A Day To Remember

by Mr. Haze

Trixie and Bricks

Trixie

Trixie once again lost her job. She drudged through town looking at the ground unwilling to hold her head up as she wondered how she would pay for her home. It seemed like performing for ponies just wasn't what they wanted anymore. They no longer cared for theatrics and magical displays. At least not in this town. Manehattan was not a city for a mare to be in if she was broke like Trixie. A lot of ponies had to get by using prostitution as a viable means of gaining income and other stole from one another. Violence was a common part of the city meaning their police force was just as influential.

An earth pony ran past the mare splashing muddied water in her face. Her now wet and dirty plane flopped in her face as she began to burn with anger. I hate this city. She said to herself. It wasn't easy growing up in city full of crime. She did her best to stay out of it trying to get into Canterlot University for Acting and Theater but she waited fruitlessly for her acceptance letter that never came. Druggies and drunks littered the alley ways only to be topped off with the slutty and disgusting looking whores that dotted the corners of streets looking for money or a fix for sexual services.

Three more ponies ran past her splashing more muddied water over Trixie. Now she was covered from horn to hoof in the dirty solution. She shook off most of the mud watching as the three uncouth and impolite police ponies ran around the corner no doubt pursing the pony that first unintentionally assaulted her with the splash of muddy water. Trixie wondered to herself what that pony did to get their attention but quickly dismissed the thought realizing it was probably the typical, drugs. They were an all too unfortunate part of the city life.

Trixie drudged through the city keeping her head low and staring at the reflections of the brightly lit neon signs above her that stared back at her in the various puddles of water that littered the cobblestone road in dips and crevices. She sighed to herself walking aimlessly around the city. Stallions whistled to her seeing the first decent looking mare in possibly months with the amount of used up whorish mares around. She ignored them with ease unable and unwilling to drift out of her own world as the one surrounding her was slowly poisoning her with its influences.

This place is wretched. She thought to herself. I need to get a drink before I kill over in agony of just being in this city. Fuck Manehattan. Celestia's such a stupid princess. She should be fixing this city not letting it rot away to spread its disease elsewhere. She was partially right. The princess was neglecting Manehattan, but not because she wanted to. Being the ruler of an entire kingdom means she had to take care of a large area of cities and states all looking to Celestia to solve their problems, but the great alicorn would not solve their problems. She would only give them the means to do so themselves. She couldn't let her little ponies become complacent on the thought that Celestia would cater to their every whim at the drop of a hat.

Trixie tripped over a pony lying on the ground falling to the wet, muddy earth with a thud and quickly recoiling from the injury. She looked at the pony she tripped over ready to cuss out the rude equine for not watching where she was extending her extremities, but Trixie stopped when she saw the mare. Her cold and lifeless body did not move. The color of her coat was pale and dirty covered in flecks of blood. A needle stuck out of her foreleg most likely the cause of her death, drug overdose. Trixie backed away quickly as if the pony was infected by some sort of communicable disease that would do the same to her if she came in contact with the corpse for too long.

Then the smell hit her like a freight train. The stench of death, decay, feces and urine all combined together in a putrid mixture that shot up Trixie's nose sending her stumbling back as if she had just got bucked. Her head pounded in her skull and her breathing because short and spastic. She felt it in the pit of her stomach and it was coming and there was nothing she could do to keep it down. Vomit expelled from her mouth covered the brick wall she leaned on. Her bile pattered onto the plastic garbage bags that littered the back alley. She breathed in deeply forming a wad of spit and bile in her mouth that she expelled onto the now vomited covered brick wall.

The city wasn't always like this. When Trixie first moved here it was pleasant and busy with most ponies finding jobs easily and the economy stood stable. Ponies worked together and the crime rate was nearly non-existent. A few cases of public intoxication, but they just got a slap on the hooves and a bunch of community service which worked out very well for the drunkard ponies. They made friends and changed their drinking habits to better enjoy the ponies they were surrounded by.

But everything changed when they came. Zebras. At first everypony was open and willing to help their equine cousins from across the sea until they brought their own 'culture' with them. That was when things turned from good to hellish in a matter of weeks. It first started with a drug they brought over from Zebrica. A powerful hallucinogen and stimulant called AMP. AMP or, Amphetamine Mixed Peyote for its technical term. It was common for the Zebras to ingest this substances before a battle or sex and a strange delicacy to ponykind who took it greedily when they got their first taste.

After that, all the crime in between flooded into Manehattan. Mostly caused by the Zebras who now ran the underground city of Manehattan with an iron hoof. The first major spree of crime was sexual assault. Stallions and mares alike mounting or getting mounted by anything that moved and had reproductive organs. This sort of behavior may have been acceptable in Zebrica but it wasn't in Equestria. It was frowned upon and detested as a crime equivalent to murder and carried a sentence just as hefty. Exile. The death penalty had been revoked years back after an incident with an execution of a mass serial killer and now the only way they had left to punish the worst of the worst ponies was to Exile them completely from Equestria sending them on a one way ticket to any third world shithole much like Zebrica was still today.

Then came the violence. The worst part of the Zebrican takeover of Manehattan. Trixie had a particular distaste for most Zebras in general for their brutish behavior and their charms to pick up mares were about as civil as a changeling asking to feed on somepony. There had been several times in her life where a Zebra crossed her path and ended up regretting his actions later after receiving a brutal beating at the hooves of a mare with three brothers. She knew how to fight and she wasn't afraid to fight back. Much like the overly aggressive Zebras around her constantly spilling each others blood and for what? A few bits and a quick Exile back to their home country if they were caught that is.

And after the violence came the corruption. The corruption of the government, the police, even the schools. The governor took bribes from the Zebrican mafia allowing their AMP to pass customs every time with ease. The police funded by the same government now played a risking game of double crossing working for both factions of the Zebrican mafias and either locking up, busting, or killing the competition depending on the highest bidder for the hit squads. Only a handful of the ponies in the police force remained loyal to the true laws of Equestria only to be silenced with desk jobs preventing them from stirring up trouble for the mafias.

And finally, after the corruption came the current state of the once great city. A mess of murder and drugs that fueled itself in perpetual decay until one day the whole city would crumble under itself unable to hold up the wastes of space that parasitically mooched off the infrastructure and tax Bits that Celestia so happily pissed away on this awful city.

Trixie arrived at her favorite destination in the terrible town. The Peach Pit, a bar full of halfway decent ponies that didn't pick fights with each other due to the bartender not wanting to deal with broken chairs and wouldn't hesitate to break bones if it came to damages. He was a gruff looking stallion. His muscled rippled underneath his skin as his veins outlined themselves pumping blood throughout his body. He made a quick smirk at Trixie as she walked inside hopping up to the bar signalling the bartender.

"What'll it be Trix?" He asked flatly.

"Stalliongrad Vodka, neat." She said in return.

Two shots of vodka found their way in front of her. One more than what she ordered, "I only ordered one." She said.

"And I'm giving you two. Look like ya' need it anyway." He said back.

She wasn't going to disagree with him. He was right after all. She needed to drink away her sadness for now and think about how she would fix her dilemma in the morning without resorting to be a whore like the rest of the mares around her. It's not that Trixie was a prude, it's just that she didn't feel like sleeping with every stallion who walked her way or every mare that showed a little interest. She was confident in herself and didn't need the constant sexual attention of others to boost her self-esteem. If anything, she was arrogant, even pompous someponies would say.

She knocked back the syrupy liquid cringing as it burned down her throat and warmed her stomach from within. Without eating anything the alcohol hit hard and fast. Another two shots appeared before her as she knocked them back just as quickly as the last two now feeling even more woozy and drunk than before. Her vision began to blur now as she looked up at the stallion bartender making a face that scared her a little inside. He began to shout at somepony but she didn't care who it was or what they did to piss him off. You never wanted to piss of Peach Pit. He may have had a silly name, but there was nothing funny about this stallion. Three tours in Zebrica made him the meanest pony in Manehattan bearing a deep and loathing grudge against the Zebras. He hated them. All of them.

The yelling subsided and Peach Pit returned to his station behind the bar waving a hoof in front of Trixie trying to get her attention. She could see his lips moving but she couldn't make out what he was saying. He looked concerned though. That was a noticeable feature about his face. A look of fatherly worry as if she were his daughter. But Trixie could no longer focus on her surroundings falling asleep at the bar in a drunken slumber.

She awoke a few hours later finding herself in a warm comfortable bed. She pulled the covers up tightly to her trying to hold in the warmth inside her fabric cocoon. Then it hit her hard. She had no idea where she was. She bolted out of the bed and barged out the door nearest her finding herself back in the bar she was in before she passed out. What the hell happened. She thought to herself as a massive headache now plagued her mind.

She heard hoofsteps approach her as she looked up squinting a bit as a fluorescent light blinding her vision from above. It was Peach Pit looking a little happier than usual. His common frown and scowl was now replaced by a look of longing and joy as if somepony he knew forever had just stepped back into his life.

"Peach Pit?" Trixie asked aloud, "w-was I just in your bed?"

"Yeah," he said back, "ya' passed out and I couldn't just let you sleep at the bar. Don't want these stallion's 'round here getting any funny ideas." He said furrowing his brow.

"Why?" She asked flatly.

"Because I can that's why." He said back abrasively.

"No, why did you let me sleep in your bed? I've seen you toss out mares and stallions alike who pass out in here and you just throw some old newspaper over them as a makeshift blanket. Why'd you take care of me differently?" She asked.

The old and buff stallion walked over to his bar opening a cabinet below and pulling out a glass bottle. Intricate letter graced the glass vessel full of what could only be a liquor substance they were both about to enjoy.

"Come on, Trix, have a drink with me." He said pouring two glasses of the brownish-yellow liquid. He placed it down on the wooden counter revealing a name to Trixie finally. Apple Jack it said on the front with a large 30 atop.

They sat at a booth nearby both saying nothing to each other for minutes as they sipped the hard whiskey.

"This is Apple Jack, some of the finest whiskey in Equestria. It's been aged for thirty years in charred apple wood barrels giving it a distinct and rough flavor of smokey apple pie as I would describe it." Peach Pit said aloud.

"You still haven't answered my question Peach." Trixie said ignoring his statement about the very flavorful whiskey they were enjoying.

"Trixie, I know you're not like the rest of the degenerates that plagued this town. They're a goddamn blight and I'd like to Exile every last one of them to Zebrica so they can enjoy their hedonistic behavior, but I'm not ruler. That's Celestia's job. I'm just a bartender." He said taking a pause for a sip of his drink, "I see a lot of potential in you. You know, I had a kid at one point. A daughter who would probably love to have met you. She was the cutest little filly. And then one day-" he shook his head, "Trixie get out of Manehattan. I don't want you to end up like my daughter. I see a lot of her in you that's why I let you sleep on my bed. Because you deserve another chance."

The words he spoke struck deep within Trixie's small heart. You deserve another chance. She never heard those words before which made her eyes begin to form small droplets of liquid emotion that streamed down her face as she looked down into her drink knocking back the whiskey in one gulp. She exhaled allowing the artificial heat of the alcohol take over her mouth.

Her glass was filled once again by the strong apple spirit. Peach Pit looked even happier now like he was talking to somepony he loved.

"You didn't even try to sleep with me? Most stallions would have, why didn't you?" Trixie asked.

A scowl now crossed Peach's face as he opened his mouth slowly, "Trixie, if you haven't got it by now you're like a daughter to me. I might only be your bartender, but I can still care about you whether you like it or not. When I saw you walk into my bar today I knew something happened to you. You looked more glum than usual. That's why I had to talk to you, alone. I doubt you would have even paid attention to me if we tried to have this conversation while I was still open. Too many ponies, too many distractions."

"What happened to your daughter?" Trixie pried a bit more into Peach's life.

Peach Pit knocked back the whiskey pouring himself another glass, "fucking zebras," he said under his breath just loud enough for Trixie to hear, "fucking zebras killed her in a dispute between two of those sub-equine fucks. 'Claimed they didn't know she was there and beat her up pretty badly. But I know that was bullshit. They're all bullshit liars. Fillies don't just sustain cracked ribs, severed arteries, and punctured lungs just because two Zebras are fighting between each other. No, they attacked her because she was a pony. They hate us and our way of life. They're disgusting creatures that should be exterminated from Equus. They don't deserve to live." He said with venom dripping from his words.

"Sorry I asked." Trixie said.

Peach Pit waved his hoof in dismissal of Trixie's attempt for an unnecessary apology.

"Trixie," he said, "you got to get out of Manehattan. This place will corrupt you just like the rest of the ponies if you stay to long."

"But how? I have no money. I don't even know where to go!" She cried out.

"You'll find a way," he said back smirking, "you're a resourceful mare, I have no doubt you'll get out of here." He knocked backed the rest of his whiskey, "now finish your drink and head back home Trix. I got to get some sleep and so do you."

Trixie swallowed the rest of the hard apple whiskey and left the bar only glancing back at Peach Pit who just sat there in the same booth.

"Now what." Trixie said aloud walking back to her apartment. She didn't want to back there. It was a hellhole of druggies sleeping in the hallways and drug dealers living in the apartments. Except for her however, somehow she managed to stay out of that scene and Peach Pit wanted her to stay that way and she surely wouldn't let him down.

She walked past the police station stopping and staring at the building long and hard. She felt it now. The anger building inside her. These were the ponies who were sworn to protect Manehattan and all they had done is perpetuate it's dilapidated state. She swayed from left and right cursing profanities and the inanimate infrastructure but with little effect. No pony responded and no pony recoiled to her blatant slanderous speech.

Then something caught her eye. A rectangular shape she levitated in her grasp. It was heavy and hard and rough. It's dark red color reminded her of dried blood. A thought crossed her mind and sooner than she could contemplate the consequences of her actions she hurled the brick as hard as she could through a window of the police station. It felt invigorating. The rush of adrenaline as she heard the glass shatter and the brick plop to the ground.

She picked up another brick hurling it inside the building followed by more bricks and after she run out of bricks she threw trash and soon anything she could find at the building with her telekenetic grab. Shattered glass now littered the entire police station as she began to laugh hysterically. Laughing as loud as she could. She heard voices approaching her. Ponies surrounded her on all sides but she did not care. This was her plan anyway. She was going to get out of Manehattan one way or another.

"FUCK THE POLICE!" She screamed as loud as she could, "FUCK MANEHATTAN! AND FUCK EQUESTRIA!" And before she knew it everything went black after getting struck on the head by a wooden baton.

She awoke in a cell. It's cold metal bed did little to support her back or neck. She groaned in pain shifting over and trying to fall back asleep noticing she was not the only pony in there. Another mare was with her in the iron gated cage. She lied on the ground as tired as Trixie herself and Trixie soon drifted off back to dreamland.

"Wake up!" A voice yelled, "dammit wake up Trixie! Time to see the judge!" the voice called out again this time nudging her with a large wooden baton. She sat up tired and stressed from the long night and yawned loudly soon finding herself bound in chains that were too tight and being escorted into a large courtroom.

The judge stood up above everyone else reading off Trixie's name as she approached the powered wigged pony.

"You stand charged with fifteen counts of vandalism against state property. How do you plead?" Asked the judged.

Trixie stood proud of her convictions smiling up at the judge who only frowned back, "Guilty." She said.

"I sentence you to three hundred hours of community service in Ponyville. Your train leaves in an hour Ms. Trixie so do hurry or you'll be spending three hundred hours in lockup." The judge laid craning his head down to the accused and now convicted pony.

"Wait." She said catching the judges attention before he could pound his gavel, "you mean I get to leave Manehattan?" She said looking excited.

"Yes." Said the judge gruffly, "hopefully we won't see you here again either Ms. Trixie."

Trixie jumped for joy in the air only to be pinned down by the officer escorting her.

"Now calm down Ms. Trixie, you'll have to wait in your cell before the train gets here after that, I hope I never see your face again." The judge said.

Trixie nodded smiling up at the judge who just passed down the greatest thing to ever happen to Trixie in her life. She was going to Ponyville. It seemed like an okay place from the name, but as long as it wasn't Manehattan she didn't care at all. She should do anything to get out of this city. And it looks like all she needed was one push from Peach Pit to commit a crime and get a gift. It was a strange feeling knowing she was being rewarded for her misdeeds but she didn't mind.

Trixie stepped onto the train taking a seat with her letter in hoof to present to the Mayor of Ponyville explaining her duties to the new town for three hundred hours of community service. She smiled looking out the window and soon seeing nothing of Manehattan but a distant black speck in the horizon she would never see again.

"What a day to remember." She said aloud lying back in her seat and closing her eyes to enjoy a nice nap before she arrived at her destination.

Author's Note:

Next time. The Plot to Bomb Sugarcube Corner.