Trixieville - Part 6

>Trixie mumbles obscenities under her breath as she trudges through Ponyville, searching for you.
>Doors and windows are locked as the bone-chilling breeze follows her through the empty streets.
>As she makes her second round trip around the barrier, she huffs and stomps at the ground. She won’t let you get away, not by a long shot. But you’re not trying to escape.
>While Trixie throws a fit on the edge of town, you’re being escorted to the town hall by Pinkie and Applejack, the most able out of the main six, save for Twilight.
>”Now, we’ll be watchin’ from the sidelines. If things go south, Pinkie n’ I will jump in and get you out of there.”
“Thanks, I think I’ll be fine though. You don’t need to risk—“
>”Nuh-uh, you’re not talkin’ me out of keepin’ an eye on you.”
>”Yeah! Trixie is a big meanie! I hope she doesn’t try to hurt you, but if she does, she’s gonna get it!”
>”Get what, now?”
>”IT!”
“Girls, please.”
>You grab both with each arm and pull them into the sides of your hip while still walking.
“Nothing is going to happen. UNLESS you keep talking so loud.” You give them both a quick scratch below their ears before letting go. “Now, you two break off and find hiding spots. We’re getting close. And Applejack.”
>”Yeah-huh?”
>You crouch down and remove Applejack’s hat before planting an innocent little kiss on her forehead in one quick motion. A visible blush creeps across her face as you return her setson.
“Thank you, for being so strong. I know it was hard on you and your family.”
>”Awwuh… shucks, Anon.”
>You feel Pinkie Pie leap onto your back and wrap you in a hug.
>”We should be thanking you! For putting up with meanie pants’ meanieness!”
>”Exactly!”
“We’ll all pat ourselves on the back later.” You give Pinkie’s hoof a quick rub before removing it. “You two need to get moving.”

>You’ve found your way to the town hall shortly after leaving Applejack and Pinkie. The wind chilled your body to the bone, but the doors were locked. So you took a seat on the stairs on the porch and curled yourself up to keep in some warmth.
>You know you’ve just gotten here, but the cold makes it hard and it already feels too long. You try stretching your shirt over your knees, tucking your arms inside your shirt and eventually your head, but it isn’t enough.
>You’re just about to give up when an unnatural gust of wind hits you. You pop your limbs out of your shirt to see an angry Trixie marching your way.
>No, not angry.
>Furious.
>You get ready to face a harsh slew of words, but what comes next is a hard, magical push.
>Your ass takes a tragic and painful hit to the corner of the top stair, and before you have the chance to move or yell Trixie is on top of you with her teeth bared and her heavy breath on your face.
>”Trixie gave you one, very simple order!” Her voice is ragged, but quiet. You focus your eyes on her and notice a crazed look about her. She seems different than she was this morning. The anger and frustration, it hasn’t faded. Only gotten worse.
“I-I was afraid. The rioting ponies, and—“
>Her horn flares up and a magical grip latches onto your collar. It yanks you up to a sitting position before throwing you against the town hall doors.
>You heavily bounce off the door and fall to the ground.
>It’s at this point your fight or flight senses kick in hard. Your back is in pain and your ego in tatters. Your forehead is pressed to the ground in defeat and you’d love to stand up and put Trixie in her place. You want to hit her so hard, that amulet comes flying off. You clench your fist in anger, knowing that won’t work. She’s only waist height, she has the muscle mass of a child and you’re sure she can’t hold her own in a real fight.
>But that fucking amulet, and her fucking magic.
>You can’t beat her. Twilight can’t beat her. The Princess can’t beat her.
>And Pinkie and Applejack, who are poised to help on the sidelines, cannot beat her. You cannot let them get hurt.
>You unclench your fists and lay your palms flat against the porch, thoroughly defeated.

“I’m sorry.”
>You hear her take a step forward.
“I was, I was scared. I ran away from you, and I wanted to be with my friends. I went to them. And, and they…”
>Trixie takes a few steps closer.
“Left me. I, I thought—“
>”You thought,” Her voice cuts you off. It’s calmer, but retains its sharp edge. “That they would accept you back into their loving arms.”
“Y-yes… but they turned on me. They hate me now. I have nowhere to go.”
>”Nowhere to go,” She echoes. “Except… back to Trixie.”
>You feel a hoof begin to rub your shoulder, and you look up to Trixie again.
>She’s several levels calmer than before, but the slight grin on her face looks almost unstable.
>Her hoof slides from your shoulder to under your chin and it brings you closer.
>”You can’t trust anyone but Trixie anymore. She only wanted to take care of who she thought was… the most beneficial creature here.”
>Is she… trying to invoke Stockholm syndrome in you?
>Her and your foreheads are nearly touching now, and she begins to trace her hoof along your jaw line.
>”And I suppose Trixie does owe you compensation for your excellent services thus far…” Anger leaving. Regret seeping in. “But, not after proper punishment!”
“Punish…”
>She moves her hoof from your face to your chest and shoves you through the doors onto the cold floor.
>”This place is filthy! You will start cleaning now, and stop only when I command it! Understood?”
“Ye—“
>”No restroom, no food, no water, nothing! Not until you understand why you never cross Trixie!”
“… Yes, T—“
>”That’s still master, to you!”
>The crazed look is quickly returning.
“Master Trixie, of course.”
>”Hmph!” She begins to walk off to her room, muttering “Letting him off too easy.” To herself along the way.

>You are Trixie.
>You’ve left Anonymous to his work and the boys to preparing a meal.
>Since your little fit of rage, your vision has blurred and your ears have begun to ring. It’s been happening on and off all day, and you feel it all pulsating from the area around your chest. Speaking of, it itches horribly under your amulet.
>Maybe if you just…
>…
>,
>…
>… !
>You, you’re you! The Great and Powerful…
>No, no… what you’ve done.
>You look to your hoof, which now holds the unlatched Alicorn Amulet. Then you quickly toss it to the side and take a few steps in the opposite direction.
>This is bad, this is really bad.
>It’s been two weeks wince you’ve last taken off the amulet. You’ve been periodically removing it to hopefully curb the dark influence it has had on you, but by judging by today’s actions, it clearly isn’t working.
>You glare at the stupid amulet, wishing it were gone and every other problem. You wish this whole thing stopped after you beat Twilight. You wish none of it ever happened. You would have quit so long ago if you didn’t think you were too deep to go back. Looking back, you weren’t before, but you’ve crossed that line today.
>You collapse on the purple shag carpet and stare at the stupid amulet for what feel like a long while before you roll onto your back and stare at the ceiling. No ideas or solutions come to mind. No excuse. No ways out. If you took it off in front of everyone and apologized, they would maul you. Perhaps to death. If you fled, you’d be a wanted criminal for the rest of your life. There is no way out of you, there is no happy ending for you. The best you can do is preserve what you have remaining.

>Sighing to yourself, you roll back onto your stomach and get on all hooves. You trot over to the amulet and glare down at it. You despise it, yet you want to put it on again, if only for the security.
>You quickly shake off that urge and kick it under your double-king sized bed.
>If there’s any chance of earning the trust of Ponyville back, you know where to start. And he’s out there, scrubbing an already clean floor. You have to make amends with him. You have no idea how, but it starts with treating him nicely… while still acting like your tyrannical self.
>Speaking of, you can’t forget the next part.
>Over in the dresser next to your bed, you open the top right drawer to reveal an exact replica of the Alicorn Amulet. A fake this accurate looking could have only been created by powerful magic, which is why the real amulet comes in handy at times.
>You wrap the fake necklace around your neck and drape your cape over your back. You can’t accomplish the red glowing eyes and magic effect alone, but it shouldn’t be necessary.
>After taking a long, not-so-confident stare in the mirror, you exit your room and march towards the main hall. The paintings of yourself that you’ve hung along the walls are so imposing, not like you at all. And the eyes are piercing and cold. You might not be able to pull this off with the recent changes, but it’s worth a try. It’s worth trying to keep everything that makes you a normal mare.

>You are Anonymous.
>You’ve only being doing this for a short while and you already hate it. Good god you hate scrubbing.
>Trixie has reentered the room, most likely to bark orders at you and demean you.
>”Snails!” She yells out. It sounds a little forced but it’s nothing worth paying mind to. Snails soon scampers out of the kitchen and stands at attention next to Trixie.
>You can hear strict whispering between the two of them before Snails jumps up and runs into the kitchen, then shortly comes sprinting out with Snips in tow. They run out the front door and make sure to lock it on their way out.
>Doing your best to not be absolutely freaked out by the situation, you keep your eyes on the floor and run the sponge in unmoving circles.
>The echoing clopping of Trixie’s hooves draws closer, until they stop right behind you.
>”Stop.”
>You stop, and slowly look up to Trixie.
>Her glare isn’t menacing as it normally is. If anything, she’s just looking at you.
>”Follow me.” She quickly pivots on her back hoof, making her cape slap against your face.
>You sigh and toss the sponge aside before getting up to follow her.
>She doesn’t say a thing as she leads you upstairs. Past her room, past yours, past all the empty rooms she didn’t bother to renovate. Where is she going?
>After quite the climb, you’re led to the very top floor of the building. It looks like it hasn’t been touched in years. Unfinished walls, floor and ceiling, no windows in the gaping openings in all sides, letting all the cold air flow through.
>Trixie takes a step closer to one of the windows and peers over the town, then up to her barrier.
“Trixie?”
>”What are the terms of the citizens? Their plans, their state of mind.”
“What?”
>”They attacked Trixie today, knowing they might not win. Do they plan to stage a coup? Tell me.”
>She doesn’t expect you to actually tell her, does she?

>”The reason I’m asking you is because…” She looks down, then back towards you. Her eyes are full of genuine worry and fear. Fear of what the ponies will do to her. “You’re the only one the in the world I can trust.”
>A silence lingers in the air for a moment. Her words impact you like… well, they don’t. After everything she’s done, this moment of distress from her is music to your ears. She’s afraid, and you have to exploit that.
>So you try your best to slap on a face of sympathy.
“I…” You rub the back of your neck and look down. “I overheard that… they might try to jump you in the streets sometime soon. Catch you off guard and hope to take you down.”
>She looks at you closely before looking back outside.
>Trixie ponders for a while, you even make yourself comfortable against one of the rickety beams in the room.
>You think to yourself, what will Trixie do? Will she cower? Will she fight? Will she hurt the ponies? You’re afraid of the latter for sure.
>You might be able to intervene, but if you meddle too much, she might suspect something. You need to go about this smoothly.
“Trixie, may I offer some advice?”
>”Please.”
>This actually might be pretty easy.
”Stay safe. You’re the strongest, most beautifully powerful unicorn I’ve ever met, but power won’t help you if you’re ambushed from behind.”
>Trixie sighs and begins to pace back and forth in front of you.
“I-I don’t… I don’t want to see you get hurt. So maybe… it would be for the best if you tried to stay inside as much as possible.”
>She remains silent still and stares into your eyes. She slowly steps forward, and you can’t back up when against the beam.
>”You’re sure?”

“… No, I can’t say I am. Like I said, they hate me. They could have been talking about something else completely.”
>Before you can notice her getting close, Trixie slides up to your leg and wraps it in her embrace.
>”It’s okay. We can stay safe. Together.”
>Wait, what the fuck is this? No, excuse me but what the fuck?
“Y-yeah…”
>”We’ll go out once a day to check on the state of affairs, then we can stay in here, where no one can hurt the two of us.”
>This isn’t right. Trixie is acting really weird. How could a plan that actually worked backfire so quickly?
>Ugh, it doesn’t matter. You’ll stomach this until Twilight can get you out of here.
==
>Later that night, outside the barrier, the first group of ponies makes it out of the sewers, more or less in decent condition.
>Twilight Sparkle tails the group with Spike happily clinging onto her back. Notable ponies among them being Cheerilee and several children, the Cakes, adult Snips and Snails and various patients from the hospital. With the children now out of Ponyville, the adults would more than likely be willing to get a little more risky with the escape plan. The hope is that Ponyville can be evacuated within a week, but that’ll mean a few sleepless nights for Twilight and Pinkie Pie.
>The group is led into the forest, away from the town so no prying eyes may see.
>A short hike through the forest later, the group comes to a large clearing with many tan leather tents and abundant campfires already set up. It’s deserted for the time being, but Ponies are quick to claim tents for themselves and their families.
>After giving the ponies are given a small moment to relax, Twilight retreats into her own tent to find Spike, sleeping happily on Twilight’s pillow.

>She quietly trots over and nudges him awake. Reluctantly, Spike rolls over and looks up at Twilight with a goofy smile plastered on his face.
>”Twilight?”
>”Hey, Spike. How’re you feeling?”
>”Great!” He gets up to his feet and immediately yawns. “I-I missed you so much! … Man, I already miss the library though.”
>Twilight giggles and pulls Spike in for a hug.
>”I missed you too. And you don’t have to worry about the library, or Ponyville. That’s actually why I woke you up.”
>”I don’t? Why?”
>”Because, I need you to take a letter.”