Trixie and Maud: Heart of Stone

by TheCrimsonDM

Chapter Twenty Two: The Poison Within

HEART OF STONE
Chapter Twenty Two: The Poison Within
Written by TheCrimsonDM

The air was cold against Trixie’s fur as she stood inside the dark room. She couldn’t make out anything in the darkness, but she could feel the uneven hard floor beneath her. Trixie tried to use her magic to light up the room but stopped just as she remembered her magic would hurt her. Trixie couldn’t help but feel afraid of this dark cold room.

A purple light began to glow around her, its dim light allowing Trixie to see where she was. Trixie was inside of a black room, the walls, ceiling, and floor were all made of some kind of black stone. Trixie was standing on a set of stairs leading down towards a large doorway. A dark ominous feeling was coming from down that way. Trixie didn’t like it at all.

“You know you’re responsible for this Trixie,” said a disturbingly familiar mare’s voice.

Trixie looked behind herself and saw her doppelganger standing before her with a purple aura glowing from her horn. Trixie scowled at her and said, “Scath.”

Scath smiled at Trixie and began to pace around her. “You don’t even know why Scath choose the name do you? Has it not occurred to you that Scath is your shadow? That Scath was sick of being pushed around? We had been part of you, we had been part of Twilight. And together we decided to become more than just fragments to be used by creatures of corruption like the Deep One. No we, the great and powerful Scath have decided to become the ruler of all.”

Trixie grinned slyly at Scath saying, “no pony will bow to a self righteous monster like yourself.”

“Oh but we are simply being the pony we were meant to be, before you abandoned us to make ‘friends’. You have ruined our good name, and become a pathetic creature,” Scath explained.

Trixie was staring at what she now believed to be some kind of twisted mirror. Scath may be a separate creature, and somehow connected to Twilight. But she was certain that she was staring at an evil version of herself, and it disgusted her.

Scath then stopped and looked at Trixie saying, “you know all Scath needs to do to cause you trouble, is to talk to Maud. We could hurt her, in ways you could only imagine, and she would blame you. Isn’t it wonderful what we could do?”

White hot anger flashed through Trixie at Scath’s words and Trixie lashed out with a hoof trying to punch her doppelganger. Scath teleported away just out of Trixie’s reach, and closer towards the open doorway. Scath grinned and said, “oh, so that’s what it takes to make you chase after us.”

Scath turned and fled through the doorway, and for the moment Trixie didn’t care what creepy monsters lay behind there. She was going to smack Scath silly for even suggesting the idea of hurting Maud. Trixie chased after Scath without a moment’s hesitation.

Inside the doorway Trixie found a room that was darkly lit by a fire pit. The purple colored fire cast a purple flickering light about the small black chamber. A pick axe lay on the floor next to a large statue. The statue didn’t make sense to her at first but as she stared at it, it seemed to become clearer.

The statue stood nearly ten feet tall, and was shaped like a long tall and skinny primate. The primate had its arms sticking straight up towards the sky in an anguished posture as though it was suffering from a terrible pain. The primate creature was far to skinny to be a living creature, it was nearly a skeleton. The statue was made completely of obsidian. In fact Trixie began to suspect that everything around her was made of obsidian.

Scath reappeared from behind the statue and said, “oh Trixie, did you really think that Twilight could handle us? We are after all, you. And we both know that Twilight has never really beaten us in a battle. The one time she had even tried, she cheated. And oh does that burn.”

Trixie nearly screamed at Scath in anger as she said, “even though she cheated in our magic duel, we deserved it. The things we did were terrible. Can’t you understand that?”

Scath replied with an angry tone, “no we cannot, for what the villagers did was horrible to us. We deserved their love and affection and they hurt us. We will get their love, or we will get our revenge. Can’t you understand us, and our pain?”

Trixie looked away and said in a quieter tone, “I’m through with revenge. All it does is hurt me, and the ponies I love. I still have flashbacks of the things I did sometimes, and it’s horrible. I think I locked Fluttershy inside a cage.”

Scath laughed villainously before saying, “oh you were going to, until she showed us how much she admired us. Hehehe the things that we did to that little butter yellow subject of ours. It is no wonder she still loves us. Too bad all you can do is forget about it, and hurt her more by being with Maud, right in front of her face. Even I wouldn’t do that to anypony.”

That was it, something inside Trixie broke and she charged at Scath. Trixie summoned all the energy she could into her horn and screamed. Just as Trixie was about to unleash the built up magic at her foe, a bright light blinded her.

***

Trixie covered her eyes and moaned as she tried to block out the light. She looked around and realized that she was no longer in that dark place with Scath. Trixie was now lying next to Maud inside of the bed Pinkie Pie had set up for them. The light came through the window and was directly in Trixie’s eyes. Trixie hated the light.

That dream she had just woken from was not by any means normal. There was something about it that was very off, and in some ways almost real. It was far too early to wonder about such dreadful things, she decided it would be best to not worry about it until after she had drank her coffee.

Trixie rolled out of bed and shook herself. She needed a shower after the things Maud had done to her the night before, but most importantly, she needed to pee. Maud stirred a little and said in a begging tone, “come back to bed Lulu. Hold me.”

Trixie smiled down at her sleepy lover and said, “I’ll be right back, I need to pee.”

Maud groaned and went back to sleep as Trixie left the room. She made her way down the stairs and into the bathroom located on the third floor of this four story house. Trixie made her way inside and quietly took care of her business. Afterwards Trixie washed her hooves in the sink and noticed scars around her legs.

Trixie had never had any scars before. She then looked into the mirror and found scars on her face. One over her right eye, one under her left cheek, one on her lip, and the last one was just over her left eye. Panic began rushing through her body as she looked at her sides and noticed scars over her flanks, especially on her cutie mark and going towards her rump. Trixie screamed fearfully.

A few minutes later Trixie was cowering behind the bathroom door shaking, it was locked and she was using her body to help keep it shut. She didn’t want anypony to see her like this, not like the damaged, scarred goods that she knew she’d always been. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed from the confusion and fear.

She had no idea how these scars had appeared. She had never been hurt this badly before. It was almost like all her emotional scars had been transformed into physical ones. Almost like some kind of horrid joke, but who would ever be so cruel to do this too her.

“Lulu,” Maud said softly through the door, “please come out. I’m here for you.”

Trixie let out a cry before saying, “no, Trixie is hideous. We look like a monstrous freak. We won’t come out. You can’t be allowed to see Trixie like this.”

Maud was silent for a few seconds before she said in a worried voice, “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

Trixie tried to quiet her sobs for a moment and calm down. She said, “you don’t know, you don’t know anything about Trixie. Not about how horrible she is, nor about what she secretly desires, nor about her darkest fears, you don’t know anything about the meek and powerless Trixie.”

For the longest time Maud stayed quiet, the only sounds audible to her were those of her own sobs. Trixie finally gave up on hearing Maud say something that would make her feel better about this when suddenly she heard Maud’s voice. “You’re right, I don’t know as much about you as I would like to Lulu. So I want you to tell me everything. I’ll listen, like always…I promise.”

Trixie heard the pain in Maud’s voice, she hadn’t heard Maud sound hurt before. If Trixie had somehow hurt Maud’s feelings then she could never forgive herself for the act. Trixie opened up the bathroom door a crack and saw Maud sitting patiently outside of it.

Maud was wearing a sad expression with some tears running down her face when Trixie opened the door. As Trixie stared at Maud she watched Maud grow a sad smile as she said, “you opened the door.” Maud quickly frowned and cringed as she tried to fight back her tears.

To an outsider Maud’s sadness might seem more normal, but Trixie knew her special somepony better than that. Maud’s shouldn’t be this upset over Trixie alone, something else must have happened. Trixie only opened the door enough for her to see through with one eye, she still didn’t want Maud to see her body like this.

“Maud, are you feeling okay?” Trixie asked feeling concern for her special somepony.

Maud looked confused for a second before looking surprised. Her eyes widened in shock as she seemed to realize something. Then Maud broke down and she clenched her eyes shut nearly crying again. “Lulu…I’m….scared…”

Trixie opened her mouth to explain that it was okay to cry sometimes, but stopped short at Maud’s expression of deep emotional pain. Maud looked around herself quickly before saying quietly, “please let me inside, before Pinkie Pie see’s me like this.”

Too shocked at her lover becoming so emotionally destroyed, Trixie couldn’t help but open the door for Maud. Trixie made sure to stay hidden behind it while Maud entered, so that no pony could see her body. Just as Maud entered the bathroom Trixie closed the door so fast she nearly slammed it shut. To her surprise she watched Maud jump forward in surprise from the sound. Could Maud really be this scared?

Trixie leaned her back against the door and sat on the floor. She watched fearfully as Maud turned around and examined her. Maud’s expression went from surprise to confusion, and finally ended on absolutely horror. Trixie cringed in fear as Maud looked at her.

“Lulu…those are new, and I should know,” Maud said in a quiet timid voice.

Trixie wiped her tears away with a hoof but they simply came back. The feeling of shame simply wouldn’t leave her alone. “Trixie doesn’t know what happened; we just woke up after a nightmare about Scath…and then this….”

Trixie began to feel her fear, shame, guilt, and pain all stirring together. She tried her best to not start crying and found Maud starting to join her. Maud quickly walked up and wrapped her hooves around Trixie before the two of them began sobbing together.

They held each other, crying in each other’s embrace for nearly ten minutes, with Maud nuzzling Trixie’s chest. Finally a knocking was heard at the bathroom door. Pinkie Pie said through the door, “is everything okay you two?”

Trixie watched as Maud’s expression changed from sorrow to terror. Maud looked into Trixie’s eyes and whispered, “S-s-she can’t s-s-see me like this. Lulu help me…save me.”

Trixie wasn’t in any better of an emotional state, but she felt Maud’s terror as well. Trixie cleared her throat before saying, “something’s wrong with us, we…don’t know what it is but we need help.”

Pinkie Pie then said, “of course you need help, and I’m glad that you finally asked. With how sick you have been. I’ve been scared, especially after you coughed out so-“

Trixie cut her off in a near shout saying, “Trixie has no time for your crazy talk. Go fetch Twilight Sparkle and tell her we have need of her services.” Trixie calmed herself down having now stopped Pinkie Pie from revealing something that was secret. “Please Pinkie Pie, we are…changed somehow. Our body has been transformed.”

Pinkie Pie was quiet for a moment causing Trixie to think that she had left on her assigned task. Pinkie Pie surprised Trixie when she said, “um…it’s hard to understand you when you talk like that Trixie. Are you saying that you and Maud fused into some kind of monster pony? Because you keep saying ‘we’.”

Despite the randomness of what Pinkie Pie had suggested, she used the word ‘monster’ and that was all Trixie could focus on and she couldn’t help it anymore. She broke down into sobbing tears again. Maud finally pulled away and gently opened the bathroom door against Trixie’s back. Maud only opened it a few inches to show Pinkie her red face. Maud had been crying so hard her face was red.

Pinkie Pie let out an audible gasp at Maud. Maud explained in a barely even voice, obviously attempting to sound like her normal stoic self, “I don’t know what happened, but Trixie has acquired scar tissue on her body over night.”

Pinkie Pie said, “wow that sounds like a curse…”

Maud’s eyes grew wide as she said in a fearful tone, “curse. Like the blue flower curse?”

“Oh no, you two didn’t come across any poison joke yesterday did you?” Pinkie asked concerned. “I know you went hiking in the forest.”

Maud looked down at Trixie and Maud’s lip began to quiver slighter. “Yes, and Trixie smelled them.”

Pinkie Pie let out a sigh before saying, “and let me guess. You joined in without thinking about it?”

Maud closed her eyes and said timidly, “I pulled her away from them…and then she sneezed on me.”

Pinkie Pie began laughing for a few seconds before saying, “that’s gross. Okay, I can fix you guys pretty quick. Just let me get Twilight.”

Pinkie Pie left, and Maud shut the door and returned to Trixie’s embrace. Maud shivered and whimpered in Trixie’s embrace. Maud was a little taller than Trixie but right now Maud was acting so small and afraid that Trixie was worried for her. Trixie and Maud cried together, whatever kind of curse afflicted them it was pure evil. For nothing had scared Maud before save for Trixie’s death.

***

A few hours had passed and Pinkie Pie had returned without company. By this time Trixie had made her way into Pinkie’s room and had wrapped herself into a blanket. She had wrapped the blanket around herself so tight that no pony could hope to steal her cover from her.

Maud on the other hoof, was acting scared still. Even Gummy, Pinkie Pie’s, pet alligator was scaring her. Trixie had to keep them separated after it tried to nibble on Maud. Maud had let out a shrilling scream as though she was dying. Even wrapped in her blanket cloak, and feeling hideous she still stood guard for Maud, protecting her from the dreaded toothless alligator.

When Pinkie returned alone Trixie began to despair thinking that Pinkie had been unable to find help. But Pinkie showed them a green potion, one that would be poured into a nice hot bath for the two ponies. A bath was something that they had desperately needed.

Pinkie Pie began to prepare them a bath downstairs leaving Maud alone with Trixie. Maud was avoiding looking at her sister, and seemed more terrified of Pinkie Pie then most anything else. Trixie was worried about that.

“Maud, why are you scared of Pinkie Pie?” Trixie asked gently.

For a moment she didn’t get a response but finally Maud said in a tiny voice, “I don’t want to talk about it. not now, not ever.”

Maud began to shake from the fear again, and Trixie didn’t feel like pressing the matter. Whatever might have happened, it didn’t matter because Trixie was here now. Trixie walked up and held Maud until Pinkie Pie came up and told them that the bath was finished. Trixie wasn’t going to leave Maud’s side anytime soon.

Comments

[zalla661]

Holy crap Mud's scared of Pinkie? For realsies? Dang I want to know what Pinks could have done to warrant that kind of response even if it was poison joke. Still, I feel you wouldn't have put something like that without it being a real serious thing. I feel the poison joke was to distract us from the real reason for the scars involving Scath, or the Great and Powerful Scath as it calls itself.

I have to admit I'm embarrassed by the fact I missed the poison joke. It all made sense after why Maud was acting like she was. Funny I would have thought it would make her act more like a rock than emotional, but it makes sense why. Hope all goes well for Maud and Trixie. Oh oh, do we get sexy time in the bath time next time?

[crowscrowcrow]

Fluttershy never was shown with Trixie in the Magic Duel episode, so Scath could be telling the truth. Which is rather interesting I must say. Poor little Fluttershy though, she always was ripe for an abusive relationship. QQ
(Upon reflection, I guess that makes Maud not Trixie's first.)

Oh my, that's a pretty dark joke there, Poison Joke... So if I understand it correctly, all of Trixie's mental scars are given physical representations, showing just how damaged she really is. While Maud is stripped of her stoic nature, and either turned into a scardycat, or revealed as being one underneath her usual demeanor. (Though I'd imagine both cases may involve amplifying the effect.)
Thinking about it a little more, it seems possible that poison joke has nothing to do with Maud's fear, but that all it did was strip her stoic nature, and Maud is fearful only because of some kind of reaction she expects Pinkie to have to that fact.

In this state, Maud is scared of Pinkie. It seems unlikely that this is brought on purely by the poison joke, which must mean it is some kind of deeper issue that is merely being brought to the surface. We do know a little bit of Pinkie's history. In particular playing with that knife, Cutie Cutter, though Maud was gone at the time it does imply that Pinkie is a tad unstable. We saw her relapse pretty quick in party of one after all.

When Maud talks to Pinkie, she has no problem with showing Pinkie her face, even though it is clear she has been crying A LOT. Rather, what Maud tries to disguise is her voice, attempting to sound stoic as ever. I am not sure what this means yet. I have some speculation, but I can't tie that to anything yet. It depends on who that stoic attitude is protecting, Maud or Pinkie. Does Pinkie NEED Maud to be stoic? Is Maud what Pinkie achors herself to kind of like Trixie does? Or does Maud's behaviour ward off something in Pinkie?

Btw, Trixie, if you are gonna live in Ponyville, you can't keep skipping your meds every time some kind of disaster happens before breakfast. The sooner you get used to this stuff, the better.

Notes:

We deserved there love and affection and they hurt us. We will get there love, or we will get our revenge.

their*

She began to fight crying back and found Maud starting to join her.

This sentence might benefit from some rephrasing.

Even Gummy, Pinkie Pie’s pet alligator was scaring her.

I think you meant for this sentence to be an Apposition, which requires a comma after 'alligator'.

Trixie didn’t feel like pressing the mater.

matter*

Pinkie Pie came up and told them that the bat was finished.

bath

[TheCrimsonDM]

5199997 You are right, there does seem to be something a little deeper going on here in regards to Maud's fear.
Poison joke on the other hand is fun to work with in writting. I had many different idea's on what to do with it. I chose Maud's fear because it seemed to be the most fitting for the story. Poison Joke, it might've been shown more comically in the show itself. but what Poison Joke does is actually very cruel with you think about it. I mean, aside from Rarity and Fluttershy, Poison Joke could easily have ruined all of the mane six's lives. in Applejack's case it could have easily gotten her killed, and they even made a joke about someone sitting on her at the end there.

And sexy bath time's. sounds fun.

5200904 We can both hope that Scath was lying, but somehow I fear that there may be more truth in her words then we would want. Poor Fluttershy indeed.

You seem to have a pretty good handle on what happened with Poison Joke. Trixie's emotional scars became real, physical, things, while Maud had her stoic nature taken away. now the thing about fear, all I can say on that front is this. Maud has shown that she can, and does feel emotions. but for some reason she always returns to her stoic nature. There is a reason for it, and that reason might surprise you. XD

And yes, Trixie will need to learn that living in Ponyville means trouble on a weekly basis. but I don't think she will mind...after she gets used to it.

Thanks for explaining "Apposition" to me. I have been using it in my writing but without realizing that it was a rule. It felt natural in the places I had used it before, but now I know exactly where and how to use. XD

and thanks for the comments everyone. XD

[Texus]

can anyone help me?, I wanted to look for a few good Screwloose fanfictions, but i can´t find it because of the change again.
I am not sure if Screwloose had a Tag for herself befor, but right now it is trouble enough to figure that new system out again.
Well it is probably not that bad but i don´t know what should have been wrong befor.