Trixie's Burden

by kildeez

The Thing in the Cellar

The mattress squeaked beneath her equine form as she sat up in bed. With a yawn, Trixie stretched, blinking furiously at the morning light peeking in between the venetian blinds. Grumbling beneath her breath, she trotted over to the window and yanked furiously at the pull-chord, sending the blinds flying upwards and exposing her eyes to the morning sun’s white-hot fury. After regaining her sight, the little pony headed to her boudoir, levitating a brush to comb her perfect little mane.

“Another day, another dollar for Equestria’s most amazing pony,” she sighed as her pointed hat and star-crested cape hovered into place on her body. She wondered what would be on the agenda for today. She could go into town and impress a few of the local yokels with another pre-planned stage act. Perhaps routine 23? Or maybe 47, she hadn’t done that one in a while, and it might be good to switch things up a bit. Then again, she had enough food and firewood to last her through the winter, why bother searching for more? Especially now that every pony in the little village below had already come to fear her amazing power. So much so, in fact, that none ever dared venture near the massive tower on the city’s limits where she spent her winter months. None whatsoever. Not even a looter or travelling bandit arrived to mess things up in the big, cold, stone structure while she was away, which was really something. The local folklore about the horrors guarding her fortress were just so widespread, it kept everyone at bay. And as cool as it was to think that she was the one at the center of all that fear, you’d think just one would at least stop by, maybe a curious child looking to see the heart of all that lore once and for all and who might set off a chain of events culminating in…

She shook her head. She really needed to get some control over her imagination. Maybe she should’ve been a playwright? Hey, maybe that’s what she’d do today! That thing with the kid sounded like it could be something.

A light knock on the door far below her bedroom interrupted her thoughts just as she’d pieced together something of a beginning for her story. Sighing with irritation, but somewhat pleased that this day might not be quite as routine as the one before, Trixie gave herself a final once-over in the mirror before rocketing down the spiral staircase. Clearing her voice, she reared up on her hind hooves as she opened the door, bellowing: “Who dares interrupt the Great and Powerful Trixie’s…oh, it’s you.”

The little yellow pony from Ponyville cringed at the sight of the other pony’s obviously awe-inspiring form. Now, what was this one’s name? Cutterby? Tusher-ie? Something like that. She was one of the Elements of Harmony, Trixie knew that much, which meant she was one of “Twatlight Spankle’s” close friends, which gave Trixie a most excellent idea for getting back at that uppity little unicorn.

“Umm…excuse me,” the little yellow pony whispered, “I’m sorry to ever be of any sort of trouble…b-but…”

Oh sweet Celestia, she was shy too? This was going to be too easy. This day was shaping up to be pretty good after all! “Speak louder, little pony, the Great and Powerful Trixie does not wish to waste her time deciphering whatever nonsense you wish to say!”

“Well…um…I’m terribly sorry, but, if you could so kind…”

“Out with it! The Great and Powerful Trixie is very busy, as anypony will attest, so speak your mind or begone!”

“I was just wondering if you’d seen my friend!” The yellow pony screamed suddenly, then immediately backed off.

Trixie cocked an eyebrow suspiciously, “Which one?”

“Um…well, her name is Twilight Sparkle, and she’s been missing for a…”

“Twilight Sparkle!” She reared up again, nudging the secret button that triggered the old phonograph hidden in the corner behind her. The hall shook with the sound of thunder, which combined with some light effects courtesy of her magic to turn her into quite the terrifying spectacle. “YOU DARE SPEAK THAT NAME IN THE PRESENCE OF THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!?”

“I…I…” the little yellow pony squeaked, tears welling up in her eyes. Aw Luna, was she about to cry? Seriously? Okay, maybe she’d taken this a bit too far.

Trixie landed on all four hooves. “Look, Trixie doesn’t…”

Invite her in. A voice hissed at the back of her skull. Trixie wheeled around, eyes darting into each and every little corner, every dark spot behind her foyer.

“Um…Miss Trixie?” The little yellow pony sniffled, “What’s…”

“Nothing! Nothing is the matter!” Could it be true? Could she be losing it after such a long time in self-imposed isolation? She’d heard of someponies knocking a screw loose after a long time alone, but she was at least above that! Right? “Actually, Miss…”

“Fluttershy. My name is Fluttershy.”

“Yes, Ms. Fluttershy. Won’t you come in? I…the Great and Powful Trixie does have a small slot of time during which she could listen to your problem.”

“Okay.” The little yellow pony trotted over the foyer, making her way towards the dining hall.

“But wipe off your hooves before you come in!” Trixie screamed fruitlessly after her, shaking her head and plodding off to join her new guest while puzzling over what to serve. This was a totally new situation for her, what was she supposed to do? Start a conversation? About what? Serve food to distract from the lack of conversation? What did ponies eat nowadays, in lieu of decent conversation? Cheese? Brussel sprouts? Should she make some sort of spread?

“Excuse me?” The yellow one asked from just ahead, snapping Trixie out of her thoughts.

“Yes?”

“I don’t mean to impose, but if I could just get a glass of water? I’ve been flying awhile.”

“Yes. Water. Okay.” Well, that was easy enough. As Trixie poured a bit of water from the boiling pot over her stove, she began to think that maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe she should do this more…

“NNNGGGHHHH,” a groan echoed up to her from somewhere deep within the bowels of the castle, emanating from her wine cellar. She paused, mid-pour, her magic clenching against the pot handle. What in Equestria was that? Another attack from the weird bit of madness that had reared its ugly head before? Luna, please don’t let it be that. She had to see for herself.

“Miss Butterfly? The Great and Powerful Trixie needs to check on something.” She called, rummaging through a drawer before a steak knife hovered out. Whatever the thing was, it must have been pretty big to make that noise. She could probably handle it with her magic, sure, but it never hurt to be extra-prepared. Creeping across the kitchen, Trixie eased the cellar door open and slinked through, closing it quietly behind her. Using the light off her horn to illuminate her path, she trotted downstairs slowly, heading for the aisles between the shelves of ancient, dust-covered wine barrels.

“Who dares enter the home of the Great and Powerful Trixie without her permission!?” She demanded, but nothing responded. Figures, she thought, it was probably just the castle settling or my nerves or something. Oh sweet Celestia, what would Flutterby think if she saw the Great and Powerful Trixie chasing shadows in a wine cellar!?

Chiding herself for being so paranoid, Trixie set a hoof forward to start climbing the stairs back to the main level when a loud creak sounded just off to her side. Pulling off a quick about-face, she poured a bit more juice into her horn, illuminating the entire room. “WHO’S THERE!?” She screeched, the knife hovering just a few feet from her head, ready to fly forward and turn whatever waited for her into a nice shish-kabob.

A tall wooden door greeted her, just across from the stairs yet set deep into shadow. She would have missed it entirely if not for that last creak. In fact, she’d apparently always missed it. She certainly couldn’t remember that door any of the other times she’d journeyed down here! Not even when the tower had belonged to her uncle, and she’d poked around down here as a curious little filly. Carefully, she slinked across the room, creeping like a snake in the grass (she hoped). How could she have missed this door? She’d only lived here alone for going on eight years now! It’s not like she hadn’t had enough time to scour the tower’s every nook and cranny.

She grabbed the rusty iron handle on the door and twisted. It rumbled with a deep, foreboding clank before creaking ominously open. A smell hit her, one she remembered from the one time she found a dead raccoon while playing in the forest: decaying flesh, aging fur, and organs slowly giving way to the Earth beneath. Every instinct screamed for her to turn around and head upstairs, maybe boarding up the wine cellar for good measure (it’s not like she used it, anyway), but still some little part of her urged her forward, whispering that the Great and Powerful Trixie could not be warded off by a scary little room, especially in her own house! But under that instinct which usually urged her onward was something else. If she’d paused to really listen, she might have heard it, a little voice whispering: Forward, forward, forward, don’t stop. You must see.

With a confident toss of her Great and Powerful hairdo, Trixie stepped onto a staircase that led ever downward, her hoof-clops echoing in the chamber. Wherever the stairs led, it had to be big. Every sound she made echoed, and as she listened, she heard something else. Something else is down here! She realized, waving the knife around.

She paused at the stairs’ bottom, a sense of dread flooding her soul. And still the voice insisted: you must see. Clenching her teeth in fear, she raised the knife and added the little bit of extra power needed to fully illuminate the chamber. What she saw was beyond horror, beyond even her well-developed imagination. If she knew of such a place, she would have described it as a scene from hell.

A table stood at the other end of the chamber, a trough built into the floor at its base. Red smears marked its heavy oaken surface. On it, somepony had been strapped down with heavy leather wrapped in chains, her body marred with scratches, lash marks, cuts and burn marks from what must have been countless nights of endless torment. The knife clattered to the ground. Trixie backed away from the table, only stopping when her hindquarters met the cold stone of the wall behind her. Her hooves went to her gaping mouth, stifling a scream.

“Mommy? Is that you?” A voice echoed up from the table. Dearest Celestia, she can talk! Trixie realized in horror. A face peered out of the darkness as the pony craned her neck towards her. Bathed in darkness, the only features visible were a massive, maniacal grin set next to a pair of bloodshot eyes, pupils retracted in that unmistakable look of insanity. “Why, it is you!” The voice said as those horrid eyes fell upon her, the teeth separating to form each horrible word. Nearly wetting herself in fear, Trixie realized she recognized the voice: a voice that still returned to her dreams every now and again to mock her.

“Tw-Twilight Sparkle?” She whimpered, and instantly the pony started thrashing on the table.

“No, that is a bad name, a badbadbadbad name,” the pony screeched, slamming the back of her head against the table. Against her better judgment, Trixie rushed to her side, trying to quiet some of the seizing and thrashing about.

“My name is Toy!” Twilight continued, “You made sure of that! My name is TOY!”

“Wha-what happened to you!? Calm down, please, just tell me what happened!”

The pony stopped suddenly, turning that grin back on her, keeping her face in shadow somehow. “Why, you happened, Mommy! Is this another game for us to play?”

“Wha-what do you mean…” Trixie swallowed in fear, blinking back a few tears. “What do you mean, I happened?”

“Don’t you remember, Mommy? You took me from my home that night. You said you had some games for us to play. Remember? All the wonderful games?”

“I…I…” she remembered. She was starting to remember everything. The whippings, the lashings, the nights dedicated to nothing but causing pain to the little purple unicorn on the table, to listening to her screams and pleas for mercy echo through the tower’s foundation. Tears sprouted from her eyes. It couldn’t be true, it was just too monstrous! She wasn’t…she couldn’t…

“Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“Wh-why are you smiling like that?” Trixie whispered, voice wavering, chills running up and down her spine.

“Don’t you remember, Mommy? You got very cross with me one night,” the unicorn picked her head off the table, shoving her face into the light and revealing the bloody masses of cauterized flesh where a pair of lips used to be. “I had to be punished.”

“Nuh-nooooo…” Trixie started, a groan beginning up in her throat. She wanted to puke. She wanted to scream. She wanted to do something, anything. As it was, she leaned back against the wall and kept moaning, trying to make some sort of sense out of this horror while the scream in her throat continued to build until it boomed off the walls, filling the chamber, only being interrupted by another scream from the top of the stairs.

“TWILIGHT!” The little yellow pony screeched, a lantern in her hoof. Dashing down the stairs, the Element of Kindness rushed to her friend’s side, cradling her head in her hooves. “What did you do to her!?” She gasped, hardly able to believe the horrific sight her friend had been transformed into.

“I…I don’t…” Sleep, the voice whispered, and before Trixie could even finish her sentence, everything went dark.

Author's Note:

My first submission to FimFiction :)

Critiques are welcome. Also, check out my deviantart page: it has a way bigger fic there, and tons of other awesome stuff too!