around to see a cute red unicorn mare with an orange mane and tail shrinking back at his gaze, “It’s okay. Like I said, I’m not going to hurt you. What’s your name?” “Carrot Plate,” the mare said mumbled. “Alright,” the beast smiled, “And how long have I been down here? Was I out the whole time?” “It’s been at least three weeks,” Carat Plate admitted, “You’d come to enough to accept a little food and water from time to time… I really didn’t think you were going to recover… especially not so quickly.” “Well,” Train Wreck stretched awkwardly, “Discord made me to be pretty much indestructible. Not entirely fire proof though. Gotta keep that in mind.” “W-what are you going to do now?” Carrot Plate asked nervously. “I’m going to go find my family,” the answer was easy enough, “They’re either worried or grieving. Probably that last one, so I need to let them know I’m not dead.” “I wish I had a family like that,” Carot Plate mumbled miserably, “It would be nice to be looked at as something besides a business asset, or… I hate it here.” “Then you should leave,” the giant cocked his head to one side, noticing something that hung in the air unspoken, “You shouldn’t have to stay where you’re treated like that. And you don’t have to.” “Father won’t even let me leave the house without the monitoring crystals,” Carrot Plate shank back, “I’m not the mare ponies think I am! You don’t know what it’s like. There’s always his voice in my ear, telling me to do...things. Sometimes for political leverage… sometimes just so he can watch. And it’s always me who has to pay the price. It’s always me who has to put on that face and play the bad pony. I hate it Mr. Train Wreck! Do you think I wouldn’t leave if I could?” “Look, I’m not real clear on the laws in Equestria, but I’m pretty sure everything you just described is illegal as hell,” Train Wreck reasoned. “No,” the mare shrank back into herself, “My family is too well connected. He’d just get away with it. At worst he would use his political influence to get the sentence reduced to a minor inconvenience, and then he’d take it out on me… it’s what he did when… he’s made me do alot of things, but one time I did something terrible all on my own. I got caught and I thought it was finally over. They were going to lock me up and I’d finally be free of him… but he got me off with a slap on the fetlock, and it got even worse. Nopony would believe me now.” “Well there’s no help for it then,” Train Wreck smiled at the broken pony, “Come on, we’re leaving.” “Didn’t you hear what I was telling you?” Carrot Plate argued, “I can sneak out sometimes, that’s how I found you, but if I’m gone for too long without a monitor, father will find me! He’ll drag me back! It will be even worse than it was before! Do you think I haven’t tried running away before?” “That’s why we’re not sneaking off, or running away,” a smile stretched across the tazzle pony's hideously scarred face, “We’re going to walk out through the front door.” “B-but, I couldn’t, how could we?” The mare stammered in confusion. “It’s easy, we just leave,” Train Wreck gave his friendliest, least predatory smile, “Just walk behind me, and let baby Jeebus save whoever get’s in the way.”