I don’t think I need to provide much of a monologue for this. I’m still here, telling my story, so I can say that I didn’t die. Funny that, right?
They say things are funnier in hindsight, well let me tell you: There’s still nothing funny about what’s happened to me, or what I did because of it.
So let’s just get moving. We have a lot to get through.
***
I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe I’m here, stooped over on top of the piano.
It took a lot of work to get the piano lid open, but after that, it was pretty simple. Unwind the lowest length of piano wire, remove it from the piano, tie it around one of the roof-bars of the cage in a noose.
And now here I am, crouched on the lid of the piano, trying to work up the courage to jump.
The wire isn’t heavy, yet it sits on my shoulders like a dead weight, its cold steel resting against my neck.
One movement, and I can end this. That’s all it takes. All I need to be rid of this nightmare, so why can’t I do it?
I’m trying to coerce myself into the jump. If I hit the angle right, I might even be able to break my neck when the wire goes taught, and save me the pain of strangulation.
Is this the right way to handle this? Surely I can deal with this another way.
No. My situation will never change. My only weapon against Trixie is piano wire, and I could never attack her with it. She’s just take control of my mind.
I can’t live when my mind doesn’t belong to me, when someone else can literally force me to do anything they want.
My resolve is strengthening, and I am leaning out over the cage floor as I continue to debate within my head.
Trixie said I would never be free. Death is my freedom – the last option I have. I can’t do anything else. It’s as if the universe has abandoned me.
I mean, hell. There could even be a heaven – oh, no. If there is, then I’ll be going to hell for suicide. Okay, in that case, I say there is no heaven. Just a nice long sleep.
There was a girl at school – Sara - who hung herself. I don't like to think about it; but what's important is that as she was hanging in her bedroom, she scrawled an unfinished ‘It doesn’t hurt as’ on the wall, carving it right into the wood as she died.
It was a sickening detail, but at the moment it gives me solace that maybe this won’t be a completely horrible way to die. Maybe it will even be bearable.
Tears are rolling down my face now. Thinking about all of this is extremely stressful. Maybe I shouldn’t think about it. Maybe I should just do it, and think of all my regrets later.
Actually, aside from my biggest regret of not appreciating my life as much as I should have, my next biggest is that I’ll never be able to give Trixie her comeuppance… never be able to exact my revenge.
The thought of Trixie is unbearable. I don’t want to see her again. I should just jump before she arrives, before I have to see her face again.
I wipe the tears from my eyes. I want to die with a smidge of dignity. If there's a single thing I have left to my name, it must be that, and the only way to retain my dignity is to die on my own terms.
I can’t believe it. I’m going to do it. I’ve actually managed to talk myself into doing this.
I need to stop thinking. If I keep thinking, I’ll start to rationalize, and then I won’t have the nerve to go through with it.
‘Just do it!’ My mind screams at me, and I’m all too happy to comply.
“Fuck you, Trixie.” I blurt out, before leaning out over the tipping point.
***
Trixie sighed contently.
She was sitting in Sugarcube Corner, enjoying a pair of delicious cupcakes and a glass of fresh apple juice.
To think that over the last three weeks she had gone from scrounging through garbage at least once a week to living it up and spending big was amazing. If she hadn’t captured that human, then she could have starved to death by now.
Trixie lifted one of the cupcakes in her magical aura and took a dainty bite, leaning back in her chair and giving a small smile.
This had been a fruitful endeavour – if a little harmful to a certain human. Although, Trixie hadn’t beaten him in at least a week… maybe longer. Given time, he might come to enjoy what he was doing, instead of resenting her.
She couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. She wasn’t exactly feeding her accomplice properly, although when his new low-movement lifestyle was coupled with a spell that slowed his metabolism, he barely needed feeding anyway, as far as Trixie could tell.
“Hello!”
Trixie was snapped out of her reverie by the sweet little voice of a young grey unicorn filly, who had wandered over from where she and presumably her sister were sitting.
“Hmm?” Trixie stopped leaning back, placing her cupcake back on its plate as she looked down at the unicorn. “Why hello there, little filly.”
“I really liked the show.” The grey filly smiled. “I wish that I could tame humans like you do.”
Trixie smiled gently, a small amount of unease leaking through. One human in this world was enough. “Well, it’s nice to meet a fan, but Trixie advises against trying to tame humans. They are very dangerous creatures, and are not to be trifled with, little…”
“Sweetie Belle.” The grey filly’s smile widened.
“Well, little Sweetie Belle.” Trixie picked up her cupcake again. “Trixie wouldn’t go getting caught up in human taming if she was you. Even she finds it difficult.”
“Oh…” Sweetie Belle’s grin disappeared, and Trixie felt a twinge of sadness before the smile returned. “Well, can you tell the Piano Man that I really like his performance?”
“Well, Trixie will tell him…” Trixie smiled sadly. “But we both know he won’t understand.”
“Yeah, I know, but can you tell him anyway?” Sweetie Belle pleaded, her eyes large and innocent.
Trixie gave a little laugh, and patted the filly on her head. “Of course, now run along. Trixie needs to finish eating so that she can get back to her wagon.”
“Speakin' of yer wagon…” A familiar looking peach coloured earth pony near the door piped up. “There’s some mighty strange sounds comin’ from it, an’ they don’t sound very good.”
“Oh.” Trixie’s face blanched. “Don’t they?” She stood up, immediately wondering what the human could be up to.
She dropped a few bits on the table. “Everypony stay away from Trixie’s wagon. It may be dangerous.”
Without waiting for a response, Trixie galloped out of Sugarcube Corner. Whatever was happening, it couldn’t possibly be good.
***
It was too much to hope that I could hit the right angle to snap my neck. Of course it was. Why would Murphy’s Law grant me otherwise?
The cable goes taught, and my legs jerk to a stop beneath me.
Sara lied. The pain is unbearable. How did this not decapitate me?
My legs flail around uselessly as my vision blurs from the pain. This was a terrible idea. I don’t want to do this. Living is a much better alternative to this.
I let out a choked rasp, trying to reach up and grasp the roof-bars of the cage so that I can stop the pain. I can’t do this. I can’t!
My throat is gurgling, and my lungs are burning as the carbon dioxide builds up. A few more seconds and I’ll succumb to the poisoning. After that, it will only be a minute or so until I die.
I let out a hoarse – but extremely weak – scream, somehow managing to push it out of my constricted throat. I can scream, but for some reason I can’t breath. How long has it been? Forty seconds. I can’t keep going. I’m blacking out.
What do I want? I’m so close to passing out. I should just give up and let it happen. It’s what I wanted, and it’s what I’m getting.
My vision is fading. All I can think of is the fact that I’ve finally beaten Trixie. She said I would never escape. Well, I’m about to.
Suddenly, my haze is interrupted by the sound of a door slamming, and a loud “NO!”
‘No… Trixie… just let… let me die…’ My barely functioning mind manages to cobble the words together from a process of thoughts that I can barely make sense of. It’s a pointless activity anyway. There’s no way I can talk at the moment.
I start to jerk my legs again, making more choked noises as a sudden burst of adrenaline brings me a little further back from the edge of unconsciousness, and a flash of magenta lights up my dim vision.
Suddenly, the pressure around my neck is released, and I drop to the floor, my legs giving out instantly.
My head collides with the floor as I flop to the ground, and I fall once more into the welcome nothingness of unconsciousness.
***
Trixie watched in horror as the human fell from his noose, collapsing face first on the ground. Thank Celestia she had got there in time. A minute more and he would have been dead.
Trixie slumped against the wall, her face weary.
“How did it come to this?” She whispered to herself, glancing back at the door into the wagon.
How had it come to this? Trixie never expected the human to try and kill itself.
She hadn’t beaten it since its first escape attempt. In fact, the worst she’d done since then was striking the human when it had been uncooperative. Striking was different to full-blown beatings. She knew that.
She looked down at the form in front of her. Its neck was circled with a neat ring of black from where the piano-wire had bruised it.
Her horn lit up, and the bruise was quickly erased. The ease with which she could manipulate the human was astounding… in fact that may be one of the reasons it had done this.
Trixie unfastened the noose from the ceiling, using her magic to rip into four lengths of wire, before using each one to bind the human’s limbs to the side of the cage.
With the Piano Man now immobile Trixie was able to step outside. She needed some air. And a drink.
What she found, however, was entirely different.
Trixie closed the door to the wagon, and turned around to wave away the few ponies that had been waiting for her to return from a respectable distance.
However, one of them started walking towards her. The lavender one that the human had named Twilight… the one that had humiliated her back when she had last come to Ponyville.
“It’s… Twilight, isn’t it?” Trixie asked cautiously as the lavender mare approached. “Your assistance will not be necessary. The situation is under control.”
“Twilight Sparkle, and I’m sure it is, Trixie.” Twilight smiled softly, before producing a scroll from one of her saddlebags. “Actually, I’m just here to deliver a letter.”
“A letter?” Trixie raised an eyebrow, shifting slightly to make sure that she was blocking entrance to her wagon. “For me?”
“Yes!” The lavender unicorn replied cheerily, passing the roll or paper to Trixie. “I received this from Canterlot. It has the royal seal.”
“Thank you, Miss Sparkle.” Trixie took the scroll in her own aura, and unfurled it. She simply wanted the mare to leave so that she could gather her thoughts and think out her next move.
What was on the paper, however, changed that plan entirely.
- - - - -
To the beast-tamer; Trixie Lulamoon, known by the stage name ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’.
Your presence is requested at Canterlot, to discuss arrangements for the piano playing human known as ‘The Piano Man’ to provide entertainment at the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala. Accommodation and living expenses will be provided for by the state.
Regally, Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night.
Author's Note:
Okay, first up: This has received the roughest and most un-thorough proof-read out of any chapter I have ever written for FIMFiction. Sorry about that, please point out the mistakes that I am SURE must be there.
Anway, moving on:
I don't know exactly how long the strings in a piano are, or if there is a special instrument needed to unwind them, although I am fairly sure that there is not. Either way, I'll be sticking with this 'version' of how one can remove piano wire from a piano.
Anyway, some people thought that Trixie would attack the Piano Man for his suicide attempt, others thought she would resuscitate him afterwards, or stop him beforehand. I don't think anyone guessed that she would step in partway through.
Hopefully this chapter gives a little insight into how Trixie has been thinking while the Piano Man has been doing his thing, and I can also say that this is the last chapter in which something horrible happens to our bland and undefined main character.
I would also like to congratulate 959654 for guessing that Trixie has been portraying The Piano Man as a non-sentient creature this entire time. So I feel that I should answer the comment in question:
If you will recall, the Piano Man long ago resolved that he would not give the 'evil' ponies in the audience the pleasure of seeing him cry, or anything to that effect. I know it is a moderate stretch that it went on for this long without anypony noticing, or the main character trying to get somepony's attention, but hey. It was all in the interest of furthering the story.
So, I hope you all feel better. It's only Trixie that's evil, and even she has her regrets. Awesome, right?
(Oh, and I still don't know if it's going to be one or two more chapters before the epilogue. It all depends, really)
(P.S. I think this may be the longest Author's Note I've ever written.)
(P.P.S OHMYGOSH This story now gets auto-featured in spot five of the box. That's not as good as EiE, but still! I am so happy right now )
Ehh, I suppose you haven't lost me yet. I said two chapters last time, so I guess you could say that since the beatings have stopped morale has improved.
That being said, a non-sentient creature who can play the piano that well? Are these ponies stupid or just gullible? At the very least Twilight should have suspicions since she probably would have some idea of the level of brain complexity required. (Feel free to prove me wrong with examples of real world non- sentient animals playing the quality of music that this poor guy has.)
He needs to take Trixie and smash her head into a piano repeatedly, show her an example of Humanity.
‘It doesn’t hurt as much as I thought.’
I don't think that would be a reliable source. If she hung herself, then either wrote it beforehand, in which case she didn't actually know how much it would hurt, or she somehow managed to hang herself right next to a wall and remembered to bring something to write with, which implies dying took a long time.
963057 Well, I think we both know that I can't provide any good examples. What I did instead was: combine the mythological status of humans in Equestria with the general gullibility that I've always thought the standard pony possess - this being a kids show and all - and mixed together with generous amounts of artistic license.
I always knew that this would be a weak point in the story, and I apologize for that, but to be fair, I could never really say "Hey guys, just a heads up: the plot twist in this is crap."
Anyway, the fact that playing the piano requires fine motor skills and quite a bit of intelligence is EXACTLY why Twilight was staring. She's one of the few ponies who would know.
963065 I did say that she scrawled it on the wall, which basically meant that she hung herself near a wall, while still holding the pen she used for her suicide note.
I don't know why I'm defending that point, as she actually WAS an unreliable source.
963108 Ahh, good to know that about Twi.
To be honest, I'd love to be proven wrong about the animal music thing, so don't take my parenthetical comment the wrong way. (Parenthetical comment? I wonder if I am using that word right.)
963127 I did a little bit of digging around for monkeys playing the piano, but of the three videos I looked at (I am on an iPod right now) one was a fake, and the other two were jus monkeys hitting random keys and being curious. Cute, but not what I was hoping for.
Thank goodness I had artistic license and abstract logic to fall back on. Always does the trick.
MOAR!
Damn, I reckon the ending is gonna be bittersweet as hell. I mean, sure, he might get home back on Earth, but he'll probably be left with some sort of psychological trauma from his ordeal, maybe to the point where he can't even watch MLP or see a toy on a store shelf without breaking down.
Well, I'm done now *throws two cents on floor*
963141 While I like the story so far will he at least get some good luck or something soon?Cause I feel really sad for ther poor guy that no knows or cares about how trixie is treating him like a slave.
Ah. So now Trixie finally sees that Humans can't stand being held in a cage. I'm glad she's starting to feel at least some guilt, and now with him hanging himself, perhaps she'll begin to question her actions. Driving someone to suicide has to weigh down on someone's conscience, even hers.
Damn the GGG Trixie hit it big!
i still did not get what
happened at the end
did the humanw die or did trixie help him
can anyone tell me
963850 did you even read it? It said, "A minute more and he would have been dead." How is that hard to understand?
WHAT THE F***!?!?!? TRIXIE GETS TO GO TO CANTERLOT!?!?!? WHAT THE F***ING HELL!?!?!?!?
Why doesn't Twilight help? Oh, well...Let's just hope that Luna or Celestia rescue him.
Is that... guilt... I hear in Trixie's mind?
Whatever. All I ask is that the dude gets away from her SOMEHOW. Whether by death or Celestia or Luna or being sent home or whatever. Just don't end it on a sad note, otherwise I swear to God I will find a way to go to Equestria and murder Trixie myself.
Also, best chapter so far in my opinion.
964432
im actulay dont see good cuz i read it after playing video games and i keep staring at the tv 4 too long
and when i read it i did not regret see trixie head on the wall at cupcake HD
and when It said, "A minute more and he would have been dead."
does that mean she healed him or she left him to die like she sayes It said, "A minute more and he would have been dead." it does sound like she saved him like if i came a minit late he could die but i saved him in that last minit
and at the end trixie is messed up
Thank you for stopping him, Trixie. That really was a terrible idea.
I wonder when someone besides Trixie will figure out his sentience?
That's why you elevate the piano, and then let it fall on you :D. It's a funny way to die (not for you, though), and it crushes you instantly :D.
I almost commented with the bit of logic you had in the first paragraph. Now I cant brag...
Ah well, still interesting as always.
The fact that you finally show this from Trixie's position again changes the story quite a bit, the fact that she feels guilt over it, and is very... almost hurt by the persons suicide is again very interesting.
Lots of dynamics in here, lots of questions of what is going to happen. I like it!
962965 It took me a while to convince myself that Trixie believed that the Piano Man is non-sentient creature because they have communicated with each other and the Piano Man have shown high intelligence, capable of planning, fore-thought, retaining knowledge and using said knowledge.
However I've come to realized that when I've hit a wall. If you know about that one episode of Dextor's Laboratory where Dexter gave a dog the ability to talk like a human, you know what I'm talking about. the situation is the same here, or even more so, since Trixie avoid speaking with, or even being near the Piano Man except when giving commands, which limits Her concept of the Piano Man's sentience because of the lack of contact.
Another thing is the reaction, Trixie fully expected a creature that's going to be hostile towards her, much like when you capture a Wild tiger, and
the Piano Man exactly like that(even though almost anyone will)
You have a Great story going here I hope I get to read more
963372 I will say again that I can't just give away plot details. You'll have your answer within two chapters.
967754 I almost hate to shoot down your very interesting train of logic, but Trixie does, and always has known that The Piano Man is sentient. They have held multiple conversations. It's everypony ELSE that doesn't know.
Okay I have a problem with this
With Trixies character the whole time she has been seen and portrayed as a monster or as something with major psychological issues, so giving her a sudden conscience and feeling of guilt so far in the story? Yeah not buying it...
If it was a slow introduction of character like we saw that she wasn't entirely bad by like giving the Piano Man some luxuries such as a better bed, food, acted nicely too him then yes guilt could be believable. But this sudden conscience is a compete U-turn in her character that we have seen so far, a 180 degree and this "I didn't know that the constant beatings and imprisionment of this creature where I bearly feed it and give it absolotuly no care was bad enough to have him want to die" What is this?
Listen my advice drop the guilt act with Trixie, she's been a monster this whole time, don't try and put puppy dog eyes on a monster to make us feel for it, it's not gonna happen. We don't care about Trixie in the sense that "she did it to survive" we stop caring about her situation 3 chapters in.
If your gonna do anything with Trixie answer more reasonable questions like "why did she go so far with this Humans imprisonment and torture?"
She's a monster but she doesn't have to be a 2D one. maybe she has developed a God complex with how easily she can control him
Maybe she just believes unicorns are the superior race of ponies and she constantly proves this to herself by hurting him
Or maybe she's just insane from traumatic experiences she had while she was barely surviving and spread her pain to him
But don't try to make Trixie seem at ALL like she has second thoughts about this, cause she shouldn't after the things she's done without a second glance
= Monster and Nothing else
969000 Yes, I completely see what you are getting at, but I want to point out that Trixie was acting marginally kind beforehand, even paying the Piano Man compliments after especially well received performances.
As for Trixie's guilt: that isn't born of WHAT she did, but the fact that it was HER who did it. Trixie was shocked when she realized That it was her that had caused it.
Trixie certainly isnt actually having second thoughts, or feeling overly sorry for The Piano Man. She's simply shocked that she could ACTUALLY drive someone to suicide. Very few people who drive someone to such an act think themselves capable of doing something so horrible.
I can't properly elaborate on an iPod, and I will admit that the logic is reasonably flimsy anyway, but I think it serves well enough.
969152
Okay I can understand that now Trixie isn't caring for Piano so that's good, at least she's staying evil but throwing a compliment at someone doesn't get them to be call kind and also why should she be that shocked that he wanted to die?
I mean if I kick a dog enough times I won't be shocked if I get bitten so having her feeling shocked then guilty came off as weird when she should have obviously known that torture has its limits and sentient have a breaking point.
Also the ponies thinking he isn't sapient, is this because they think that he's mindless and given motor skills by Trixie and her magic? Because it kinda hard not to think a creature is smart when he's playing this level of music
969302 well, if one were to kick a dog enough, it would either become terrified of you, or try to bite you - much like how Trixie beat the Piano Man enough, and he tried to fight back and escape. Suicide seems like an over-escalation to Trixie, because it is. I pointed out in the chapter that he wasn't thinking clearly, and that the situation was not actually THAT bad. It's bad, but not exactly at the level where death is a better option.
All that said, thanks for raising the point. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, and feel free to point out the plot-holes. I know they're there, and there's no need to ignore them.
(Oh, and I'm portraying the ponies as characters in a kids show normally are - that is to say, reasonably gullible. The fact that humans are mythological in Equestria the same way minotaurs are mythological on earth also helps)
969325
not at all, I like this story a lot, just wanted to clarify some stuff
Also last question how good is he gonna become with the Piano because it would be cool to see him play something just amazing to even humans like this
Beethoven Third Movement
So much for suicide....
man i relly want to punch trixie in her face relly hard untile i will not fell my fist any more
968511 Great
the main reason I wrote that short wall of text was because of what you said (and I quote):
"I would also like to congratulate 959654 for guessing that Trixie has been portraying The Piano Man as a non-sentient creature this entire time."
which lead to a Mess of confusion from me
----
to reiterate: (F My Life)
. How did this not decapitate me?
____________________________________
That's good question. Piano wire should have done this when Piano Man jumped.
962965
If you ask me, having Trixie make him wear a mask would have been a far better solution to the "why doesn't he cry/make faces/mouth words/whatever to make it clear something's wrong" problem than trying to make him "deny the audience any emotion". Much easier to pass him off as non-sentient and/or unsympathetic, too.
Trixie was snapped out of her reverie by the sweet little voice of a young grey unicorn filly, who had wandered over from where she and presumably her sister were sitting.
y the sweet little voice of a young grey unicorn filly, who had wandered over from where she and presumably her
little voice of a young grey unicorn filly, who had wandered
young grey unicorn filly
grey
shes white not gray duh u had a moment.
I say this knowing full well the fic is complete and I will read whats really going to happen momentarily. That said: GOD I FUCKING HOPE HE GETS TO TELL TWILIGHT A NICE LONG STORY ABOUT ALL OF THIS. *breathes*
I was fine till this chapter. Then the Mane 6 failed to do anything. Then they heard him choking himself, and Twilight was trotting up to Trixie and there was hope. Then she got fucking invited to the Gala. AHHHGH *rage*
You are good. I haven't been put into the role of the main character so thoroughly in a fic before now. I was right there with him for every beat as he scanned the crowd hoping. You... yer workin me like a fiddle. Playing me, making me rage at all the right points. Your control over me... its kinda IRONIC.
Wait, so he can be heard from the wagon? Why isn't he screaming for help?
Bullshit, OP.
2394000
Luna wrote to dear Trixie? (Evil laugh) Soon the vengeance will happen.
Wow I'm number 999 to like this story
2394000 Because he doesn't know. He's over estimating Trixie.
And Twilight is not even questioning the noises? God, I'm so annoyed at her and sad at the situation at the same time!
I only hope someone finally notices that's something wrong in the next chapter!
Wait, beast-tamer?
So they don't think of him as sapient. Jerks.
It's the one thing I like about humans versus ponies, or maybe aliens, or elves, or anything that came out of r/HFY. We are free beings. We live on our terms, and when we are not allowed to do so, we die on our terms. It's morbid, but I like how we as a species do not see death as something too irredeemable.
9315305
To be fair, you don't see dolphins in a zoo as sapient beings either. I truly believe they are, just that we do not have the means and the ends to translate their language. But in the end, without enough evidence, we cannot exactly say that they are or are not. Same the case is with these ponies, seeing a mute human playing the piano as a circus attraction.