Too Spooky For Trixie?
Trixie tilted her head at the photographs decorating Starlight Glimmer’s mirror. One of the photos had a white pony with snow skis. “Why would a pony who’s talent was skiing want to live in a desert village, Starlight?”
Peering over her friend’s shoulder, Starlight replied, “That’s Double Diamond. I managed to convince him that he was better off without his talent.”
“He sent you a picture of him anyway? Why?” Trixie turned and laughed nervously. “Uh, if this is a touchy subject with you . . .”
Shaking her head, Starlight replied, “Nah. After I reconciled with my old village, he and his friends sent me a few pictures. The place looks a lot better now than when I was in charge.”
“That’s one thing we have in common; we’ve been forgiven for our screw-ups more often than most ponies, I bet.”
“How many ponies have forgiven you? Now if that’s too personal, just say so.”
Trixie smiled, rubbing her chin. “Well, there’s a town in the southern territories that I’ll never visit again.”
“Did you hurt some pony in one of your shows?”
“No, but there might still be an angry ghost that I don’t want to get near.”
Starlight’s ears flattened. “Did you blow up a graveyard?”
Rubbing her hooves together, she mused, “Hmm, that’s a good idea for the next Nightmare Night show.”
Seeing her friend tapping a hoof like an annoyed parent, Trixie quickly added, “Kidding! Just kidding. Maybe. Seriously, though, I once discovered a town that was a lot weirder than your old digs.”
Starlight sat down at her table and levitated her teapot over two cups. As she poured Trixie a cup of tea, she asked, “What’s the town’s name?”
“Quietus. In old Ponish, that means ‘a final decisive move’. Like a mike drop, you know?”
Handing Trixie her cup, Starlight replied, “Sounds like a fun place to spend a summer vacation.”
“Heh. A few decades ago, you might have been right. Problem is, this place was too far south for Cloudsdale to travel, so no Pegasi were around to control the weather. That means when a storm hits, it’s completely unexpected. Therein begins my tale.”
* * *
I was pulling my wagon on a lonely gravel road. The tornado that recently ripped though the surrounding forest yanked at least half the trees out like birthday candles. One felled tree caught my attention because it revealed a dirt road.
To be clear, that tree was planted to hide that road. Since I’m the naturally inquisitive type, I decided to take a detour. Don’t get me wrong, apart from that whole alicorn amulet-wearing phase I went through, I don’t deliberately break the law. If that road was closed off with a barb wire fence and a sign from the Equestrian Kingdom that declared that Quietus was off limits, I would have steered clear.
The road was clotted with overgrown bushes and vines. After about half a mile, I smelled not only the nearby ocean, but baked goods as well.
As I turned a corner, a rotted wooden sign came into view. It said “Welcome to Quietus. The last place you’ll want to live”. Past the sign, I saw that a huge tree had fallen and blocked the road. Even with the rotted wood, I could see multiple ax marks in the trunk. I was now twice as intrigued as to why this place was trying so hard to stay hidden.
I unhitched my wagon and put on my saddle bags. After I grabbed my binoculars, I climbed over the tree. It took a lot of my magic to push tons of foliage out of the way as I climbed a hill. When I reached the top, I discovered a small town. Single stop sign small. No theatre small. The kind of town you either love or hate.
Beyond a few houses was a beach that seemed to have a party going on. I sat down and focused my binoculars on the tables and chairs getting set up. I saw a buffet table that was loaded with the food I smelled earlier. At first I thought these people were having a wedding or a birthday party.
That was when I noticed two strange things. One, the chairs were all pointed at the sea. Two, none of the townsfolk bothered going into the water. I looked out at the sea, thinking that maybe a boat of visitors was rowing to shore. The waters were clear of any sea traffic.
That was when I saw the pony’s head poke out of the water. Seawater dripped off his top hat. As he walked towards the beach, I saw more ponies joining him.
Fifty ponies walked out of the sea, the top hat wearer being the apparent leader. When he stopped, so did his followers. He pulled a satchel off of his back and dropped it in front of what I assumed was the town’s mayor. The gray stallion opened the satchel and smiled a weak smile.
They all greeted each other and then sat down to eat. Well, the townsfolk ate. The visitors just sat and smiled. I was tapping a hoof impatiently. Now I had to find out what the deal was with this weird town.
When I got up, however, I heard a voice behind me say, “I wouldn’t do that. You don’t want those old farts to see you.”
I whipped my head around. There was a young earth pony with a red mane and orange fur. He continued, “That’ll bring a lot of bad business on us all.”
“What’s your name, kid?” I asked.
“Sea Mist.” He held up a hoof and motioned for me to follow him. “Come on, let’s get you out of sight.”
“Who are those people?” I asked as I put my binoculars into my saddle bag. “Are they zombies or something?”
He snorted, his ears flattening. “I wish they were. Then I’d have an excuse to shoot ‘em. Nah, those people used to be our town elders. I guess they still are, even though they only show up once a year.”
As we trotted down a trail that lead to the other side of the town, I asked, “Well, if they aren’t undead brain chewers, what are they?”
“My guess is that they ‘re just powerful ghosts. After a two day visit, they walk back into the sea. It takes a year for them to build up enough ghost energy, or whatever you unicorns call it, to come back.”
“I’m just a stage magic performer, Sea Mist. I’m not an expert on ghosts or magic.”
He shrugged. “Okay. Sorry about that. My town only has earth ponies, so I gotta admit I was just guessing.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Why are your elders not resting in peace in some graveyard?”
He sat down on a bench behind the town’s grocery store. He patted at the open space next to him and I obliged. After I got comfy, he said, “Ten years ago we had a huge hurricane blast through here. It hit us so fast that most of us were barely able to escape. Fifty of our townsfolk weren’t so lucky. The richest ones in the town got yanked out to the sea in the middle of the night.”
“Let me guess, today’s the anniversary of that disaster, right?”
He nodded. “Got it in one. When they first walked out of the sea, it was panicsville here. The ghosts assured us they just wanted to visit because they missed Quietus too badly to leave it behind forever. Did you see the pony with the top hat?”
“Yeah.”
“That was the old mayor, Golden Weave. Did you see him give my dad a satchel?”
My eyes widened. “Yeah! What was that?”
“I guess you could call it a stipend.” He frowned. “Or a bribe. That’s what I and half the town’s calling it nowadays. When the elder’s houses got tossed into the sea, it took their fortunes as well. Only the ghosts know where their money is on the ocean floor. They give us just enough bits to keep this cruddy town up and running until their next return.”
“I’m beginning to see why you guys blocked off the road into this place. You don’t want the outside world to know about this.”
“You’re almost right. The ghosts don’t want the world to know Quietus’s dirty little secret, so they told my dad that if they wanted this money, they would have to block off the road into this town. Like so many old coots, they don’t trust the outside world.” Sea Mist kicked a rock into a nearby bush. “They want everything in this town to stay exactly the same every freakin’ year.”
I rubbed my chin, mulling over what he told me. “Just like every elder statesman I’ve ever known.”
Sea Mist looked at my saddle bags. “I bet you travel all over Equestria.”
Puffing out my chest and nodding, I replied, “Yes, I’m known throughout the land as the Great And Powerful Trixie.”
“Have you always been on the road?”
“What can I say? I have itchy hooves. I didn’t want to join my dad’s stage act in Las Pegasus, so I bought a wagon and hit the open road. There are a lot of ponies that do that. Some stallion pony makes birthday parties really lively just by showing up. The Washouts are a Pegasus stunt troupe that risk their necks to thrill their audience.”
His eyes lit up, scarcely able to contain his enthusiasm. “So you never lived in an actual house?”
“Well, my wagon is designed to be my home. I live in it year round. It’s sometimes messy living, but it pays the bills.”
Sea Mist closed his eyes. “That sounds so frickin’ awesome. I’d give anything to get out of here. Some brave ponies have bailed from this grungy place, you know. Not everyone wants to see their relatives every year, not matter how rich they are.”
“What’s your father’s name?” I asked.
“Night Mist. He became the new mayor after the hurricane. I swear, he looks more and more like a whipped dog every year. His prospects are nothing like yours.”
An idea popped into my head. This little colt reminded me of a few friends I had to leave behind in Las Pegasus. Their lives were only the size of that city, which, even with all the grandiosity and glamor, isn’t that big.
I looked at Sea Mist. “As soon as the elders go back to the sea, I want to talk to your dad, all right?”
Two days later, I found myself in the courthouse, standing before a very surprised mayor and most of the townsfolk. “How did you find our town?” He inquired. “Are you from the government?”
Sea Mist rolled his eyes. “Sheesh, dad! That tree you planted on the trail fell down. That’s what led her here.”
I held up a hoof. “I’m not here to bust anyone or cause any kind of trouble, Night Mist. It seems to me you have enough of that already.”
He swallowed hard and studied his horse shoes. “The city elders are . . . a little demanding.”
One pony snorted in disgust. “A little? They keep us in this town like we’re all on house arrest.”
Night Mist groaned. “We’ve already discussed this. These last ten years has seen a few, well, subtractions.”
“Yeah, that’s a sweet way of putting it,” grumbled another pony. “I’m doing the maintenance work of four ponies. We lost our best plumber a month ago, for Celestia’s sake.”
The mayor showed a tooth-grinding grin. “That’s why I’m paying you more than anypony else. Golden Weave even threw in a few extra bits this year to compensate for our losses.”
I said, “This payment plan can’t last forever, sir. It’s nice they they’re paying for the upkeep of this town with bits and not traceable checks, but money isn’t everything.” (This was the only time in my bit-pinching career that I would ever say such a thing.)
Night Mist pointed at the money satchel on his desk. “It is when this is our only source of income.”
“How long will that last, Night Mist?” I pressed. “All their money was washed out to sea in a hurricane, remember? That means that no matter how much money they’ve squirreled away in the sea, it won’t last for much longer. Since they’re dead, their bank accounts have been frozen by the government. Even if an entire bank vault was on the ocean floor, it can’t keep this town going forever.”
Some members of our audience were nodding. A few ponies whispered to each other, hooves covering their mouths.
Night Mist slitted his eyes at me. “Why are you telling us this? Aren’t you just some travelling performer of low-budget tricks? Why do you care what happens to our town?”
Ignoring his jab at my profession, I replied, “At least I’m living my life the way I want to. What I see here, and I’m not the only one, is a town that’s about to implode. You guys are frittering away your lives to accommodate dead people who fear change.”
A few townsfolk barked a few laughs. As a performer, I knew they were laughing with me, not against me. The mayor could tell that the audience was turning more in my direction. He frowned and stamped a hoof. “I think you should leave. The elders have the last word, they know what’s best for us and they also keep us alive and safe.”
Tilting my head in confusion, I asked, “Safe from what? The future?”
His eyes were losing focus on me. I’ve seen that glazed expression when one of my tricks misfires or a joke falls flat. It was time to try another trick. Guilt.
“What about your son, Night Mist? Is he going to have to take over for you when you retire or die? Is that really going to be your family legacy? Slavery to dead people?”
He pursed his lips. Closing his eyes, he slowly shook his head. “We have no choice, stranger.”
“Everypony has a choice, Night Mist.”
Sighing, his shoulders sagged. “What would you have us do? We only get enough bits to keep things running for a year, and the elders aren’t the kind of people you can threaten or even punch.”
I smiled. “If my plan works, and it will, you won’t have to worry about those coots much longer.”
The mayor replied, “You have my attention.”
After I explained my plan, we shook hooves. He gave me a stack of bits that I needed and I told him I’d be back in two weeks.
When you see a magician on stage, you are looking at thousands of hours of research, rehearsal and equipment that’s often top-shelf priced. Professional assistants are expensive, but are worth it. When I waved my Quietus-funded bits at Lightning Dust, the leader of the Washouts, I had her undivided attention.
“This plan rocks my world, Trixie,” the Pegasus said. “I only wish that wimpy Rainbow Dash would see it happen.”
When the Washouts did their spectacular performance for the town of Quietus, I knew those bits were well spent.
The funniest part of my plan was that this was an event that would take a year for my target audience to see. I’ve never had to plan a show so far ahead.
A year later, I was lying flat against the hill that hid the town, focusing my binoculars on the town’s wreckage-clotted beach. Night Mist and his son had their binoculars trained on the beach as well.
“There he is,” whispered Night Mist.
The top hat slowly rose from the sea. I saw the contented smile of Golden Weave drop like a brick when he laid eyes on the desolation before him. He raced out of the water this time, tossing the money satchel aside as he and his followers frantically raced up one side of the beach and down the other.
The Washouts have a bad reputation of careless flying, but they were very professional in creating tornados that lifted the strongest buildings out of the town and into another county a few miles inland.
In order for this plan to work, however, a few houses had to be leveled and scattered everywhere to sell the illusion of a total disaster. Night Mist sacrificed his own house to this cause. Looking at his huge grin as he spied the wailing ghosts, I knew he was glad to be rid of it.
“Talk about being adrift at sea,” quipped Sea Mist glibly. “I’ve been wanting to do this for years.”
His father, while still spying on the ghosts, patted his son. “You and me both, son.” He put down his binoculars and sighed. “I’m sorry it took this long to realize how bad things were getting.”
Sea Mist smiled and shook his head. “I guess we all need a kick in the flank every once in a while, huh?” When he peered into his binoculars, he swallowed and said, “Uh, Dad?”
“Yes, son?”
“Is it just me, or is Golden Weave looking right at us?”
Fiddling with the focus on my binoculars, I tracked down the head ghost. Sweat beaded on my brow as I replied, “No, I think he’s looking at me. Crap, he must have spotted a glint of the sun from my binoculars.”
Sea Mist cried, “He’s running this way!”
That was when I had another great idea. “Run!”
I always have a plan B if things go pear-shaped on the stage. My wagon was close by and the trail had been cleared of debris. You know, in case we had to bug out fast.
While I struggled with my harness belt, my friends jumped into the wagon and slammed the door.
Sea Mist opened a window and hollered, “Hurry up!”
“NIGHT MIST!” a distant voice bellowed. “IS THAT YOU?”
Tightening my belt, I bolted. My wagon bounced from one pothole to another, but the only thing that truly worried me was the sudden chill in the air. The other ghosts must have been getting closer, for that spectral voice was now a lot louder. “WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BELOVED TOWN?”
“Oh, great!” wailed the kid. “He sees us!”
Sneaking a quick glance behind me, I saw a looming storm cloud that sprouted glowing blue eyes. Very angry eyes. “Shut that window, Sea Mist,” I ordered. “Then both of you stay down and keep quiet! If he just sees me, he won’t suspect you!”
The gravel road was just a bit further. All I needed was one minute of frantic trotting. And then . . .
Wait, did ghosts ever really get tired? How much energy did they have to store up just so they could visit their old home once a year? Sea Mist said that they could bring bad business on me if they saw me.
What exactly did he mean by that?
“WHO ARE YOU?” demanded Golden Weave, as if from a bullhorn. My teeth were rattling from the arctic cold. The now furious blue eyes floated alongside me. “ANSWER ME!”
“I-I’m just a travelling magic performer! Heh! I was just wandering down this road and I saw this trail, so I thought . . .”
“LIAR! NIGHT MIST TOLD ME HE HID THE WAY TO QUIETUS!”
Smiling as nicely as I could with the cold squeezing the air from my lungs, I replied, “Look, I don’t know who this Night Mist character is. I’ve obviously strayed too far from the path, so could you . . .”
That was when I noticed that my hooves had parted company from the ground. Dark swirls from the ghost’s head had wrapped around my body and were lifting me away from my wagon harness as if I were as light as a plush toy.
Thrashing my legs, I cried, “Hey! Put me down!”
“YOU USED YOUR UNICORN MAGIC TO DESTROY MY TOWN AND KILL NIGHT MIST, DIDN”T YOU?”
“No, that’s not true!” My breath was getting squeezed out of me.
“TELL ME THE TRUTH OR DIE!”
As the last bit of air slipped away, my vision blurred around the edges. Why didn’t I just walk past that stupid fallen tree? Why didn’t I just leave well enough alone?
My chest grew numb. The chattering of my teeth slowed as I closed my eyes.
“Leave her alone!” screamed Night Mist.
I was dropped like a sack of wheat, though I barely felt it. The pain of hitting the trail’s dirt and rocks shocked me back to reality.
“WHAT’S GOING ON?” Golden Weave demanded. “WHAT . . .”
Sea Mist popped his head out the window next his dad and yelled “Stop yelling! We’re right next to you!”
Fighting to regain my balance, I shook my head to clear my eyes. Night Mist and his son had run out of the wagon and were staring up at the spectral black cloud. The father said, “It was her idea to trash the town, but I’m the one who gave her the money and permission to do that.”
The glowing eyes temporarily went oval in surprise. After a few moments, the ghost asked, in a quieter tone, “Why? Haven’t you and your son had everything you want for the past decade?”
Sea Mist blew a raspberry. “Everything YOU want, you mean.”
“You ungrateful little . . .” the ghost cloud solidified into Golden Weave’s old form, which lunged at Sea Mist.
Night Mist stepped between them. “Don’t you touch my boy!” he barked sharply.
Since my teeth stopped rattling like maracas, I trotted over to them. “No one died when the town got leveled, Golden Weave. The people of Quietus have just moved. That’s all.”
The ghost looked like his old self again, but his eyes still flashed blue light at me. “I’m still mad at you, missy. You’re not off the hook just yet.”
Sea Mist declared, “Her name’s Trixie! Thanks to her and her Pegasus friends we’re now better off by ourselves.”
Golden Weave shook his head, groaning. “How could you do this to me and the town elders? Quietus was doing just fine until . . .” He sneered at me as he continued, “Trixie fouled everything up!”
Night Mist’s tail flicked in irritation. “You haven’t listened to a word any of us have said, have you?”
“You never hesitated to take my money, did you?” the ghost mocked. “What could this conjuror of cheap tricks possibly offer you that I couldn’t?”
“The rest of the world. Quietus was falling apart in more ways than one, but you never bothered to notice that.” Night Mist’s ears flattened. “We’re both guilty of seeing only what we wanted to see, but not what we needed to see.”
Golden Weave’s followers gathered around us as the ghost replied, “So that’s it? A new life for you and wrecked buildings for us?” He gestured at the crowd. “What are we supposed to do with a ravaged town, eh?”
I stepped up and said, “Who says you had to come here? If you have the ability to leave the land of the dead, even if it’s for only two days a year, you could travel to just about any other country.”
The ghost snorted. “Why? So a bunch of strangers can point and scream at us?”
Sea Mist said, “Try going somewhere private. A secluded beach or even an island.”
His father patted him on the shoulder. “Good idea, son. You could go anywhere, Golden Weave. We’ve called it quits with Quietus because we want our freedom back. Why can’t you be just as free?”
“Because we don’t have any choice,” he replied dejectedly.
Night Mist looked the ghost in the eyes. “Everypony has a choice.”
The other elder ghosts looked at each other, shrugged and walked towards the beach. Golden Weave hung his head low as he followed them. He turned his to look at us and said, “You realize you’re not getting another bit from me, right?”
“I’m the Mayor of Quietus,” he said with a pride he had not felt in years. “I’ll figure out a way to help my people.”
When Golden Weave and his fellow elders walked back into the sea, all three of us breathed a sigh of relief. After that, we said our goodbyes and I trotted down that long, winding gravel road once more.
* * *
Starlight Glimmer stared wide-eyed at her friend. “How long ago did this happen?”
“Oh, about a year before I met you. I couldn’t tell just anypony this story. They might think I was loopier than a chocolate teapot.”
“What about the mayor of Quietus? Did you ever hear from him?” Starlight asked.
Trixie smiled as she replied, “Well, I visited New Quietus a few months ago. They’ve sworn off living anywhere near the coast, so they took up nut-farming instead. They make the best cinnamon nuts I’ve ever had. They always give me a few free bagfuls whenever I’m in the area to thank me.”
“As for the destroyed town? Did you ever visit that place?”
Trixie shook her head. “Nope. But I hear rumors from ponies that explore abandoned locations and buildings that a ghost wearing a top hat still roams the streets a few days each year. They say that if he sees you, he’ll hunt you down like a rabid dog.” Trixie wagged her hooves over her head and bugged her eyes. “Ooga-booga!”
Starlight looked over her mirror photos again. “It sounds like my town got off light compared to Quietus. So did I. At least I’m not living in the past like Golden Weave.”
Trixie shrugged. “Some ponies prefer comfort over freedom, I guess.” Seeing the distant look in her friend’s eyes, Trixie added, “If you didn’t discover the error of your ways, you might have ended up like that guy.”
“Lost and alone, yearning for something that can’t exist anymore.”
“That’s right.” Trixie nuzzled Starlight. “Hey, let’s get back to the land of the living, huh? It’s lunch time and I’m craving a hay-burger. I’ll bring my personal stash of cinnamon nuts for dessert.”
“It’s a deal! Say, if you ever see the Washouts again while you’re on tour, can you get me a poster?”
They giggled and trotted out of Starlight’s room.