Chapter 4(finally!)
The club pulsed with activity, vibrant colours flashing against the red velvet walls. Trixie stood, just behind the curtains that covered the VIP area, looking out over the crowd. Ponies danced and mashed together, their bodies rubbing up against each other as they moved with the beat. The current DJ, someone known as ‘The Jockey’, stood at the podium, mixing and slashing the records together with his draconic claws.
Vinyl Scratch walked up to stand next to Trixie, her trademark sunglasses now covering her face. She stared out over the crowd, then turned to Trixie. “Quite a group this time.” When Trixie didn’t respond, Vinyl pushed a question. “Everything all right, Trix?”
Trixie turned to face Vinyl, putting on a small smile. “Yes, everything is alright with Trixie.” She turned back to face the crowd as the song drew to a close. “Trixie is just… preparing for the show.”
Vinyl laughed, then patted Trixie on the back with a hoof. “I know that look. You’ve got ‘nervous’ written all over your face.”
“What? Trixie is not nervous! She is merely,” Trixie paused, scanning the crowd again. She gulped. “Anxious to get the show started.”
The crowd outside the curtains roared, signalling the end of the current DJ’s act. “Well that’s good,” began Vinyl, lifting up the curtain. “Because we’re on!” She stepped out into the light of the stage, a huge grin on her face. Trixie followed, her face rather more serious as she began her magical preparations.
“Fillies and gentlecolts!” screamed Vinyl, addressing the audience. Trixie closed her eyes and focused her mind, filtering out all outside noises. “Are you ready?” Trixie forced out her mental grip, attempting to tap into the pool of magic that lay within her. “For Drum!” Trixie stopped. “And.” Her magic was gone! She couldn’t find it, the pool of energy that fuelled her magic had disappeared! “Bass!”
Vinyl lowered the needle onto the record, causing a loud, heavy drum line to pulse out from the speakers. Trixie’s eyes opened in shock. This was her cue! Vinyl’s smug grin was quickly replaced with a look of worry, and she glanced over to Trixie, her eyes questioning.
Trixie glanced left to right, her panic growing. The crowd hadn’t seemed to notice the missing part of the act, they still roared and screamed at Vinyl for more. Trixie turned to the left, then ran off stage, attempting to escape the crowd, and Vinyl.
****
“What the hell?” Vinyl burst into the dressing room, her face clouded with anger. “Was that?”
Trixie looked up, her face streaked with lines where her mascara had started running. “V-Vinyl, Trixie is so s-sorry,” Trixie stammered, wiping her eyes.
Vinyl’s expression instantly switched from anger to concern, and she walked over to Trixie. “Trixie? What’s wrong?” Vinyl sat herself down on the red velvet couch beside Trixie.
“Trixie w-wanted to do the show, b-but when she tried to u-use her magic, she couldn’t!” Trixie sobbed again, her eyes brimming with tears. She threw herself at Vinyl, wrapping her forehooves around her waist. She wailed into Vinyl’s fur, her sobbing muffled. Vinyl slowly reached her hoof around to pat her friend on the back, shocked at the sudden change of personality.
“Couldn’t use your magic? As in, didn’t want to use your magic, or physically couldn’t?”
Trixie looked up, giving Vinyl a dirty look. “Physically you dolt. Trixie wouldn’t be like this if she hadn’t have wanted to use her magic, would she?” Trixie sniffled, then looked away.
Vinyl untangled herself from her friend, then stood up. “Hey, it’s all right, I spoke to the manager, he’s still going to pay us double, even if you didn’t do your half of the act.”
“Trixie doesn’t care about the money, Trixie has lost the most important thing to her, she’s lost her magic!” Trixie stood up, her eyes full of anger. “Trixie is grieving, and all you can think about is money? Some friend you are.” Trixie turned on her hoof and walked out the door, crying softly.
“Trixie wait!” Vinyl called, running to keep up with her friend. Trixie turned, staring Vinyl in the eye. “I think I know someone who can help.”
“Help? How can anyone help Trixie?”
“She’s really talented with magic. She’s the princess’ personal protégé!” Vinyl smiled, cocking her head to the left.
“The princess?” Trixie sniffled, wiping her eyes. “Well, if anyone can fix this, Trixie is sure that it would be the princess.”
Vinyl smiled, before turning to the exit. “C’mon then, we’ve got a letter to send!”
****
The carriage rumbled along slowly, its occupants bumping up and down with each hill in the road. Trixie sighed, her head leaning against the doorframe. She hadn’t used magic for three days, and it showed. Heavy bags hung under her puffy red eyes, clear signs of sleep deprivation. Vinyl sat next to her, looking slightly more upbeat, her large headphones over her ears. She nodded along softly to some melody that only she could hear, lost in a world of her own.
Trixie sighed again, then turned to Vinyl. She reached out and tapped her friend on the shoulder. “Yeah?” asked Vinyl, shrugging off her headphones.
“Where exactly are you and Trixie going?” Trixie asked.
“My friend lives out in the country, so we’re going to visit her.” Vinyl looked out the window to her left, her eyes tracking each of the trees that whirled passed.
“She’s the personal protégé to Princess Celestia, and she lives out in the country? Vinyl, Trixie is starting to doubt your capacity to remember things.” Vinyl rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, apparently she lives in this far out country town called Ponyville or something.” Trixie’s eyes widened.
“P-Ponyville?” Trixie gulped, her facial expression showing her fright. “Vinyl, Trixie doesn’t think this is such a good idea.”
“What?! Why?” Vinyl turned to Trixie.
“Trixie has some… bad memories of Ponyville. She’d rather not go back.” Trixie shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“C’mon Trix, we’ll be in and out.” Vinyl gestured with her hooves. “It’ll be a snap.”
Trixie pondered the thought for a second, looking back outside. Small trees and houses rumbled passed. “Trixie supposes, as long as she doesn’t run into her old… ‘acquaintances’, she should be fine.”
“That’s the spirit.” Vinyl tapped Trixie lightly on the arm. “Look, we’re almost there!”
Trixie scanned the suburban surroundings, her heart sinking dismally. “Vinyl, Trixie is sti-“ Trixie turned back to Vinyl, only to find the seat now empty. The carriage had stopped, and Vinyl had already gotten out.
“C’mon Trix, let’s go!”
Trixie climbed down from the carriage and stood by Vinyl’s side, glancing around hurriedly. The street seemed deserted, with most of the ponies either inside or talking idly in small groups.
“She lives just up here,” said Vinyl, pointing towards a large street. The two began to walk in silence, each to their own thoughts. As long as I don’t see any of those ponies that I played tricks on, I should be all right, Trixie thought, glancing around. She sighed, then quickened her pace slightly.
“So how long have you known this ‘friend’?”
“Oh, we went to magic school together.” Vinyl smiled fondly. “She was always top of the class, what with her being trained by the princess, but she never rubbed it in our noses. She was always quiet and kind, and she really helped me out during some of my later years. But when I went off to do a musical degree, she decided to study advanced magic, and we went out separate ways. We kept in touch though, always writing or coming out to visit each other. But she’s got loads of new friends.” Vinyl giggled, then turned to Trixie. “And I’ve got you.”
Trixie blushed, looking away. The two passed a few houses, then stopped. A large tree sprouted from the ground before them, large windows and doors carved into the intricate wood. A small sign hung out the front, a small picture of a book and a candle.
A library? What sort of pony lives in a library?
Noticing her questioning look, Vinyl Pointed to the picture and smiled at Trixie. “She really loved books when we were young, guess she still does.” Vinyl glanced at the door, then took a step forward. She rapped against the oak four times, before standing back to wait.
After about ten seconds, a young male voice faded in from inside the tree. “… Get it Twilight, don’t worry.” The door swung open, and a small purple and green dragon stood in the doorway.
“Spike!” shouted Vinyl, wrapping the dragon in a hug.
“Heya Vinyl,” the dragon said, returning the embrace, his eyes closed. They opened, and grew large with alarm. “Trixie?” he questioned, hopping down from the hug.
“Uh oh,” said Trixie backing away slowly.
“Who was it Spike?” came a call from inside the tree. A purple mare stepped out from the doorway, then gasped. “Vinyl?” She then turned to look at Trixie, gasped again. “You,” She said.
“Oh no no no.” Trixie continued to back away from the dragon.
“Hey, you guys know Trixie?” Vinyl smiled. “How come you didn’t mention her Trix?”
Trixie turned to Vinyl, her eyes wide. “Help,” she mouthed silently.
Twilight took a step forward, her eyes menacing. “How dare you show your face here again after what you did?”
“Twilight?” Vinyl took a step between the two mares, glancing back and forth. “Trixie? What did she do?”
“Oh.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “What didn’t she do? She humiliated my friends, she lied, and she almost got this entire town destroyed!”
Vinyl’s eyes widened, and she turned to Trixie. “I-is this true?”
Trixie opened her mouth to respond, then sighed. “Yes.” She hung her head. “Trixie did do all those things.”
Vinyl stepped back, shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Trixie looked up. “Because then you would’ve hated Trixie. Trixie regretted them afterwards, but by that time, it was too late. She couldn’t come back here, she knew that they would all hate her. So she fled to Manehatten, where she met you.”
Vinyl didn’t respond, instead turning back to Twilight. “Listen Twi, you got my letter, right?”
Twilight turned to Vinyl. “Yes, you said you had someone who needed magical help.”
“And what did you say?”
“That I would help them. But I didn’t know it was going to be her.” Twilight motioned in the direction of Trixie, who flinched.
“That’s beside the point; Trixie needs your help, urgently. Are you just going to stand there and let her leave, without even trying?”
Twilight sighed, hanging her head. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She can’t use magic. At all. She told me it was like her magical reserves had drained overnight.”
“She can’t even levitate things?” Twilight looked over at Trixie, then walked forward. “Odd. It’s not uncommon. I’ll need to ask her a few questions, though.” She smiled at Vinyl, then turned to the house. “Shall we?”
Vinyl walked inside, Twilight on her tail. Trixie looked to Spike, who seemed to not pay her any attention, instead just walking back inside. Trixie followed them into the Library’s foyer, where Twilight and Vinyl stood talking. When Trixie entered, Vinyl turned to her and smiled.
“Trixie, I’ve got to go out and sort some things with one of Twilight’s friends, apparently she needs a DJ for one of her parties. Do you mind if Twilight asks you some questions while I’m gone?”
“Well-,” Trixie replied, weakly.
“Awesome.” Vinyl turned towards the door, her headphones lifting themselves back onto her ears. “Cya later!”
The door slammed shut behind Vinyl, it’s echo bouncing around the now silent room. Twilight glowered at Trixie, her eyes pointing daggers. Trixie returned the stare, only less magnified, and with a terrified look on her face.
“Twilight, Trixie is so-” Trixie began, but was cut off by Twilight advancing.
“No Trixie, you’re not. You humiliated my friends, insulted me, and then come back a month later begging for help.” Twilight reached Trixie, her head held high. “Give me one good reason why I should help you.”
Trixie lowered herself to the floor, cowering. “B-because Vinyl asked y-you to?” she managed to stammer out, her voice barely a whisper. Twilight stopped, then looked thoughtful.
“Vinyl has been my friend for years, and she did ask for me to help you.” Twilight backed off a bit, letting Trixie pick herself up. “All right then, I’ll help. But on one condition.”
Trixie nodded her head, eager to right the wrongs that she had created.
“You apologize to all of my friends, personally.”
Trixie gulped. She nodded again. “Okay, Trixie will do it.”
“All right!” said Twilight, moving over to the closest bookshelf. “Let’s see what the problem is.” Trixie reluctantly walked over to join Twilight, her head slightly lowered. “So,” began Twilight, giving Trixie a questioning stare. “What’s wrong?”
“Trixie cannot do anything with her magic.” Trixie sniffled slightly, then looked up to Twilight. “It’s like the magic is right there, just out of Trixie’s grasp.”
“Oh,” said Twilight, turning to her bookshelf. “I’ve heard of this before.” Quickly, she levitated out three large books and began to flick through the first one, her eyes darting from page to page. After a few minutes, she grumbled unhappily and put the book down, turning her focus to the second one. Her eyes leaped across the text, scanning for any information that could be useful. Around half way through the book Twilight’s eyes lit up, and she dropped it down onto the table, a hoof pointed at one of the passages. “Here it is, ‘Post-traumatic Magic Loss’.” Twilight smiled.
“Which is?” Trixie asked, her eyes scanning the page.
“Exactly what it sounds like. When a unicorn goes through a large physical or emotional point in their life, it can affect their magic usage, even to the point of complete loss of control.” Twilight said, reading directly from the book.
Trixie’s eyes shot open at this. “That sounds just like what Trixie has, no control.”
“Exactly.” Twilight smiled, looking pleased with herself.
“Is there a cure, or a way to fix it?” Trixie asked, manoeuvring herself around so she could read over Twilight’s shoulder, her previous fear of the unicorn forgotten.
“Well,” began Twilight, pointing a hoof at a passage in the book. “It says the cure is quite simple, it’s figuring out the cause that’s the hard bit.” Twilight flipped over to the next page telekinetically, her focus pouring into the book. “Here we are: ‘There can be many causes for PTML, ranging from a bump to the head to mind control formed from other unicorn’s. However, the most common cause for such a problem is quite simple. A massive emotional or physical upheaval can cause symptoms.
‘If a unicorn over exerts himself, then he can find that his magic pool is either empty or close to being so. While a unicorn’s magic pool regenerates rather quickly, when depleted it also’ yada yada yada,” Twilight trailed off, scanning down through the page, whilst talking to Trixie. “From what you’ve told me, I don’t think you’ve over-exerted yourself recently, have you?”
“Well.” Trixie pondered for a moment, her mind casting back into her memory. After a few moments, in which Twilight had stopped to look up at the other mare, Trixie shook her head. “No, Trixie has only been casting simple illusion spells at most.”
“Then the only other explanation is a mental struggle!” Twilight said, snapping the book closed with a loud thud. Trixie looked towards the other unicorn, her eyes questioning. “Has anything, anything at all, happened to you in the past few weeks, that could have caused this?” Twilight asked, leaning forward to inspect Trixie. “It has a gradual affect, which means it could have happened anywhere from yesterday to five months ago.”
Trixie cast her mind back, sending mental images flooding through her mind’s eye. After a few moments, she shook her head, to which she received a dismayed response from Twilight.
“Trixie, we can’t cure this until we know what caused it in the first place.” Twilight moved herself forward, until her face was inches from the mare. “You need to remember.”
Trixie’s eyes screwed shut, and she forced her memories forward once again. After a few moments, she let out an exasperated snort, and stamped her hoof on the floor. “There’s nothing there, Trixie can’t find anything, it’s like her memories are gone, or refusing to work with her at least.”
Twilight leaned back, touching her hoof against her chin. “Hmmm,” she hmm’d. After a few seconds of this, she sat upright again, her eyes bright and wide. “Aha!” Twilight leaped up, her horn glowing with magical energies. “Trixie,” Twilight began, her voice slightly strained from the effort. “I’m going to try something. This spell is called a mind delve, and it will put you into a slumber-induced fever dream.”
Trixie nodded, then slowly sat backwards slightly, resting on her haunches. Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated, her horn glowing brighter. A tingling sensation swept throughout Trixie’s body, and she felt her eyelids begin to droop. Slowly, her eyelids closed, and the mare felt herself slip backwards, into the awaiting tendrils of unconsciousness.
****
An inky-black mist swirled around Trixie as she woke, the dark shadows whipping randomly in all directions. She pulled herself to her hooves, her eyes darting around in the blackness.
“Ah,” said a voice that echoed around the seemingly endless expanse. “You’ve awoken.”
“Twilight?” Trixie called out, glancing around. “Is that you?”
“Yes,” Twilight replied, as the shadows swirled downwards until they were directly in front of Trixie. The swirls mixed together, crashing into one another as they fought for space inside a pony-sized container. After a few seconds, the mists parted slightly, allowing a glowing Twilight to pass through them.
“Ah,” she said as she looked downwards at her hooves. “It seems I have materialized, I thought I would just disappear. After all, it is your mind.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Trixie demanded, an edgy tone creeping into her voice.
“Nothing,” replied the transparent Twilight. She glanced around quickly, before facing Trixie again. “Okay, we’re going to start the delve itself.”
“Delve?” Trixie cocked her head to the side.
“We’re going to sort through your memories, to try and find the problem. At the moment we’re in the top layer of your mind, the conscious part of your mind.” Twilight explained, gesturing to the swirls around the pair. “We need to go deeper, into your memory layer, so we can find and fix the problem.”
Trixie nodded in response. “So… how does Trixie and you go, uh, ‘deeper’?”
“Well,” Twilight began, scratching her head. “The book’s details were a little confusing, but from what I could tell, we have to find some stairs.”
“Stairs.” Trixie said, her voice deadpan.
“Yup,” Twilight said, glancing around. “See any?”
Trixie surveyed the surroundings, her eyes darting over the darkness. “Maybe we have to search for them?” She suggested, after her search turned up no results.
Twilight started to walk forward, gesturing for Trixie to follow. The two walked in silence, each of them mulling over their thoughts.
“Trixie I-“
“Twilight, Tri-“
They both stopped, blushing slightly. After a few seconds of silence, Twilight spoke up.
“Trixie, I should apologize for the way I acted back at the library. I was rude and insensitive.”
“No Twilight,” Trixie cut the other mare off, just as she was about to speak again. “It is Trixie who should apologize. She came to Ponyville just to humiliate the inhabitants. The fact that it was your particular group of friends was just random chance, but it is still Trixie’s fault.” Trixie hung her head. “And she is sorry.”
The pair stopped, Trixie’s head still low, unable to see Twilight, bar her hooves. “Twilight?” Trixie looked up at the other mare, who was staring off into the distance.
“Stairs.” Twilight breathed.
“Sorry, what?” Trixie asked, staring at Twilight.
“No, stairs!” Twilight said, pointing in the direction she was looking. Trixie’s head shot forward, and her eyes widened in surprise. Just ahead was a large set of white marble stairs, surrounded by a golden glow.
Twilight leaped forward. “C’mon Trixie!”
Trixie, still rather hesitant, stepped forward, her hooves sliding slightly on the smooth surface. Once both unicorns had stepped onto the stairs, they began to slide, the stairs moving downwards on their own accord.
“Woah!” Trixie and Twilight said in unison, both of them thrown off by the sudden movement.
“Well,” began Twilight, turning to face Trixie. “At least we won’t get tired.” Trixie rolled her eyes at this, before turning to face down the stairs.
The white seemed to stretch on endlessly, the unearthly glow forcing itself out into the swirling pits of darkness beyond. Trixie breathed out a sigh of wonder. She could see Twilight do the same from beside her, and looked up at the other mare.
Twilight looked around, her eyes filled with wonder and delight. Trixie could just make out mutterings under the unicorn’s breath. Things like “… letter to the Princess…” and “… amazing…” stood out among the rest. Trixie smiled slightly despite herself, before staring back outwards herself.
A few moments of silence reigned as both mare’s payed no attention to each other, each lost in the mysteries of the mind.
“I forgive you.”
Trixie’s head spun around to face Twilight, who was now looking down at her. “What?”
“For what you said,” Twilight explained. “I forgive you.” Twilight turned and looked back out into the darkness, her expression slightly harder. Trixie did the same, but with a small, satisfied smile on her face.
And then, the stairs disappeared.
****
“… and then Ah said, ‘so what if ah’ve got two teeth, y’all are about ta have none!’” Laughter exploded around Trixie as the large yellow stallion beside her finished his story. Loud thumps and shouts of “Buy ‘im a round, on me!” chorused from around the table, filling the tavern with large amounts of noise.
Trixie glanced around, her eyes filtering over the expanse of the Inn. Waitresses weaved their way through the patchwork of tables that filled up the main area, carrying drinks or returning to the bar for more.
“Another drink miss?” Trixie’s head shot around from the rest of the bar, her eyes spinning to meet those of the waitress next to her. An iced beverage sat on a platter beside her, floating just above where Trixie sat.
“Uh, oh, yes.” Trixie replied, snatching the drink away from the waitress with her telekinesis.
Instead of walking away, like Trixie had expected her to, the waitress pulled out a seat and sat down, turning her attention to Trixie. “Are you all right miss? You look a bit under the weather.”
“Yes, Trixie is fine. Please, leave her alone.” Trixie replied, lowering her head down in order to drink from the cup in front of her.
“Trixie? Who’s Trixie?” The waitress glanced around, before turning back to Trixie. “Oh, you’s is one of them, whachamacall-ems. ‘third…’ something.” The waitress smiled to herself. “Aint’cha?”
Trixie lowered her head further into her cup, in an attempt to drive away the mare.
“Not one for talking, are ya?” The waitress moved forward slightly, attempting to get into eye contact with Trixie.
Trixie mouthed the word “No” through her drink, before turning around.
“All right then, that’ll be twenty five bits, miss,” the Waitress said, holding out a hoof.
“What?” Trixie asked, looking back up.
“Fer all of your drinks, it’s twenty five bits.” The Waitress still held out her hoof, her smile growing ever larger.
Trixie gulped, before nodding. “Of course,” she said, reaching behind her with her telekinesis. Her saddlebag opened, and a small pouch appeared. Trixie brought it up to her face, then opened it, smiling at what was inside. “Sorry,” she said, standing up. “Trixie thinks you’ll just have to put it on her bill.”
Trixie threw the pouch downwards, and a large cloud of smoke erupted from the ground, filling the room instantly. Trixie leaped backwards as the Waitress lunged forward in an attempt to grab her. The mare fell flat on her face as Trixie jumped over a table, her magic keeping her airborne for slightly longer, in order to land near the door. She threw it open with a burst of telekinesis and leaped into the night, the rain swallowing her up.
****
“… odd, but not the cause.” Twilight’s voice filtered out as Trixie’s eyes opened. The purple mare was leaning over Trixie’s face and, as she opened her eyes, leaped back. “Trixie!” Twilight said, helping the mare up.
Trixie gurgled slightly, her head pounding. “What… what was that?” she asked through clenched teeth, her body pulsing with pain as she stood up.
“Didn’t you recognize it?” Twilight seemed confused.
“Well…” Trixie cast her mind back, and gasped. “Was… was that one of my memories?”
Twilight smiled. “Precisely. However, it’s not the one we want, so we’ll just have to continue downwards.”
Trixie nodded, and the stairs below them started to move again, vibrating slightly as they slid downwards.
“Wait, how did you see the memory? I didn’t see you in the tavern.”
“I wasn’t there,” said Twilight. “I seemed to watch from an outside perspective, like there was a window between me and the world you were in.” Twilight looked out over the edge of the stairs, and gasped. “Trixie… what’s that.”
Trixie looked over the edge, and felt fear course through her veins. Below them spread a large, red pool, pulsing and moving as if it were organic. “Trixie is not sure.”
Suddenly the stairs stopped. Both Twilight and Trixie turned to face each other, looks of fright evident on each of their faces.
And then the stairs disappeared.
****
The rain still poured downwards, crashing and splashing down on the gravel road. Trixie trudged along, shivering from the cold. Her light blue coat was now thoroughly matted and stained with mud, and the rain was causing what was left of her makeup to run.
Trixie shivered again, before lighting her horn up. The rain stopped hitting against her fur, and instead began to fizzle just above her head, steam forming and drifting off into the darkness of the night. The hill that she was walking on sloped upwards, and Trixie had to struggle to keep a steady pace as she continually slipped on the mud beneath her hooves.
Trixie pushed her way to the top and onto the apex of the hill, where she stopped to breathe. Light poured out from the other side of the hill, the strong lamps of Manehatten’s streetlights filling the area with a warm glow. Trixie sighed with relief, before making her way down the slope.
The mud beneath her hooves began to slide as Trixie moved forward. Suddenly on of the rocks slipped forward, and Trixie found herself on her haunches, sliding straight down towards the ground. She let out a short scream before the impact, which sent her head over hooves into a tree.
All Trixie saw was Blackness.
****
“Will she be all right, sir?” asked a young voice from somewhere near Trixie’s right.
“I’m afraid it’s hard to tell son, but we’re doing all we can.” Another voice, this one from on her right.
“Hold on! I saw her eyelid flutter! She’s waking up!”
Slowly, Trixie opened her eyes. The bright lamp above her shone directly down, and she had to blink in order to avoid being blinded. She pulled herself up, feeling a hard hoof on her back.
“Woah there little missy,” said the masculine voice from before. “You had quite a tumble.” Trixie turned her head towards the voice. A large earth stallion stood tall, a large, white lab coat around his shoulders. “If it weren’t for little Pip here, you’d be dead for sure.” The pony gestured behind Trixie. When she whirled around, she saw a small earth pony, covered in splodges, smiling bashfully up at her.
Trixie smiled back, hers slightly forced, before turning back to the doctor. “Am I all right?”
“Well,” said the doctor, looking down at the clipboard in front of him. “Except from a minor concussion, you’re absolutely fine. You’re free to go miss…”
“Trixie, her name is Trixie.” Trixie said, before swinging her legs around the edge of the bed. The stallion put out another hoof, stopping her.
“Maybe we should call someone to come pick you up, you’re in no condition to walk out of here yourself.” The Doctor smiled. “Who should we call?”
“There’s no one to call.” Trixie replied. “Trixie is all on her own here.”
“Friends? Family?”
“Nopony.” Trixie shook her head. “Trixie’s mother died when she was very young, and she never knew her father.”
“Well then, I could drive you home in one of the carriages. What’s your address?”
“Trixie does not have a home, she is a travelling showmare.”
“So where is your carriage?” The doctor seemed to be growing more and more worried as Trixie dropped onto her hooves.
“Broken, it was crushed by an Ursa Major.” Trixie shrugged at open-mouthed doctor, who gaped at her with wide eyes.
“A-an Ursa M-Major?” The doctor stammered out. “How did you escape?”
“Some stuck-up magic-genius sent it packing.” Trixie began to walk around the bed, and towards the side table, where her saddlebags had been put. She levitated them up and onto her hindquarters, before turning towards the door. As she went to leave, a small tug on her right foreleg stopped her.
Whirling around, she came face to face with the small foal from before, who seemed to be jumping up and down with excitement. “You can come stay with me!” he said, practically bouncing on the spot.
Trixie’s mind momentarily stopped, and the speech-centre of her mind had temporarily shut down. “A bu-what?”
The doctor seemed to nod his approval at this, which astounded Trixie even more. “Well, don’t you have to ask his parents or something? Trixie just can’t barge in and demand a place to stay.”
“Don’t have none,” Pip explained, his happy grin still plastered across his face. “I live all by myself in my own house and everything!”
Again, Trixie’s mind stumbled over itself as it attempted to process the information this young foal was giving her. “Wha- h-how?”
The doctor stepped in here, his commanding voice somehow soothing Trixie slightly. “Pipsqueak here is a beggar and, what’s more, an extremely good one. His daily income more than doubles what I make in a week!”
“On some days,” Pip supplied, still grinning like a mad-pony. “Oh, this is going to be ever-so fun!”
“Pip, why don’t you head out into the lobby and find one of the nurses? I’m sure one of them will give you a sweet if you ask nicely. Trixie will come and find you when she’s ready to leave.”
Pip nodded at this, before turning to Trixie. “See you in a minute!” He then turned and pranced out of the door, the joy still evident in his step.
“But… i-is this really all right?” Trixie asked.
“Pip has taken strays in before.” Trixie looked slightly offended by the mention of ‘stray’, but shut her mouth. After all, these ponies were letting her out free of charge, and, what’s more, even giving her a place to stay. “They usually only stay for a few days at most, but Pip’s certainly glad of the company. He does get awful lonely up there on his own.”
Trixie nodded, and thanked the doctor, before turning out of the room. She could just make out Pipsqueak on the other side of the hall, as he sat on the counter, a lollipop in his mouth, chatting to one of the nurses. He laughed at the sight of Trixie, and leaped down from the table, before running up to her side.
“Ready to go, miss Trixie?” he asked, his grin as large as his face.
“Yes, Trixie is ready.” Pip pushed forward, one of his hooves wrapped tightly around Trixie’s as he led her towards the doors. Light streamed in from the large glass windows that spanned either side of the exit. As they pushed out into the day, a large gust of autumn wind pushed against Trixie, bringing the scent of dust, leaves and industrial smoke.
“C’mon miss Trixie!” Pip shouted, pulling the unicorn out onto the musty street. Ponies of all colours pushed passed the pair as they weaved their way through the crowds of ponies and carriages. Pip managed to weave and swerve around each of the obstacles with ease, and soon the two were across the other side and into the dark alley on the other side.
The sudden shadows caused Trixie to blink as she forced her eyes to focus in the damp darkness, her sight slowly adjusting. Still Pip pulled her along, the edges of the alley whipping passed as the pair pulled back out and into another street.
“We’re almost there!” Pip shouted from ahead as they passed through yet another crowded street. As they pulled through the edge of the ponies and out onto the sidewalk, a large building rose up in front of them, it’s grand architectural features standing out among the throng of red-brick buildings that scattered throughout most of Manehatten.
“Welcome!” Pip began as he pulled open the front door. “To Splodge manor!”
****
“A stuck-up magic-genius, am I?” Twilight asked, her eyes shooting daggers at Trixie.
“You had just destroyed most of Trixie’s possessions and ruined her reputation! She was still mad at you, even if most of it was her fault.” Trixie sat up again, her head, while still pulsing, didn’t hurt as much as it had last time. The marble flooring below her glowed with an intense light, almost blinding Trixie as she stood to her hooves. “Still on the stairs?”
“Yup, but I think were getting closer to the problem, look around us.” Trixie did as Twilight suggested, and sucked in a breath as she realised what was around her. Dark red walls pulsed with life, as if blood coursed through them. A loud pumping sound could be heard, two successive beats, one after the other, echoing around the expanse.
“This looks like a… a… heart.”
“We’re getting clos-“ Twilight’s voice cut off as she disappeared downwards, Trixie in close pursuit.
****
“Any change for a lowly beggar, sir?” Pip asked, holding out his piper’s hat. A small fistful of coins fell from above, landing in the hat with a soft chink. “A thousand thanks sir.” Pip bowed his head, as the large stallion continued onwards.
“You really are good at this,” Trixie told him for the hundredth time. “Look, there’s almost a hundred bits in there!”
Pip beamed up at her, pride pushing through his usually grim expression. “I think we’re done for the day miss Trixie, and I have a special treat in store for you tonight!” Trixie’s eyes widened in surprise. This was unusual.
“Oh?” Trixie asked. “What is this ‘treat’?”
“Can’t tell!” Pip replied, still beaming. “That would spoil the surprise!” He leaped up, and turned towards the large house on the other side of the street. “Race you home!”
He sped off, Trixie in close pursuit as the two leaped and twisted through the crowd and out onto the pavement. Trixie was larger, and thus had a longer and stronger stride. But, Pip’s size was the advantage out here on Manehatten’s streets, as he could easily dart underneath or around the passers by. Trixie stopped out the front of the house, wheezing slightly from the exercise.
Pip smiled triumphantly from up above her. “I win yet again,” he teased, pulling open the door. “You really must try harder.”
“Oh, you just wait. One day, Trixie is going to beat you.” Trixie walked inside, a giggling Pip leaping onto her back. “So, where to, young master?” She asked, giggling slightly along with the foal.
“The top floor!” he shouted. “You’re going to love this!”
Trixie nodded, then began leaping up the stairs two at a time. The two crashed through the door and into what used to be the study, which had now been turned into a makeshift bedroom. All Green, the houses butler, was inside as the two crashed in, and he smiled up at them.
“Now now, young master, mistress, what have I said about running inside?” He scolded, smiling slightly.
“Oh come off it, Greeny, you and I both know what this surprise is!” Pip said as he landed on his hooves. “Give us a break.”
“All right,” the stallion-servant agreed. “But just this once.” He chuckled, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
“C’mon miss Trixie, it’s just over here!” Pipsqueak shouted, running over to the desk. On it sat two pieces of flat, rectangular paper. The words ‘Midnight Mare’ were written in large print on the front.
“And these are…?” Trixie asked, still not grasping the concept.
“Tickets!” The young stallion said, chuckling. “Tonight, we’re going dancing!”
****
Lights flickered and danced throughout the club as Trixie and Pip pushed their way inside. Heavy dance music dropped, spun and weaved its way towards them, filling their ears with a natural beat. Trixie felt herself begin to pulse slightly as the music took hold of her, her hoof automatically pumping up and down. She felt Pip do the same beside her, and smiled. Pip headed forward out and onto the dance floor, waving to the other ponies as they called to him.
Trixie followed the young stallion, still not quite believing the connections that this small pony had achieved.
“C’mon miss Trixie, let’s go dance!” The two pushed out into the flor and began to jump up and down, their limbs shaking in time with the music. The rest of the dancers did the same, and it gave the impression of a giant sea of hooves, as they all pounded the floor in time with each other.
As the song drew to a close, Trixie felt her body fill with adrenaline as she slowed down her jumping. Pip did the same, as with the rest of the dancers, as the lights began to dim.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts!” exploded a voice from the loud speakers that filled the room. “Next up on the stage, a DJ we all know and love, the mare of music herself, DJ… PON-3!” The entire club roared in appreciation as the white mare stepped up to the middle of the stage, her bright blue hair almost fizzling.
“Featuring her signature genre, dubstep!” The dancers seemed to roar even more as the pony lowered down a record from above, the needle dropping down and onto it. Immediately a slow, muffled drum beat poured out from beneath a range of high synth leads, filling the room with a slow and steady pulse.
The cut-time music set off a strange feeling inside Trixie as she began to sway, along with the rest of the club, Pip climbing up onto her back, as to get a better look at the stage. The cymbals kicked in, along with the heavy drum beat, and suddenly the music felt a lot louder, and Trixie felt her head pounding from the heavy kicks.
Suddenly, the synth dropped out of range, and the progressive kick came into focus. A low sound began to pulse from below Trixie as she felt her body unintentionally rising. The beats began to build in speed and intensity as the synths rose in pitch. Suddenly, as the sounds reached their apex, everything cut off, and a low rumble filled the room, followed by silence.
The DJ lifted her head up, then brought it downwards, and an explosion of noise pounded into the room. Heavily modulated bass lines ‘wubbed’ their way outwards, severely dominating the musical plane. The heavy drumbeat and synth lead from earlier came back, over-powered by the heavy bass. Everyone in the room bounced and pounded along with the drums and bass line, including Trixie and Pip.
Trixie felt herself get over-powered by the music, and she grinned like a madmare, her entire body pounding with each beat.
And she loved it.
****
“Well… that was certainly… interesting.” Twilight shook her head as Trixie stood up, her head pulsing slightly. “I didn’t expect you to like that kind of music.”
“Well, to be honest, neither did Trixie.” Trixie said. “It just sort of… happened.”
“Trixie,” Twilight began, her voice sounding off-key. “Look around.” The walls pulsed brightly, a loud heartbeat filling the empty expanse. Large fires burned around the pair, and the staircase below them glowed hotly, but was cool to the touch.
“Where are we?” Trixie asked.
“I don’t know… but we’re about to find out!”
And the staircase disappeared.
****
A/N: All Right, so I finally finished this chapter, after nearly a month of neglect. And for this, I’m sorry.
But there have been a lot of problems along the way. For one, I was capped and, unfortunately, because of me not purchasing Microsoft office, my large PC did not contain a copy of Word. Thus, I was using GoogleDocs in order to write. Meaning, that when I was capped, I wasn’t able to access to write. Luckily, I can leech off friends every once in a while.
So I finished what I was doing (Bloody DotA 2 and Batman.) and buckled down to finish this story.
Again, sorry for the delay on all of my stories, but I’ve been working harder and harder at school. And anyway, I’m fifteen, give me a break!
So, I’ll update my other stories later, and another, small, update is on the way for this story.
Tl;dr: Sorry, was capped, couldn’t update, leeched internet, wrote story, updates soon.
Enjoy this extra long chapter!
-Taranasaurus
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Yes Dota 2 can be very addicting. (off note)
otherwise I like the story and hope you continue despite not having word.
Good shit. Where are the comments?
EDIT: After a quick refresh I find I'm 2-3 minutes behind of first comment, even if it is in favor of the rules to not brag about it. But being able to use the question would be nice.
Inteligint sied ftw
yay your back i missed this story a lot
also just cause i can i claim first
995214
I've had about 18 views, so there are all the comments :D
On a side note, yes DotA 2 is very addicting, and I've been playing it a lot!
995313 If I remember correctly, you're supposed to be one of the highest rated ficwriters... Where are your hundreds of views?
995591
Baha!
Oh, my sides!
I don't know where you heard that, but it's definitely not the truth. I may be good, but I'm not the best. Thanks for thinking that though! I certainly would like a lot of views and comments, so if you could, just pass this around to different people.
I'm soooo happy to see an update on this, please PLEASE tell me you are doing more soon?
P.S. Great chapter!
996359
Most likely, yes.
But, I do want to do some on my other stories as well. Still, I'll try to focus more on this one primarily.
996072 You truly do have your talents... I probably was thinking of another author. A tip to getting popularity? Get featured. You probably know that, but HOW is the question. The tricks are between The Party Hasn't Ended by butterscotchsundae, and any of the changeling fics that were featured the day after S2 finale. The Party Hasn't Ended was a shipping fic, if you hadn't read it, but it had emotional meaning. Pinkie is nervous about telling Dash her feelings, and when she finally tells Dash, she gets into a bit of a fit and flies to her home, where she cages herself in. She then falls under control of the Nightmare in Nightmare Moon, and can't wake up. Pinkie has to go into the mind of Rainbow Dash to find happiness to defeat Nightmare and return to the world of the not-comatose. Pinkie finds the memory she was looking for, when Dash had a friendship with a filly she remembers from flight school, of which had feelings for Dash, but she was oblivious to it, due to the homosexuality insults she had thrown at her. When her friend admits her feelings, she starts to raise her voice, exclaiming to her that, "[She's] straight. Way straight," which results in a filly crying while she runs away. She hasn't flied since. Anyway, Pinkie frees her, and they have a chat about how Dash needs to let the past go, and if she wants, she can visit or write a letter (Or maybe the visit/letter part was the unofficial sequel) and how she needs to let her past go and go where love takes her. Then they fucked. Well, not literally, I was just using a bit of the ol' hyperbole. Anyway, to break it down, it was Dash getting stuck in her mind during emotional post-dramatic stress, enhanced by other beings and her past, and Pinkie, out of her love for Dash, tries to save her. That's true love, with more conflict than just between the two main characters. Its a conflict between Dash's love towards Pinkie and the memories of her past. These fics have a deeper meaning than any others, like the lower tiered "And then they fucked" fics and these fics, they just make you want to cry (Sure as hell I shed a manly tear or two). To the next one. Those changeling fics were there because they were new. If you make a good one-shot about the new character introduced in the S3 premiere by the next day, you'll be featured.
EDIT: No paragraphs and comma murder. Dear lord I'm the worst proofreader ever.
998357
Well, unfortunately, this fic right here is leading up to a deep and emotional meaning, which won't become apparent 'til later.
However, I can see your point. It's just, I don't want to do what everyone else is doing, because it doesn't feel like me. I ain't no hipster, but following the norm is very interesting.
Although... writing clopfics always works.
I have a new story to write, shipping suggestions?
999907 I left out a major detail that I forgot about; Be original. Have you ever looked at the features and say, "Ugh, another X."? If so, you know how people feel when they see your stuff (no offense). Be original. No one would think of a Trixishy or a BigSpike or ScootaTwi or something like that (No Pinkie ships because dat mare is crazy.) When people read something they haven't before, and it's good, they'll like you for being the first to do something.
EDIT: And also? TwiSpike or SweetieSpike. Pretty good ships.
EDIT2: Although the only TwiSpike I've read was embedded with clop jewels. And SweetieSpike... Lets just say you should make it so they know they have feelings for each other, they've admitted it, but someone messes things up before they can even get a date up. Specifically Spike.
999927
Hey!
I'll have you know that I was the first person to write a Trixie x Vinyl Scratch story!
It just didn't get very popular...
999942 Read the edits and make sure the ship is good... Mane 6 characters are always good starts... If you can get something like FlutterWill to work WELL (No offense again) you will get so many views you shouldn't bother to count. And again,
or 
. Those ships have been great for me.
999960
Ugh, Spike.
He's such an annoying character, because, in Shipping, that would make it almost bestiality, seeing as they're different species.
Still...
1001900 Remember that some people consider Spike a pony... A'course you can always replace him with the similar-minded OC colt.
1001900 Remember that some people consider Spike a pony... A'course you can always replace him with the similar-minded OC colt. Or even better. A pony-ized Spike!
Nice, gonna stay where it currently is!
Why don't they apologies!? They were the rude ones!